a brief updatey post

Just thought I ought to write a little something and keep you up on how the McCabe/Root clan are doing way out here in the middle of nowhere (since, sigh, I have to just accept that this is now more or less the main, albeit sporadic, purpose of this site).

We're good. Did you know that there are many, many insects and spiders in Missouri? And furthermore did you know that apparently our last residence was much better at keeping them outside the human living area? Well, it's true. The home that will host Matilda's Year of Living the Suburban Dream, is also host to a host of small critters, most of which are fine, no problem, whatever, but a few of which are no friends of mine. Oh well. So there's that.

We went camping overnight a few weeks ago at Lake of the Ozarks state park. I think my expectations were just too high, because while the Lake of the Ozarks is very nice, it is just that"nice" and anyone who has known me for long enough knows that being "nice" is really not much of an accomplishment in my book. but we did have a pretty good time, even when you count the various ailments of the first day and the emergency underpants trip to Target that became necessary earlier than one might have thought it could. (Any guesses who needed emergency underpants? Yes, you're right.)

I've been feeling a bit inadequate lately for not being in a PhD program (I attribute this mainly to the fact that I spend most of my time surrounded by people who either have, or will shortly have, a PhD), but the year is off to a good start. I am writing (actually working on the novel, not just thinking about working on the novel) and I really love being on staff at The Missouri Review where I am working on a very fun project that I will tell you all about soon.

(Other post coming soon(ish): To PhD or not to PhD...)

Steve is well, cooking for his frat boys and occasionally for us when I manage to persuade (or guilt) him into it. Matilda just started taking violin lessons through the Missouri String Project and is in a very small (3 students!) class twice a week. Freya is adamant that she is planning to be an Olympic gymnast and is going to start taking dance classes on Mondays until she is 6 and can join one of the local gymnastic classes instead. She is still trouble, but most of the time is pretty good. Matilda, on the other hand is so good that she has been selected as one of the two hall monitors for her class. Is it wrong that this makes me more uncomfortable than Freya's often eerily accurate insights into criminal thought?

In any case, things are good, better things are in the works, and I will tell you more soon. Oh! I almost forgot: I recently wrote about rereading From the Mixed Up Tales of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler with the girls on The Missouri Review blog.