The Fannie Farmer recipe said to use a loaf pan. The definition it gave in the front section of a loaf pan was an exact description of the one I planned to use. I preheated the oven to 350 degrees, mashed together the ingredients in a large glass bowl, and filled the loaf pan with the mix. Before putting it in the oven, I spread ketchup over the top, just like my mom always did.

With the meatloaf in the oven, I put the water on for the potatoes, peeling and slicing while the water heated. When the potatoes and water came to a boil, I set the timer for twenty minutes and went to the living room to wait. I tried to watch television, but couldn't relax. Every channel was covering the terrorist attacks, even the Spanish language channels and MTV. I decided to read instead, which in this case didn’t amount to much more than turning pages.