Spring Break (not)

I have too much work to take a complete break, but I have spent a little more time with the boys this week. On Monday, I actually found myself somewhat nostalgic looking at Nikita and Vanya, thinking that they won't be spending as much time together once Nikita starts preschool in the fall.

I'm also starting to think of things to work on with Nikita over the summer:

• potty training: just #2
• swimming: Walden Pond, here we come
  
• bicycle riding: with training wheels, of course; only recently has he powered his tricycle with pedals as opposed to his feet
• reading and writing: on Monday, he finally let me teach him how to write his name. I spelled out his name, and he wrote the letters. He also can copy letters, but sometimes, they come out backwards.
• eating from an ice-cream cone: yesterday, I bought him one, and a fair amount of it ended up on his jacket. Of course, over the summer, there won't be as many clothes in the way.

Vanya, meanwhile, still refuses to walk. But he *loves* the phone. I noticed this a few weeks ago whenever I brought him to my room to sleep at night. I would turn out the light, and he would laugh, not because of the light, but because he saw the phone. Now, I give him the phone sometimes, and he holds it up to his ear or cheek and screams, "Ba! Ba-ba!" He's even hit the button for the dial tone (not that he realizes it), which Nikita hasn't figured out (or maybe he knows not to touch it).

I gave up on Robinson Crusoe for now (I didn't even get him being a castaway), and am currently reading Everything is Illuminated. The broken English is funny, but I wonder whether I will tire of it. I've also been doing some random paperwork this week. Over the weekend, I did taxes - always a joy - and yesterday, I signed up Galina for a Medicare prescription drug plan. Today, I worked on a letter of recommendation (my first one!) for a student, and a write-up of an activity I developed for one of my classes.

I actually find myself thinking about work a lot during my spare time - something I rarely (if ever) did before. Perhaps I finally found my true calling? Regardless, I definitely would like to expand my role because as I told a colleague, "Commenting is losing its luster." (He replied, "Did it ever have a luster?") Freelancing is one way to expand (especially financially - something that hit home while doing our taxes), but publishing papers and going to conferences would be much more interesting and may be the path to directing a writing department. So, the question comes down to money vs. prestige. Wouldn't it be great to have both?