Dear Sis:

The concert was great! I went to the fair yesterday, and it was a gorgeous day. Very bright and fair. Georgia and I baked a hundred cookies on Saturday for a charity booth (the children's wing of the hospital), and they sold out in half an hour. I saved a couple (the violet ones) for Creed, and sure enough I finally heard him. They had a couple of stages there, so it was a little hard to hear, but when I heard the opening chords of "Temptation Eyes" I knew it was him and snaked my way through the crowd.

He's very different when he's on stage. He seems to be very self-assured, very together. I think he only really focuses on the world from behind a microphone. I don't know, maybe I'm projecting. Anyway, I ran into a guy from my rehab group and his wife, and we shouted and applauded and hooted whenever there was a break in the music. Creed glanced over and saw me and nodded, and actually smiled! Woo! So happy. Yes, I'm a fangirl, as Rachel would say.

His eyes are very blue.

Oh, and tell Rachel I've finished everything but her left sleeve; I'll have it for her next week.

The camera crew comes back week after next, so I guess I should go get my hair cut. Gotta look good for my fans. Hah.

Georgia announced that she is moving out at the end of the month. Her sister's baby is very sick and she needs Georgia to help take care of it. Guess I'd better start looking for a roommate. This sucks.

Give the girls a hug.

Love,

Sunny

Dear Sis:

More drama from the Jan and Michael front. She moved into his condo over the summer, and now it seems she is redecorating. She tried to get Michael to get rid of his naughty toy collection, and when they fought about it he packed up a box and brought them to the office. Now he has an office full of toys that, well, let's just say you can't take clients, let alone children, into Michael's office any more. They're either doing obscene things or saying obscene things. Angela in accounting refuses to go into Michael's office, but Kevin won't stay out of it. Every time Michael leaves the office, Kevin is in there making the Hot Daddy doll say "Gimme some hot lovin'" or some such stupid thing. It annoys the hell out of Jim, who sits closest to Michael's office; I saw him break two pencils yesterday.

Yes, Jim and Pam are still going strong. When they look at one another the air hums. You are such a romantic. Which is okay, because I am, too. What's funny is that some people are so oblivious; I don't think Kevin or Creed or Meredith has actually figured out that Jim and Pam are together. And definitely Andy hasn't--he tried to ask Pam out the other day. Poor girl.

Karen has finally left. I don't know what happened there. Two Mondays ago she was there, and then this Monday she wasn't, and her desk was bare. I asked Phyllis if Karen was sick (Phyllis knows all the gossip) and Phyllis just made a tight line with her mouth, shot a look at Jim, and said Karen wouldn't be back. Sure would like to know what that drama is all about!

Give my love to the girls. How's Mom?

Love,

Sunny

Dear Sis:

You are so not going to believe this. Creed has asked me out! For real! I was finishing up the break room yesterday (I put some mousetraps behind the vending machines, but so far the little devils are smarter than I am), and he came in. I thought he was getting a drink out of the machine, but he just stared at me. Did I mention he has very blue eyes? Anyway, after a few moments he asked where he could pick me up. I said, "What?" and he said he could get his hands on a car Friday night and asked me again where he should pick me up. I was very confused, and it took awhile for it to dawn on me that he was asking me out! Only backwards, asking first when he could pick me up, and then working his way back to "Do you want to go to Burning Man?" Of course I said I'd love to, but Burning Man is not only held in California, it's over for this year! So he shrugged and said he and his buddies were going to hold their own Burning Man next weekend and would I come? I said yes.

Now I know you're going to get all knotted up over this, but really, it isn't what you think. I think he's just a nice guy (under all the weird) and he's being a nice guy. Nothing pervy or sleazy. Forget what I told you about him posting that picture of a woman's breast on his monitor--that was an office politics thing.

Also, when it rains, it pours. Rabbi Aaron asked me to go for coffee last night. I said no, 'cause he's my counselor and it wouldn't be right. He was nice about it, very understanding, and laughed, but I could see he was disappointed. I asked him to help me find a new roommate and he said he'd ask around.

