Quick ten bullet post, while I’ve got the time:

1) I’ve been listening to The Magnetic Fields a lot lately. “I Don’t Want To Get Over You” is one of my favorite songs of recent memory. My brother, the Colorado hippie, believe it or not, had the Magnetic Fields boxed set mixed in with his discs. I’ll have to ask him what he thought of it.

2) The predicted snow turned out to be a non-factor today. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the weather people muff a prediction so badly. However, the warmer temps, combined with yesterday’s snow, allowed T, S, and I to hit a cemetery hill and snowboard for an hour or so this afternoon. Both boys are getting better every month. I actually attempted two trips down the hill. I will only saw I am glad no cameras were present to see me fall off the board and flail my arms in a desperate attempt to remain upright.

3) I have “Marie Antionette” from Netflix. I don’t know when I’ll get a chance to start the film. Maybe tomorrow night.

4) M will be out of town next Friday morning through Sunday afternoon. Plus, the kids are off Friday. Crazy. A babysitter will watch the boys from 2-5 on Saturday. I’m not sure what we’ll do, but we’ll manage. If the weather is ok we may hit the zoo for a few hours Friday morning. Thank God for movies and video games. Seriously.

5) There is an outside chance I will defend my dissertation by the time M and the boys leave for NY in late July. I would love to finish by then so I could enjoy the two weeks without work in the back of my mind. I think I have a decent shot of defending by then. We’ll see. Maybe I’ll accompany the family out to NY then splurge on a trip to Boston or NYC.

6) My left shoulder/chest hurt lately. I can’t tell if a muscle or artery or whatever is causing the pain. Maybe I’m having a heart attack. Please remember to cremate me, please.

7) I’ve been reading Ha Jin’s “The Crazed” lately. Great book. He’s got such a strong, masterfully simple approach to language. I’ve also been reading the book on Buddhism and a collection of Bacon interviews. I like Bacon. I know some art critics think he’s gross and obvious, but I don’t know, maybe more art should be gross and obvious. I want to see the show again.

8) My meditation practice has picked up. In fact, I hope to meditate as soon as I finish this entry.

9) Tomorrow will be a long day, probably thirteen hours from the time I leave for work to the time I return, so I MUST sleep tonight. No pressure!

10) T and I hung out on the couch today. I felt like we connected a bit more. The snowboarding with him and S helped as well. My kids are great.