Jesse, welcome back!

tommy, stupid Earth.

although she's probably not on the board now

Ha! Still here. How are you guys doing?

Gorgoeus day outside, though.

As it should be.

It IS a gorgeous day. I walked the dog earlier and the air was like silk. Of course my plans for this morning include vacuuming and doing laundry, so not so much with the outside.

Yesterday was pretty as well. I sat on the stoop outside reading and people watching. I haven't taken time to do that in a long while. People continue to be interesting.

I walked the dog earlier and the air was like silk.

Oh, that's lovely. It's nice of the dog to be the chore that lets you have time outside, unlike vacuuming and the like. Very thoughtful.

I sat on the stoop outside reading and people watching.

Out front? [Edit: I'm just trying to see if the picture in my mind is in any way close to the actual one.]

Last week I was reading some physics paper on the bus, and a girl was sitting next to me. Before she got up to leave, she turned to me and said "I have to ask you: what is the subject of what you're reading?". I didn't have time to say anything more than "physics" before the bus reached the station and she had to run out, though. So, yeah, people never stop being interesting.

Out front?

Yep. Heh. Sometimes I forget that you've been here. It's like a faraway dream. You really should come back. Or I should go there!

When I'm a rich woman, I'll come visit. Maybe claim my citizenship! Sweet!

Nilly! Hello!

As for my mom, well, I think she's at the point she would accept even a pirate. Maybe even with the eyepatch, the wooden leg and the "arrrr"s.

This is so dang funny. My daughter would so date a pirate, if, you know, she were old enough to think about dating.

Apropos the talk of decorating, we are in the process of fixing up the house, which mostly involves painting and slowly acquiring new furniure piece by piece. My favorite way to pick colors so far has been the Benjamin Moore site, which allows me to try out various color schemes (plus they have envirofriendly low VOC paints). We now have a butter yellow living room/dining room (okay, not the dining room yet, but soon!), a yellow bedroom for Franny, a bright new hallway, a cozy green den, and a lavender bedroom for me and Cody.

Ohhh! Today my parents are throwing a big birthday bash for my nephew. Whenever my SIL mentions a birthday party, my nephew excitedly yells, "CAKE!"

My mom got him a little kid sized house for the backyard that has a wee nephew-sized picnic table and the front door has a doorbell that goes, "DING DONG!"

As for my mom, well, I think she's at the point she would accept even a pirate. Maybe even with the eyepatch, the wooden leg and the "arrrr"s. She would anyway prefer that to any explanation regarding singlehood, no matter how hard it may be to introduce him to family and friends.

Snerkity.

It's a gorgeous day here. I haven't actually gone outside yet, though, and I think I'm going to have to spend most of this afternoon studying and grading. I can possibly study outside, but I'd be afraid of papers blowing away if I tried to grade outside. (I've already had one instance this semester of a student's paper getting lost in the pile of junk that is my desk. I really don't want to have to expain, "Well, it's probably somewhere in the Potomac."

It's like a faraway dream.

Sometimes I can't believe it actually happened. Or that it happened to me of all people. So I go look at pictures to make sure.

You really should come back.

Oh, yeah. I definitely intend to.

Or I should go there!

Oh, another yeah.

Maybe claim my citizenship!

Oh, and there will be already people here with copies of your book, too!

Burrell! How wonderful to post with you! How are you and your doing?

[Edited to wave at Hil, and to note that, yup, Allyson's nephew is still adorable.]

I love all the decorating talk and pictures and stuff. Lovely!

But not as much as I love the picture I have in my head of Nilly's mother telling people, "She's finally getting married! He's... well, he's a pirate. Yeah, eyepatch, pegleg, the whole bit. But Jewish!"