All of Michael's toys disappeared mysteriously from his office on Friday. He assigned Dwight to launch an "investigation", and Dwight has decided that Andy is behind it. I caught Jim and Pam exchanging a look and I don't think Andy had anything to do with the toys disappearing. I wonder if they're holding the toys for ransom; Phyllis told me Jim once did that with Dwight's bobbleheads.

I'll fill you in later. Gotta go.

Love,

Sunny

Dear Sis:

My date with Creed was a lot of fun! First, he picked me up (half an hour late) in a hearse. Yes, an actual hearse. It smelled like flowers and formaldehyde, but it was a car and it worked. He drives strangely--he said he spent many years in Europe and Israel so he sometimes forgets which side of the road to drive on. Next time, I will do the driving. I want to live.

The "Burning Man" turned out to be a party on the beach at Lake Wallenpaupack. We got there as the sun was going down. I was not sure what to make of Creed's friends: there were three teenagers, an old man with long hair and a tie-dye T-shirt, two women about my age who appeared to be lovers, and several guys Creed's age. At first I thought they were homeless, but they were very clean, and as they sat around talking it was clear that they all have jobs and homes. I think they're just veterans of the sixties--one of them is an accountant and another one works for the Mayor's office. God knows what they were doing there. Anyway, they had built this straw and balsa wood Man about ten feet high, and there was a fire going. Creed turns out to be a very good camp cook; he says he spent a lot of time living in the woods between 1990 and 1994. Anyway, he broiled some fish, and roasted corn in the embers in foil wrap (delicious!) and had several watermelons to share. Lots of fun. After we ate, the guys and one of the women brought out instruments and Creed pulled out a guitar and we sat around singing Sixties songs. Those of us who didn't have instruments picked up sticks and pans and whatever and formed the rhythm section. The teenagers sang along to the Beatles and Elvis stuff.

One of the women was playing a flute; turns out she teaches music at the high school. We got to talking about teaching and she was surprised that I couldn't get a job teaching. I told her about my legal problems, and she said there might be a way to get my license back, at least for private schools. I don't have much hope, but she was nice and I gave her my number. It would be great to be able to teach again.

After awhile, the booze came out and people were passing around bottles of wine. The flute lady and I kept an eye on the teenagers, who wanted some wine but we made sure they stuck to soda. After awhile they left to go find another party, and it was just us old folks. One guy started a story about the Selma march (he was in Ralph Abernathy's civil rights group), and another one talked about protesting the Iraq war, and we just passed the bottle around and looked at the stars and laughed a lot. Around midnight someone finally lit the Man, and we all sang "Light My Fire" by the Doors. Creed told a funny story about Jim Morrison and some cop in Florida, and then we danced some more. I was pretty relaxed by then, and wound up dancing with Creed. I can't say I've ever slow-danced with a rock star. Hah. I'll say this, Sis, the shoulders under those flannel shirts are still very good. J

Everyone was too drunk to drive home, so I slept in the back of the hearse. I think Creed slept on the roof. He drove me home in the morning, as chipper as can be. I have to say, it was a wonderful date, but what do we do for an encore?

I'm sending Rachel's sweater with this. Be sure to have her try it on, and if it needs adjustment, I'll fix it.

Love,

Sunny

Dear Sis:

As if the soap opera at Dunder Mifflin isn't weird enough, guess what now? Kelly (the Indian girl with the non-stop mouth) is making a play for Dwight! I couldn't believe it when I saw it, but she started flirting and hanging out around his desk all Monday and Tuesday. Since she normally spends all her time in the annex, it was pretty conspicuous. Angela was steaming mad; if looks could kill, Kelly would have gone up in flames. Kelly kept making eyes at Dwight (who is oblivious) and giggling at him and calling him cute names. I think she's lost her mind. Jim and Pam love it; they are doing everything they can to encourage her. I don't know if that's a good idea; Kelly is a nice girl, underneath all the chatter, and deserves better than Dwight.

