No, the proposal's not done, though I've made progress. Yes, departmental and college politics continue to churn, preventing any real work from getting done during the day. And, of course, I'm coming down with my son's cold.
But tonight my older son and I had a long talk about his frustrations with the growing social stratification in his elementary school. (Third grade seems to be where it all really begins.) It brought back a lot of memories of being the nerdy outcast as a kid. And as I tried to reassure him that what's popular in elementary school doesn't necessarily last a lifetime, I realized just how true that really is.
Despite the list of woes I began with, today I'm acutely aware of my blessings--all of which take the form of people. My husband, who's been leaving breakfast outside the bathroom door each morning as I rush to get ready and get to the office; my kids, who screech "MOM'S HOME" with delight as I walk in the door (later each day); my buddies at work who are always ready to grab a cup of coffee and chat, lift a beer at lunch on Fridays, or send me something in e-mail that makes me laugh; and, these days, my new friends in blogaria, whose writings inspire me, comments encourage me, and offline email warms me.
So it's easy for me to reassure my son that so far as friends and popularity are concerned--as my father used to tell me, incessantly--"this, too, shall pass." And I know--even if he doesn't--how true that is.
(a laugh, that is)
These two things provided just what I needed at the end of a week that's been far too serious.
First, this extraordinary abridged version of Bush's state of the union addres. I laughed so hard tears ran down my cheeks. (via Alex)
Second, Mark Pilgrim's comments on a Mac OS X article:
Mac OS X Hints: An early review of iMovie 3. "It is now possible for a Mac user with a fast machine to create beautiful Video CDs in faster than real time." Amazing! IÌve always wanted to work faster than real time.
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