Oh, man. The flu...it was bad. I think I might have been a little stressed out anyway, because it hit me like a ton of bricks. I started feeling a little squiffy on Saturday. By Sunday, it was in full force. And today (Friday) is the first day I've felt almost entirely okay. I still have a hacking cough, and my appetite's not quite what it was (voracious), but I feel like I woke up on this side of the grave, and that's an improvement.

Compare that to this: Jeff and Charlotte both got the bug, too. For them, it was a 24-hour flu. Time-table: Good morning, mama! I feel a bit fevered. Ooh, now it's mid-day, and I'm definitely sick. I think I'll take an extra-long nap. That's nice. Now I'm still a bit tetchy and fractious this evening, but nothing a dose of Tylenol won't cure. See you in the morning, when I'll be fresh as a daisy! And, the end. Flu over. What?! Totally unfair. I had lots of work to do this week, and no energy to do it. What did Charlotte have to do? Busy important coloring tasks and diaper-filling. Completely unjust!

Anyway, I'm back. I have lots of things to catch up on, including paper grading and planning my courses for next quarter. But today was the last day of classes for this quarter, so I have two weeks of class-free excitement to look forward to. What shall I do with my freedom? I think I'll deep-clean my filthy house.

We will also spend part of my spring break visiting Amherst, Massachusetts, a place I've never seen but might be living for the next four years. I don't want to leap into this blindly, so we're gonna check it out. And after that I go visit Lawrence, Kansas. Now, I just read an article about a woman in Kansas who hadn't left her bathroom in two years. Her skin grew over the toilet seat. (!!!) People, this kind of thing is not my cup of tea. Please make sure there will be no toilet-confined people about when I visit. Thank you.

I only have one school to hear back from: Iowa. What's up, Iowa? Get it in gear! Today I got an acceptance from Nebraska, via the website, so not very informative. Here's where I stand:

Yep: UMass, Georgia, Kansas, Southern Illinois, Nebraska, Purdue (with no funding)
Waitlisted: Ohio, Loyola
Nope: Minnesota, Indiana, Washington, Colorado
Still waiting: Iowa

Looking at that list, I have to say I feel very fortunate. I got into more schools than not, which is a pretty fabulous ratio at this level. Even though I was very, very disappointed about the top three rejections, I am so happy to have options. But having options means I have to make decisions. And having to make difficult decisions stresses me out. Did I mention I had the flu for a week? Yeah. I rest my case.

I'll be back soon with a little Charlotte TLC, plus an update on how she's turning into a whiny toddler and it's terrifying! TERRIFYING!