When I looked at my blog this morning and realized I hadn't written since last Monday, I felt a little lazy. No, not because I've deprived you guys, because I'm pretty sure you have other matters to attend to and can handle my online absence, but because I've been a little lax in terms of getting things done lately. A little into the television. I haven't even been reading much. In fact, I've become kind of intellectually stunted this summer, but more about that later. So I thought I'd at least write this short post announcing that I plan to improve. I plan to - despite the heat - settle into a nice, productive August; the first month in a long time where we aren't traveling every single weekend - coming home and hanging our duffel bag on the bedpost just to change the contents slightly and head off the following weekend. We are going to do some projects. PROJECTS! Including a bunch of work on our garden. I'll post some pictures later to show you what we've done so far. Because there's nothing like sharing your goals with the entire Internet to kick start you into action.

For the record, the most difficult part living with a baby - in a purely physical sense - is the 6:30 a.m. wake up. Because not only does Nora wake up then, but, after she eats, she is ready to get down to serious business. Like do projects, schedule meetings, balance the checkbook, you name it. And I've been thinking about ways to make the situation better, and the most alluring option would be to have a servant enter the bedroom with cups of coffee for J and I. A servant who would then change Nora's diaper and bring us back to us all clean and everything. Because coffee and a clean child would be more do-able at 6:30 a.m., you know what I'm saying? When most reasonable people are still cuddled in bed or, at the very worst, watching the morning news in their bathrobe and not pulling their ten-month-old from the wine rack for the 400 or 500th time that day.

This person's pay would be...well, free, because this awesome servant person love making our lives better. I realize people have nannies and sometimes the nannies do stuff like this but I'm thinking more along the lines of Mr. Belvedere, but less British and proper because I want someone who is not going to judge us for being in our pajamas and all, because then, what's the point?

That's all I want. And, I mean, a book deal and maybe a bigger TV if we're really going crazy here.

Back in the swing of things

All I really want