Bullets of Weekend

-- Both weekend mornings Jake got up and let me sleep in, which was awesome, especially because I've been sick and not having a lot of energy. I slept way way in, like I didn't come downstairs until about 9:15, and when Milo saw me he remarked, "I didn't see you in a while! Were you at work?" I said, "I was upstairs sleeping", and he said, "Oh! I see!" So cute!

-- Every now and then when I see photos of people I went to high school with I realize how freakin' old I am. I see these people and they look really old to me, so much so that if it were a stranger I'd just assume they were older than me. And then I have to face the fact that actually, I'm the same age. We're just all grown up now. I am not 20 anymore, even if for some mysterious reason I keep thinking I am.

-- I thought up an advertisement for windows. For instance, if you're trying to sell Anderson windows, you could make a commercial in which you show a couple struggling to put the plastic up over their ancient windows for the winter, and the inevitable chaos and bickering that will bring, and then have a voice over that says "Anderson windows. Cheaper than marriage counseling."

-- Every time one of my friends puts up a picture of themselves in San Diego, I find myself missing San Diego so, so much. I really miss it right now. I pretty much never miss San Diego in the summer, or the fall, but the winter? You know, living in basically perfect weather year round was pretty damn nice, as I recall. Never too hot, never too cold. Hiking at Torrey Pines in January in a t-shirt. Playing tennis on Christmas day in shorts. The gentle breezes, the scent of jasmine...*sigh*

-- I feel like I like the idea of winter a lot more than the actual day-to-day-ness of it. I like the idea of the occasional day spent sledding, ice skating, looking at the beautiful snow, coming in to hot chocolate, yada yada yada. I like all that, for sure, and it makes Christmas feel extra Christmassy and all. But those days and scenes are, what, maybe 5% of actual winter? And then the other 95% of it is ugly gray and brown snow and slush, freezing fingers, scraping the car every morning, giant snowdrifts you have to walk around, slipping on the ice, that bitter sting of the wind in your face, getting to work and not being able to talk right because your mouth is sort of numb, etc.

-- If only California weren't so expensive and didn't have such shitty educational policies. Every time a job comes up at Santa Barbara or Santa Cruz I think, hmmm....ocean views, gorgeous weather...living like a pauper in a 1-room shack that costs 800K...never mind.

-- Today I got a sort-of decision on my signature piece #1 (that I am counting on for tenure and submitted to our field's top journal). This was after one round of revise and resubmit. It's not accepted (boo) but the editor said that I can revise it and she won't send it out for another round of review (HUGE YAY). This is huge because not sending it out again for review means it's between me and the editor, and has a much better chance of making it through, and we don't have to go through another 4-month delay. Plus, she gave me a 2-week deadline to get the revisions done, which is a very tight timeline, and then noted that currently there's no backlog at this journal and she anticipates the possibility of it getting published quickly. Another huge YAY. BUT, the revisions aren't minor. They're substantive (boo). So this means I have 2 weeks, or rather less because I actually haven't gotten the reviews back yet so can't start revising quite yet, of very hard work. On top of being sick, and having to travel to DC this week. And getting ready for the kids' birthday. This whole "last minute huge push giant effort enormous struggle in the face of adversity" thing totally appeals to my drama queen side, though. So....here we go.

-- Today when I was in the office and the email came in from the journal that said "decision" in the subject line, adrenaline raced through my whole body. My entire head had been completely congested all day and then suddenly, seeing that email, before I even opened it, I could breathe again. I still feel shaky about it all. And not wanting to count my chickens yet.

-- Nora has a horrible cough that makes it hard for her to go to sleep. I wish there was something you could give somebody her age and size for a cough, but it's not allowed. She sounds awful, the poor thing. And Milo had another fever today. I can't believe the whole family is still sick after so long. Both of the kids are so skinny that when they get sick they start to look emaciated to me, even though I know they're not, but I feel like they don't have anything to spare. Nora's appetite is not so great with her cold. I work really really hard to let this go and not make a big deal out of it. I soooo don't want her to, I don't know, develop anorexia as a teenager because she has a lifelong history of food control battles with her mother. (Duh. Nobody wants that.) So I try my best to just let it go at dinner time and eat my meal and NOT comment on the fact that she is eating NOTHING AT ALL AND WILL STARVE HERSELF TO DEATH IF SHE DOESN'T WATCH OUT ahem...I mean...just eat my meal and let it go. Then I give her pie, to try and fatten her up.

Which Milo thinks is awesome: