3.6.07

Not much of an apology.

Priya's right, I haven't been around for the last few weeks. That could change this month, but I can't promise anything.

Some reasons that blogging is very far down on my list of things to do right now:

1. My mother's broken arm and subsequent titanium implant, which required me to spend two weeks in Ohio throwing a party for my grandfather and taking care of her and the house.

2. Various conference proposals and papers and other academic commitments that aren't finished, were going to be skipped for this year, and then received CFP extensions.

3. Both cars having mechanical difficulties at the same time. Totally different, but equally expensive, difficulties.

4. Our external media hard drive going kablooey and (potentially--fingers crossed that we can recover the data somehow without emptying the checking account) taking five years of photos, home movies, music, and my laptop backup files with it.

Related issue: S has been having trouble with his ipod, which won't accept a return to factory settings and sync with my laptop's music collection. His collection was run through the external HD (whirr-whirr-click, which can't be good) and is, therefore, MIA.

5. Preparing for this summer's teaching, which involves finding all the assignments from last year (see #4) and rerecording lectures and powerpoint files from scratch.

6. Scheduling vacation time only to have my teaching schedule change to the dates that we had reserved for said vacation. The reservations can't be changed, so this is going to be interesting.

7. Finding out that my student loan company doesn't know I'm still enrolled, a week before my grace period expires.

8. My sister's custody hearing.

9. Trying very hard not to think about my 30th birthday, which is rapidly approaching.

10. Non-academic commitments for posts and pieces of writing on my personal blog, which aren't any more important than this one but do involve people being annoyed if they aren't finished.

11. Finding out that my personal blog has perhaps been 'discovered' by an academic crush. By way of a non-academic interest. And trying to decide what to do with that bit of potentially problematic information.

An assortment of posts about the recent livejournal fracas, FanLib as a threat to fandom, interactions between real life and online life, and the temptations of moving somewhere with reasonable rents and maybe even the potential of a decent job may, if things start going back to normal, show up here soon.

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27.2.07

Actually, I know why they call it the Windy City.

1. Have managed to fit eight days worth of stuff, including various dvds and books, into a small suitcase, a neon green duffle, and my laptop case.

2. Have used my sister's favorite t-shirt to make my computer all shiny and clean.

3. Have updated my hostel reservations to make space for my mum, who has decided to join me for the weekend. (She will use any excuse possible to spend time in Chicago. Much like me.)

4. Have gotten out clothing to wear on the train. Decided on head-kicking boots, for obvious reasons.

5. Have finished one paper, almost finished two more, and given one up as a lost cause for which an outline and a poster will have to be sufficient.

6. Have caught up with rss feeds. Feel like I'm bailing a rowboat using a spoon. May need to edit the subscriptions.

7. Have charged various things that need charging, read various things that need reading, and reserved various things that need reserving.

8. Have gotten a cool new haircut, a pair of great earrings, my great-grandmother's costume pearls, and a very nifty heirloom ring (about which there is A Story) from my mother. Am well equipped to be funky and bohemian while wandering the city this week.

9. Have plans to revisit old haunts (Lincoln Square, Unabridged Books, Rogers Park, the Green Mill, and the Art Institute) when not sitting in panels or the hotel bar. Shall not be eating in any overpriced tourist establishments.

10. Have already seen all of the Chicago Top Ten Attractions. Have also seen the next 15 on the list. And most of the following 20.

Suspect that I am not the intended audience for such things.

11. Shall be rooming with Fantastic Fellow Grad Student and sundry others. Shall be drinking with many other academics.

Shall also, at some point, give three presentations and a poster session. And sleep. Maybe.

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