1) I love my cat. I’ve been curled up for the last two days, going through roll after roll of toilet paper (yes, I know, the one time I don’t have any tissues) as I suffered through a nasty cold. And Arwyn’s been curled up far closer to me than she would usually get in such muggy weather, offering comfort. It’s nice having a cat who cares. It’s also really nice to be able to smell again. Of course, if my casseroles always tasted like cardboard maybe our grocery bills wouldn’t be so high.
2) Today I started a new job. No, no, I haven’t left academia, but I answered the rare-books librarian’s call for temporary help; apparently they have a small collection of Mark Twain (letters, first editions, criticism) that need cataloging and typed descriptions. Faced with a lot of unstructured time in the upcoming year, I liked the idea of having something to make me feel like I was going to work each day, and I had an itch to be back at work in a library again. So I’ll be spending some time deep in the bowels of the earth (seriously, it’s a few floors underground) for the next couple of months. Today I cracked the books and was delighted to be faced with Mark Twain’s handwriting. Much fun!
3) Sydney’s gotten wrapped up in Latin translation and logic homework, which means that rather than have a cleaner desk than during the school year, it’s gotten worse. He’s now taken up several surfaces: more than his side of the desk, the kitchen table, three chairs, the windowsill, a filing cabinet or two, and a chunk of the floor. I think he’s trying to barricade himself away from me, keeping my cold at bay. Good luck!
Erin
Alan Schmierer