So much to say, so much to say, and no time in which to say it. First: We don't have internet at home, which is cramping my blogging style somewhat. Last night I had intended to write a blog entry in Word or Textpad, then carry it in to campus on my flash drive and upload it here (very similar to the way we used to compose emails offline when sending them depended on getting access to the phone lines - remember?), but when I sat down to write last night, I just fell asleep over the keys. It's been an exhausting, but exhilarating, few days.

I've actually been in town here for three whole days now, which starts to feel like living here and not just visiting. The house is still full of boxes, and now the detritus of daily life is starting to cover them over - we've got dirty clothes scattered all over the bedroom, phone books here and there (but no phone!) and bits and pieces of stereo equipment - cables, etc., littering the living room. It's getting to be a bit much. We need to sit down and figure out systems for things (Where will the clothes hamper go? Where will the bookshelves go? Where's the best place for the coffee pot?) but for me, anyway, there's simply no time to do it, as classes start tomorrow and I really need to get my syllabi done, my online courses built, and to get a clue about what will happen in class tomorrow . . . all this afternoon. Yikes!

But some things have fallen quite awesomely into place. Charlie came up yesterday, accepted one of the jobs he'd applied for, and managed to get an apartment all within about an hour. We went back to the place (Northwind Drive, for you Lansing-ites) where he and Emil had been last week, only to discover that the apartment he'd wanted was no longer available - but an even better one was. He's got a studio apartment that was originally supposed to be a one-bedroom. This means that instead of having a rectangular box, he's got a separate kitchen area, his bathroom is down a hallway, and - this is the best part - he's got a balcony! And the apartment rented for the same price as the one he saw previously. Needless to say, he was very happy - and so was I, since I had squelched the previous one because he didn't yet have a job.

And the bike ride to work is every bit as wonderful as I'd hoped it would be. I pedal through neighborhoods whose architecture is reminiscent of Ann Arbor's Old West Side (although they're not as upscale, and likely never will be). Because of construction, I go along Michigan Avenue for a while, which I enjoy, and then I cut in by houses where our friends Jeff, Marty, and Kevin used to live Back in the Day. That's weirdly comforting; it feels as if we've moved to a new place, yet it holds all our memories. (It was very hard to keep my mouth shut about all those memories yesterday when I was motoring around with Charlie, and he got his job at the pizza place right next to the place we used to work, and got his apartment in the building right next to the complex where I lived when Emil and I met, and when he made a wrong turn and drove into the office complex where Emil worked when Em was born . . . I almost feel like there's something wrong with me for getting so much pleasure out of this - like I want to clip my children's wings or something, and make them live their life the way I lived mine. Intellectually, I know that's not the case; as a young person I was urged to find my freedom and make my own way down the path that I chose, so I'm confident that I simply don't have the mental patterning to make my children stay close to me. But boy, I'm getting a lot of joy out of their proximity!)

Much more to say, but I better try to do some work. Classes start tomorrow, and I'm Just Not Ready. I'd hoped to wing it tomorrow and then play catch-up on the weekend, but we have an open house in Ann Arbor on Sunday, which means we'll spend the weekend cleaning and fixing the A2 house. But at least we still have an internet connection there, so maybe in amongst the painting and the floor washing I'll get something done!

I'll try to upload pictures soon.