I am all fragmentary today.

i.

Having spent Wednesday evening catching up with Wendy and longing for a stay at Ragdale, I found myself on my own personal retreat yesterday when the husband hauled AJ off to my mother-in-law�s. I puttered around, I wrote a diaryland entry, and then I sat down to work. Four hours later I looked at the clock and realized I�d forgotten to eat lunch. I worked straight through until 7 � an unheard of luxury. And even better, I think I might finally be able to call this chapter finished by the end of the weekend. Hooray!

ii.

The Chronicle of Higher Education is apparently looking for academics entering the job market to blog for them. I�m contemplating sending them something, as they pay actual money. But do I really want to do this with someone else in control? On the other hand, since I�m doing it here anyway, perhaps it doesn�t hurt too try to get paid for a few entries a year that I publish somewhere else. It would at least support my bad habits by paying for a super gold membership. And maybe some acupuncture sessions for computer-induced carpal tunnel syndrome.

iii.

The paper I�m giving at the November conference has been scheduled. I�m on the first session, which means I get to get it out of the way, but I�m last, which means that some of my friends might actually be able to come. Also, the chair of my session is not your standard run-of-the-mill academic, but an academic who works for an actual musical organization, something I�m considering myself. It should be interesting. Assuming, that is, that I actually have a paper to read in four months. Otherwise it will just be embarrassing.

iv.

AJ and I spent the morning at the library where he helped a first grader read a book. Seriously. She was reading out loud and when she�d get stuck she�d show him the book and he�d help her with the hard words. I felt sorry for her. She came in with her mother and a passel of older brothers who promptly abandoned her in the picture book section where AJ and I were curled up on a sofa looking at an I-Spy book. She inched her way toward us until she was leaning over me from one side and AJ on the other while we all looked for missing objects in the pictures. AJ seemed concerned about her too and kept walking over to her to pat her on the hand. The mother? Didn�t say two words to me, although I entertained her daughter for a half an hour (and really, it was my pleasure � the three of us had fun) and delayed leaving the library because I didn�t want to leave her alone. In the car on the way home, AJ let out a pensive �Hmmm.� and said, �You know what Mommy? I think I need some pancakes. With syrup.� I agreed and we turned the car around and drove to the diner for an impromptu lunch of pancakes, chocolate milk and French fries. It�s hard to beat a steaming stack of diner pancakes. I guess I�ll be doing some extra laps in the pool tomorrow.

v.

Actually, barring weather disasters, I�m hoping my friend F. and her boyfriend will make it out here for biking tomorrow. We�re heading out to the Illinois Prairie Path for a little two-wheeled sight-seeing. I haven�t done any long rides yet this year � it�s been hard now that AJ is too big for the seat on the back of my bike but not yet big enough to ride on his own.

And now, to work!

0 people said it like they meant it