Apron Strings

I have assimilated nicely into my old routine after being gone for two weeks. It took some doing (or rather, undoing) but I was finally able to wrap my vacation brain around work, meal planning, child care and the general malaise of wifely duties. Which isn't to say that I don't enjoy cooking, cleaning and mowing the lawn because, surely I do. It just all turns seriously pale in the shadow of a vacation in which one's practically been waiting on hand and foot, not to mention that one had also been relieved of just about ever motherly duty one could think of (baths, bedtime stories, etc.). So I've spent the last 2 weeks re-integrating into our little sub-society...walks with the dog, play dates at the park, grocery shopping and a new gym. If you'll remember, my gym burned down on Thanksgiving night. When I arrived the next morning to participate in a covert spinning class the place was rank with fire trucks and emergency vehicles. I called Nat in a panic and then cried all the way home. We joined a new gym last week and after a week I can safely say that it's...ok. It's actually amazing but I'm not letting myself say that out loud since Old Gym opens in a few weeks and we've already agreed to go back. Dave's issue with New Gym is that it's set up in one huge room with an upper balcony that wraps halfway around the room from which you have a great view of everyone who is downstairs lifting. Dave calls it Parliament and wishes he had Old Gym's weight room back. All I know is that I'm not complaining about the clear windows that line the spinning room...the windows that let anyone outside see Everything going on inside, including one's ass when one does 'position 3' on the bike. The New Gym spinning bikes are amazing and that trumps the old man standing behind me with his nose pressed against the glass.

Old Gym, the two stories on the right with the diamonds is completely gone.


New Gym...fancy?


Parliament.

Anyway, that was a serious digression. Moving on.
New York Bill make the pond jump last week to become (drum roll please)...Czech Bill! Czech Bill is now situated in the north eastern corner of the Czech Republic in a nicely furnished apartment in Prague. So far he has not kept his promise to stay in much contact, but since classes have already started (he's over there to learn how to teach English as a second language) I'm going to cut him some slack until he gets used to his new schedule. I'm assuming he's doing well since I did get one IM from him so far and he didn't use the words "death threat" or "food poisoning." When he puts up the blog he's been promising I'll link it so we can all follow Czech Bill's Prague Adventures.