You’re right, Carole! The blogosphere is light on reading these days. I love it when real life wins!
But for you, my solitary reader, here is my answer to your question: What’s up these days?
I’m back at work, deep in the throes of another school year, and I’ve almost completely forgotten the sloth-filled days of my Summer vacation. We’re on strike, sort of, which in most ways makes thing at my school smoother and simpler. Not as many meetings, but we all are so nice to each other and really like working together, so it’s the same great place to work as always. As far as I can tell.
I’m taking a course in Teaching ESL (a little late, perhaps, since I’ve been doing it for close to 7 years? bah!). The course is online, so I cut way back on evening commitments and I’m aiming for outstanding marks in the class. Tonight, I’ve been reading and reflecting on the Filipino culture here in Canada and honestly, the whole reality, mixed with how I see it in the lives of my students, is completely overwhelming me tonight.
I’ve you’ve been following my mom’s blog or Facebook feed, you know my parents’ home is a gong show this week. My Aunt (who lives with them) had her hysterectomy today as step one in her fight with stage 3 aggressive endometrial cancer. Dad’s knee surgery is tomorrow and mom starts chemotherapy for her (hopefully already eradicated) breast cancer on Friday. Maybe that’s also overwhelming, too? Yep.
Warren and Xavier are amazing, amazing, amazing people. Xavier has picked up the talking thing way earlier that Warren did — XP is still 6 weeks from turning 2, but he has way over 50 words and spontaneously works at speaking to us in sentences. He’s full of energy, and very very physical. He’s a total riot. Warren is of course amazing and adorable. He and Xavier are great friends who bicker and push each other around like pros.
Andre was away all weekend at a choir retreat. AND he had the car with him. The kids and I had a lovely time together and I just made sure not to plan anything. It was of course a great time with the kids, but life is waaayyyyyy better with Andre here.
What else? Tara’s busy and fantastic as usual. Her excellent husband spends his days being excellent. I see Lara less than once a week, when we can steal an hour in one of my prep days. I miss her kids.
We’re working on our next trip to France. We were thinking Christmas next year, but we have a line on a very good-looking house exchange that tempts us to go for the summer next year instead. What do you (dear solitary reader) know about house exchanges?
And for the record, since I’m thinking of you, Carole (and ripping off your husband’s “solitary reader” thing) I muss confess that I keep misspelling “solitary” as “sillitary”. Silly!
Back to you, Dear Internet! Keep up the good work!