Where I've Been

In a word, around...

Actually, it's pretty obvious that cursory glance over my archives reveal that I'mn a pretty streaky blogger, and a pretty streaky blog reader, too. I'll go three or four days in a row, and then nothing for a week. So in the meantime, I'll tell you some of the things I've been doing:

• Willow set up a great weekend with some grad school friends, complete with hotel room in DC, gift certificate for a fancy dinner, and tickets to see Crave by Sarah Kane, a play that might be deeply depressing, but I'm not always sure how to make heads or tails of. Still, we were able to get our old dinner group back together again, all 7 of us, now with one new spouse (absent, sadly), four new kids, and another on the way. Strangely, it wasn't all that much louder than before...
• We were due to drive back on Sunday, but DC got some snow, and I developed an ulcer from the prospect of driving the highways out of DC and over Appalachians in that weather. Sooooo, extra night in the metro area, including a soul satifying trip to Trader Joe's!
• When we got back, I was waaay behind with work to do (quizzes to grade, midterms to design, an essay to revise (still to be done), another to review for a big journal in my field, and a bunch of small stuff (rec letters, etc.) to complete. As of this moment, I am almost caught up.
• Tonight was the inaugural gathering of a group I am now organizing of newish faculty with kids--we had 7 faculty members, a couple of spouses, and a bunch of kids from not yet walking to school age, clamoring around a local cafe which had devoted the etire time slot to us. Seems like a success, and a nice new social opportunity for some of us who have felt isolated in the past.
• Tomorrow, the new chair unveils his vision for the department. Should be very interesting.
  
• Then, visitors, midterm grading, essay revisions, and more visitors. March sure is coming in like a lion!