A conversation, as reported by Mr. Spy:

Mr. Spy: I had fun skating this morning.

AJ: Yeah, me too. But I wish Mommy was there. I miss her. Do you miss her?

Mr. Spy: I miss her a ton.

AJ: I miss her two tons. I don�t miss you, though, because you�re right here.

* * * * *

I miss you too, AJ. You too, Mr. Spy. But I also kind of like having a room to myself for a while. Travel is less and less guilt-inducing as AJ gets older. Now he really talks on the phone. Yesterday evening he was telling me about the snow back home.

�It is so beautiful, Mommy. It is interesting because it looks all blue!�

�That sounds beautiful.�

�It is very windy. I saw several gusts today. It was very cool.�

I love his current mixture of phrases that sound older than his years with those that are more age appropriate. He has recently eliminated contractions from his spoken vocabulary. I�m not quite sure why that happened. I suspect some of the easy reading books he gets at school that circumvent contractions in order not to confuse.

* * * * *

Conference Habits: A one-day survey

1. Toothbrushing: 6 times
once after breakfast
once before paper session
once before press meeting
once before book party number 1
once before book party number 2
once before bed.

2. Food
Breakfast: Oatmeal with berries, tomato juice, coffee
Morning snack: skim milk latte
Lunch: Lunch? Who has time for lunch?
Afternoon snack: granola bar
Dinner: I don�t like to eat dinner alone, therefore I don�t eat.
Evening reception 1: 1 glass of red wine, 1 M&M with �It�s a book!� printed on it.
Evening reception 2: 2 glasses of red wine, 3 slices of baguette with three slices of French cheese. A nice and somewhat deaf man, one of the founders of the organization that is holding the conference and the father of one of the publisher�s that is interested in my book, kept trying to bring me more, but I declined.

3. Sleep
Up at 7:30 after 8.5 hours. In bed by midnight after watching a PBS program about lesbians on TV.

4. Shopping: Items purchased (except food)
1 postcard with a picture of PNC baseball stadium for AJ
1 toy Pittsburgh Penguins Zamboni for AJ
1 $50 book about Early Modern female musicians (marked down from $100 � oh, those conference bargains!
1 $30 set of two books about teaching ethnomusicology

5. Business cards exchanged: 4

* * * * *

I slept less well last night. I am jumpy and over-stimulated, the way I get when talking to people all day and into the night. This morning I give my second paper and then the real work is done. I am nervous about them. It is more political than any paper I�ve ever done. And I�m writing on a topic that is somewhat outside my comfort zone. I will attend sessions and the annual meeting and then have dinner with a friend before heading home tomorrow. I�m missing home this morning. Or maybe it�s just Sufjan crooning about Chicago in my ear.

[Two entries yesterday. Click back if you missed one. Or don't if this conference is boring you.]

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