I took a vacation day yesterday. It was supposed to have been today, but we were notified on Tuesday that the maintenance staff would be changing A/C filters and checking smoke detectors in all the apartments in our building on Thursday, and Miss Gypsy can’t be left home alone if anything like that is happening, so I switched days. (I learned this the hard way in my old apartment – let’s just say I’m surprised I got any of my deposit back.) I wanted the day to get shopping and cleaning done before we went out of town this weekend, and I pretty much accomplished what I intended, within the constraints of waiting for the maintenance people. The notice said they’d be doing this between 10 AM and 3 PM, so they showed up at 3:05.

So, Chris has found an apartment and will be starting his new job on his 23rd birthday. I hope he’ll still be able to keep up with his blogging once he gets settled (and has his internet connected); he’s had several starts-and-stops over the last few years, but lately he’s been a contributor to some other sites besides his own, and I’d hate to see him lose that momentum. Last night he called for some salary negotiation advice – for his girlfriend. The surprises of parenthood just never end.

This is the nicest kind of weird experience: popping over to Work It, Mom! and seeing my own name and picture in the “Featured Contributors” section of the Articles page! I’ve submitted three articles to them, and I’ll keep it up until (or unless) I have nothing to say on a “Speak Your Mind” topic; I hope to write some others that don’t fall under that as well, if and when there’s appropriate inspiration. I’m also a pretty regular commenter on several of their blogs. I think they’re building a great community.

Speaking of comments – when I first started writing this blog, I expected no one would ever find it and read it. Then, once I began to leave comments on some of the blogs I read, I began to wish I’d get some on mine. My very first one was from a member of my book club who’s also a blogger, and I was so excited to read it! I don’t get comments very often, but I just love when I do and can’t imagine that it could get old. I also like when my comments on other blogs get e-mail responses, which has happened several times this week – but those are just for me, and not for public consumption :-). (My next wish is to see “The 3 R’s” listed on someone else’s blogroll – maybe someday.)

A couple of weeks ago, I signed up to be a review blogger for MotherTalk, and was invited to participate in my first book-review “blog tour” this week. I’m really looking forward to it. I’m scheduled to post my review of Lost and Found by Carolyn Parkhurst (also author of The Dogs of Babel) on July 18. This was a book I intended to read once it came out in paperback, which means I’d review it here anyway at some point, and now I get a free copy!

Had I known at the start when I’d be doing most of my writing here, I would have named this “The Lunch Hour Blog.” Except then people might have thought it was mostly about work, or food, and while there’s an occasional post related to one or the other of those topics, neither of them is a major player, so I think it’s got the right (‘rite? – sorry, I’m a punner) title.

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