Timeshare
I haven’t been posting anything more than random links this month for a few reasons: a couple of substantial posts stuck in draft; a pile of marking taking longer than expected; a website needing redesign, and my first attempts not working; trying to finish an overdue book review for a journal; trying (but not often succeeding) to read anything other than assignments and web snippets; trying to catch up on unanswered email; meeting up with friends if at all possible; and all of this made harder because eighty percent of my brain has been taken over by a small but rapidly growing boy.
William weighs about two kilos more than when he was born, and has started growing out of his first clothes. He’s had countless visitors, outings, and photographs taken of him; is smiling, gurgling, and doing all the things that two-month-old babies should do; and still cuts into our sleep and every waking hour that we’re near him. For the past week he’s been studying his right fist intently, turning it this way and that, making connections between neurons. For the past week I’ve been studying him studying his right fist. I really haven’t wanted to do much else.
At least I don’t have to worry about getting too far behind on my non-academic reviewing. I’ve only been to the movies once since William was born: fortunately, that was the brilliant The Lives of Others (about the Stasi), so I didn’t miss an evening of Fist-Studying Study for nothing. The DVDs we’ve been ploughing through at home have mostly been seasons of House and Boston Legal, along with the awesome Planet Earth. I’ve read hardly any books lately, but have an impressive pile of just-started ones growing beside the bed. Been listening to a lot of good new albums—Charlotte Hatherley, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Air, Darkel, GB3, Dean and Britta, Bebel Gilberto, Manic Street Preachers, Elliott Smith, Travis—but nothing I feel compelled to write about at length (so assume “good but not great”, although a few come close).
With all of that, I’ve been wondering if it’s time to hang up the Gone Fishin’ sign, especially as my folks arrive tomorrow for a fortnight to meet their grandson, and I have a conference the week after that (in Naples, so there might be some good photos here in July). But I’ll leave things ticking over for a while to see if I can get those draft posts finished. I have no idea when—William still has his left fist and both feet to go.
