No doubt you've noticed that I haven't kept up with blogging as much as I'd like. A lot of that is due to the usual reasons, which is that life is keeping us very busy. However, I didn't want to see Gregorian year 2010 vanish into the ether without a quick note about what I've been up to in its last week. (Or you could skip to the end, which is a good bit, and has Marvin in it.)
I took the week as vacation, not because Nomi and I were planning to use the week for anything special, but mostly out of necessity. My vacation schedule is now somewhat dependent on when our babysitter plans to be away, and like many people she chose to take her vacation in the last days of December. So I ended up having to do the same. Nomi and I basically spent the week at home, taking care of Muffin and Squeaker and trying to keep up with everything else we had to do. (I'm thinking of revisiting the concept of a "routine" with my next
"The Brookline Parent" column, and if I do, it'll be based a lot on our experiences this week.)
Anyway, as most of the country knows, on Sunday and Monday the east coast of the United States was hit by a snowstorm that reached blizzard conditions in many areas. In the Boston area we got 18.2 inches over the storm, tying the storms of December 20-22, 1975 and January 7-8, 1996 for the tenth highest snowfall from one storm in Boston's recorded history. In our building, the four condo units have divided the snow removal task into week-long blocks, and our week ended on Sunday night. So on Sunday evening we shoveled out our building and put out ice melt. Yes, the storm was still going on, but it made it easier for the neighbor taking over on Monday.
We took the kids out on Monday to see if they would play in the snow, and the experiment wasn't exactly a success. The cold weather got to Muffin, and she started to wail almost immediately after we put her down on a snowbank. Perhaps we'll try feet-first next time. (That's a joke, for all the mandatory reporters reading my blog.)
As for the rest of the week, let's see... I kept up with a project at the office. I worked on a short story that has a deadline (and here's a hello to the editor assuring her that I'm still working on the story). Nomi and I caught up with some television and watched the fascinating film
"Milk" (2008), about which I hope I'll have time to say more later. (We also saw
"Return to Oz" [1985].) I discovered a book called
"SuperHero ABC" by artist
Bob McLeod and began reading it to the kids; they love the book, and I'm hoping that means they'll take on my love of superhero comics as they get older. (I'll try to have more to say about that book as well.)
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SuperHero ABC by Bob McLeod
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We did manage to get some socializing in, thanks to friends who understand that if they want to spend time with us, they probably need to come to our place so we can keep an eye on the kids. My former student
fynixsoul, who had come in from Chicago to visit her family, was stranded by the storm, so came over one afternoon and got to spend time with the kids. (She helped us watch them at Boskone back in February, when they were much younger and easier to corral.) Our friend
madknits also came over one evening, and we had a free-ranging conversation over many topics; he also brought us a nice gift from New Orleans. Finally, we met
dungeonwriter for the first time; she was in town staying with
sharonaf and her family. (While she was visiting, I managed to turn her onto
Hereville, so I expect Barry Deutsch to send me a cut.) (That was another joke.)
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Hereville by Barry Deutsch
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But for the most part, Nomi and I spent the week caring for the kids. There's a lot you have to do when you have twin toddlers in the home, and the amount of time it bites out of your life...you know, I think I will make that my column for next week after all.
For all of you who are planning to celebrate New Year's Eve, have a wonderful time. As for our family, well, it's Friday night, so after shabbat dinner I think we'll go to bed.
May 2011 be an auspicious year for all of us.
Finally, for those of you who skipped to the end, here's
Marvin.
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Marvin the Paranoid Android
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