Michael isn't helping. Apparently he and Jan are hot again. She came to the office the other day to bring him lunch, and Michael made a big deal out of closing the blinds to his office and loudly locking his door. We heard a lot of giggling and moaning coming out of his office. Pam and Jim exchanged horrified looks and quickly found excuses to head to the warehouse. Dwight worked on, oblivious, and Andy and Kevin exchanged snickers until Angela hissed at them to shut up.

Anyway, enough stalling. I have some news, and I don't think you'll approve, but here it is. I went up on the roof after work and found Creed up there, packing his things. He said the nights are starting to get cold again, and he can't sleep in the open much longer. He said he doesn't have a home, that he'll sleep under his desk like always. So I asked him if he'd like to move into my place and take over Georgia's half of the lease. He said he'd think about it. He called me "Sunny", too.

Now, I know what you're going to say. He's a stranger, he's weird, etc. It's true I don't know him all that well, but I knew Georgia even less well when we agreed to room together. And I think Creed will be all right. The only thing that worries me is the possibility that he's into drugs, and I can't have a roommate who's into drugs. I'll talk to him about it.

Thanks for letting me know about Mom's teeth. I hope her dentist can fix that tooth soon. Remember how she always used clove oil on our toothaches? Yech.

Love,

Sunny

Dear Sis:

Yeah, I know it's been a while. Sorry for the long gap. So much has been happening.

First of all, yes, Georgia and I have gone into the cookie business. Tell Adam I appreciate his offer, but Rabbi Aaron has drawn up some partnership papers for us and we're happy with them. Georgia says her sister will lend us some startup money, and we can use the big kitchen in the homeless kitchen until we can rent a place of our own, thanks to Rabbi Aaron. Our first job will be baking nearly a thousand cookies for Sandra, the lady from my rehab group who's getting married. We've named the company "Sunny's Sweets", which was actually Georgia's idea. I didn't want to leave her name off the company, but she said there were too many problems with rhyming her name, or having people think we were a regional company, so anyway she declined to have her name on the masthead, so to speak. Toby at Dunder Mifflin has asked for a price sheet for his little girl's birthday party, and Phyllis wants to know if we make holiday cookies. We're off! But it means so much work, which is why I have so little time to write.

Yes, I am staying on as the cleaning person at the Slough Street building for now, because the cookie business isn't going to make money for a long time, not until after we've established ourselves.

Second, yes, Creed has moved in--so to speak. I hardly ever see him. He's out with his friends, or playing at bars, or working at the homeless shelter a lot. He gets phone calls from the mayor's office and a bunch of charities, so I am not really sure how he spends all his spare time. And I got a very strange call from someone who said he was Creed's manager, and said a music distributor is interested in picking up Creed's latest CDs. So I'm not sure how much longer he is going to be here.

And yes, we're just friends. For now. Shut up. He's a nice guy, he hasn't made any moves on me, and we get along swell. If things heat up from there, well, hey, there are worse things than having a rock star in the family.

Oh, and here's that autographed album cover you wanted. Since you don't read Creed's very odd handwriting, I'll translate it for you: To Sunny and Sis, rock on, Creed. Nice. Anyway, you finally have your album cover, so be happy. J

Oh, and Kelly is no longer flirting with Dwight. Seems she's got a crush on Andy now. That girl needs a life really really bad. Jan moved out of Michael's condo. For a whole week. She's back now, and his life is worse than ever. Jim and Pam are making the most of it. I saw them in the break room the other day, heads together over something. When they left, I saw that they were carrying travel brochures. A joint vacation? Or honeymoon plans? I'll let you know when I do.

Anyway, give the girls and Adam my love. I'll be meeting with Rabbi Aaron's group over Rosh Hashanah--I promised him some apple spice cookies. It looks like the coming New Year will be a good one for me. Let's hope so.

L'shana tova!

Love,

Sunny