...to review:

The thing about blogs...you may have this lovely insight or idea that hits you, say...in the wilds of Kent, Texas after having already driving about 3000 miles across country with your father...but if you don't have the opportunity to get that insight or idea on paper or recorded in the ether somehow AT THAT VERY MOMENT it simply never has the same precision, the same quality.

How do I capture the look shared between my father and I as we filled up at a gas station in Kent, Texas and realized that, while both of us probably should use the 'loo, neither of us was willing to traverse the haze of flies emanating from the facilities in order to do so...or my father's white knuckles as we tried to figure out the two-story monstrosity that is I-10 in San Antonio? During rush hour? I mean, it's a freakin' highway, people! What's with the second floor????

And how do I truly capture the chaos of realizing I was not going to be able to have any down time, any alone time, before my semester started? I knew I was cutting it tight, and that I would have less than a week to settle into my bones before I had a roommate until December--but what with the hole in my kitchen ceiling that greeted me--I literally was scrambling to get my house in order until about half an hour before my roomie arrived.

Oh, who am I kidding? I'm currently ignoring the two foot-high stacks of dissertation related material (mostly older versions of stuff) that are piled under the coffee table that need organization.

But the good news is I have a spanking new ceiling, and my leasing company has been SUPERB. And I'll have a new cupboard and new countertops as soon as the parts come in. Now, y'all know how I am about my kitchen. Not having my room of zen has been troubling. But it's operational at the moment, and that's all I can ask. So proper acknowledgment is due to Sara, my leasing agent go-to person, who has been awesome in all this; Tyler, the maintenance engineer; Jose, my roofer; Rich, the ceiling-fixer; and Chris (I think that's his name--he's Sara's dad), my cupboard and countertop guy. Sure, having someone step through your roof and not tell anyone is a major f*ck up--but that in no way means any of these people have been required to go so far above and beyond like they have. Tyler swung by when it looked like a storm was headed my way, because he hadn't been able to touch base with Jose about a temporary patch--so just in case, he went up on the roof with a tarp (Jose had already done the patch--and will be back this morning to do a more permanent fix). Sara called the day after we did have a storm, just to make sure there was no problem.

So, yes, I've had some issues here--but they are issues that I probably would have had anywhere (and did, in my little apartment that I had when I first returned to the desert--but without the incredible service and attention to detail I've had here). But I would totally recommend these guys to anyone.

Okay. I didn't intend for this to be an advertisement for my leasing company.

But now you've caught up on my life from last week. This week holds MEETINGS MEETINGS MEETINGS, finishing off syllabi, and creating a master calendar of DOOM. Good times.

Actually, most of the meetings will be with students (except Thursday and Friday), so that will be good. I'm looking forward to seeing them again.