miscellany (catching up)

- Mom, Dad and I went to a really wonderful family party at Andy and Natalie's house on Sunday to celebrate Mother's Day. After dinner we played Catchphrase, and it went a little like this:

Fabrice: Two syllables. The first syllable is what you call it when you count all of the countries in the Earth together. (Makes circling hand motion.)

Ron: The world.

Fabrice: Yes. Okay. Second syllable is a common English name. A very common English name.

Jerry: Fred!

Fabrice: No, a last name. Like, in the phone book, the most common last name.

Dad: Smith? World smith?

Fabrice: Yes!

Betty (falling over laughing): WORD smith.

Fabrice: Yes.

Megan: That's...no. That's cheating. You can't use the French card every time, Fab!

- In an unexpected development, my students are (still) really enjoying reading Sister Carrie. Hooray for them! I'm a little baffled that the general opinion seems to be that it's a better book than Jane Eyre, but I'll take whatever enthusiasm I can get!

- My sisters graduate on Sunday! WOW.

- Some robins have built a next INSIDE the building where I am holding office hours!

- Someone gets voted out of American Idol tomorrow!

- I am almost out of my daily quota of exclamation points!

- Oh no, there go the rest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


(I'm, err, a little bit sleep-deprived.)