But I'm LOVING the frequent flier miles....

Off I go again, to the frozen north, to talk until people faint about Richard Crashaw (and considering that it's Crashaw, and my own topics of interest, the fainting could come early on in the program) and then to do the poetry reading thing. I've never been to the frozen north, and I hear there is good food to be had there, so I'm looking forward to it. And to the frozenness, since my winter so far has been disappointingly tepid. I want to KNOW it's December, baby. I'm excited to explore the area, and to see a dear former student who is now in grad school there, but I feel a little traveled out. And my kids need me right now, especially Thing 1, who (unlike his zen dude of a little brother) was always complex but is now beginning to deal with the complexities of life more deeply and seems to crave the security of mom more fervently. My bright side in all these travels: I intend to take Thing 1 to RSA in Italy next year. I just have to get off my ass and write a paper or panel proposal. Actually, I have to get off my ass and THINK of something that someone might write a paper on. My well is a little dry. Are there brain miles out there somewhere I should be redeeming?