Hello from Austin, TX, one of my favorite cities in the US. I'm fond of it, mostly, because my daughter and son live here, so I have ample opportunities to visit. Austin has a great deal to offer the eclectic, artistic, musical person, but us regular folk can enjoy it, too.
My son had spine surgery on Dec. 8 to remove a Schwannoma, a Schwann cell tumor. The tumor was approximately the size of a fist, and, according to his doctor, was the largest one he had seen in 17 years of surgery. The operation took about six hours; Dan was in recovery for about two hours; he was in the hospital for about a week.
I made a trip to Austin for his surgery, then went back home for five days, then drove back to Austin, where I've been since December 18. My daughter went to Ireland for Christmas to visit her boyfriend's relatives, so Dan needed someone here to cook, clean, nag, and otherwise transport him around. That job fell to me, of course, since I'm his mother.
We've had a pleasant time, really. I've cooked and baked, washed clothes, etc., but we did go to see "Avatar." While I loved the special effects, I thought the message was less-than-subtle, which distracted me somewhat. But seeing it in IMAX is awesome--and made me extremely dizzy in spots!
I've baked two batches of cowboy cookies, two loaves of French bread, cooked pots of soup and spaghetti. Right now, I'm waiting for the last dozen peanut butter cookies to bake. I'm surprised I haven't gained 50 pounds with all the cooking I've done.
We took a trip to Book People, a nice multi-story bookstore here in Austin. And we've made a few trips to the grocery and dollar stores. But, mostly, we've hung out at home, watched movies, and read...we've barreled through quite a few books this Christmas.
I hope your New Year is excellent for you! See you soon, I hope!
I'm sure my students are screaming, too. If I didn't have a meeting on Monday, Oct. 19, I'd have six days of not having to leave the house. Unfortunately, as soon as classes resume, I have to be at the college four days in a row--on Monday and Wednesday, I have to come in for meetings, each of which will last an hour or less. Feh!
Which means, of course, that I'll spend more time driving than sitting in said meetings. Which means, of course, that I'll have to fill my car up with gas twice in one week. Feh, I say!
At some point, I wish our U would hold virtual meetings, so I could stay home and "attend" in my pajamas. I'd like that. It's not as though I say much in these meetings. I especially try not to volunteer for anything...unless one of my bosses presses me into service the way the British Navy used to "press" citizens of other countries to serve (in other words, by force).
And, of course, this break is not a "break" for my students, or for me. In order to cover everything I need to cover, I have assignments due. Which means I have stuff to grade. If they've stayed on top of things, though, they should be able to slid those things in early and cop a couple of days of snooze time. That is, if their other profs haven't loaded them down with work, too.
Yeah, being a student is a drag, sometimes, but my students can rest assured that I don't have much time to slack off. My only hope is that it rains for six days so I'm not tempted to go out and slog around in the yard to pick up limbs.
Oh, well. The good news is that my daughter has a full-time teaching position as a traveling art teacher in Austin. She splits her time between two elementary schools. She's going to love it, once she gets the hang of working a regular job, with regular pay, regular hours, regular vacations, health benefits, etc. Her first salaried position. It's about time, and I'm soooooo happy for her. Another Smith to shape young minds! It's a conspiracy, I tell ya!
