It has been a very busy and fun weekend, so naturally I am now wracked with guilt over the fact that not enough dissertating has happened. Moreover, I have realized that once again I have forgotten the deadline to an important conference until the last minute and am now scrambling for a proposal. I realized this only because my friend L. called and asked if I had something that might fit into a panel a friend of hers is putting together.

I forget this deadline every damn year. All the other deadlines are clustered, but this one is hanging out there by itself in the middle of the summer. I always think I have more time to put something together than I do. I�d skip it this year, because I don�t really need another conference, but it�s going to be in Chicago, so I�d be stupid not to give it a go. So here I am kicking myself in the shins, the same as last year. And the year before.

But enough about my stupidity and disorganization. On to more pleasant subjects.

Friday, our afternoon took an unexpected but pleasant turn after AJ�s nap. AJ woke thinking it was carnival day and was very sad to learn that he had another day to wait (translation � he started to scream and cry). In an effort to cheer him up (and to avoid a full-scale tantrum), I suggested we put on his shoes and take a walk to visit our neighbors next door. AJ adores Mr. S, who is nearly the age of his grandfather. He often asks to visit them, but I only allow it when they�re out in their yard, so we�re not disturbing them. But today they were having a moving sale, so we went for a visit when there was a lull in the sale traffic. On our way there, a friend of AJ�s and his mom drove by. They�d been in the neighborhood and thought they�d see if we were around. We were delighted and took them down to our playground on the river where the two boys tore around as if it weren�t 85 degrees. After they left, AJ and I stayed a little longer, took off our shoes and went wading in the muddy river. AJ dug tunnels and wrote his name in the sand to watch it wash away in the waves that lapped the shore after passing boats. It was a beautiful afternoon. In the evening, my husband and I headed out to a not too French restaurant with live jazz (pretty good, actually) for a very tasty dinner, certainly the best we�ve had in our general vicinity (although a bit of a drive).

Saturday was carnival day. AJ bounced out of bed yelling �Carvinal! Carvinal!� Unfortunately, it didn�t open until noon and we had to occupy him until then. My husband got stuck with the lion�s share as I went to do my laps at the pool. They joined me after a while and AJ played carnival rides with his toys in the shallow end and told every passer by, �I�m going to the Carvinal!� until it was time to go get ready.

The carnival was fantastic. There were TONS of rides � beautiful, old-fashioned rides with lots of lights. Although AJ was crushed to find he was too short to ride the Tilt-A-Whirl, they actually had tons of rides for little kids. We went up and down a giant slide 7 times. We went round and round on the teacup ride 3 times, and twice on a very similar ride in teeny balloons. Helicopters, roller coasters, carousels. It was all fun. He approached each ride with a face of impressive seriousness and determination, but if you caught his eye, he�d burst into a big smile. We stopped for a water break and AJ�s first taste of cotton candy (highly successful). AJ came hope elated and drooping all at once, but slept for only an hour, as he didn�t want to miss the visit of my friend H.

H., a friend from Chicago, came out for an overnight in the country. We made dinner and dined al fresco, put AJ to bed and, leaving him with a watchful husband, headed out to a local pub for a beer and a loud and poorly miked but otherwise not too shabby Celtic/bluegrass trio. This morning we all headed to the pool and had the place to ourselves. We swam and splashed and lounged in the sun like movie stars before heading home, ravenous, to eat piles of sandwiches and ice cream. And now H. is on a train home and AJ is sleeping and I am left to confront the proposal that isn�t (at least not yet) and the ever-expanding list of the things I have to do before we leave for vacation in (gulp) two weeks. TWO WEEKS.

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