On Friday I’m flying back to England to spend 10 days visiting friends and family by myself. This is a landmark occasion, mainly because I don’t think I’ve visited my parents without a boyfriend/husband/children since I was in my (very) early 20s and still at university. But this year, the kids are involved in their High School pre-seasons (Dance for Becky, Field Hockey for Lorna) and were anyway reluctant to exchange the NJ weather for that of the UK (although seriously guys, it hasn’t been that great here this year!) Keba, also busy with Global Bridge, agreed to be point parent and so off I go.
Of course, nothing is that simple. Before I can plonk myself down at a bar in Philadelphia airport prior to my overnight flight in good conscience, I need to:
- Complete all essential admin. This includes paying all bills that will fall due while I’m away, billing all clients likewise, and submitting Becky and Lorna’s RVRHS athletics physicals.
- Make sure the menagerie can be left. This includes taking Sofia for her third kitten check (tomorrow), cleaning out the aquarium and visiting Pet Sink…sorry I mean Smart…to stock up on tinned food.
- Finalize tasks whose deadlines occur while I am away. This includes submitting my application (Oh, the triumph of hope over experience!) for a NJ Poetry Fellowship, finishing my edit of a (very interesting) non-fiction book on concussion in the NFL, and writing a “How To” on the Haikoum for a text book.
- Prepare for tasks that occur hot on the heels of my return. This includes ordering Becky’s birthday presents (July 28), my monthly stint at Care 1 (The assisted living residence for older adults with memory loss that is the inspiration behind “The Stolen From“), and my reading for the Powows in Newburyport on July 24th. I just worked out I need to order some more copies of TSF for that. It’s actually been quite successful (and I say that guardedly, as poetry books go, of course!)
Er…that might be it. Isn’t that enough? But seriously, I’m almost ready to look forward to my trip at this point, I think?