We’re taking a vacation! We are. We really are. It’s our first vacation as a family unit, independent of other family. We’ve vacationed to Georgia to see my people. We’ve gone to Florida with our extended people. But this is the first time we’re going as a unified, segregate people (and puppy) to a place we paid for more than half an hour away. That’s not totally true. We are going to see Husband’s brother-from-another-mother and his fiancee`, so there is some visiting about to happen and we are staying in a free place for a while. BUT THEN. We go to a hotel! The first one we’ve all stayed in together. It’s gonna be wild. And by “wild” I very much mean we are all going to be tired and cranky and really in need of alone time. But we will have seen things! And done stuff!

I have two papers due before July 30, and I am trying very hard to not let this ruin my playtime with my family. But, I am approaching these papers like I approached becoming a mom: wait until the last minute and see what happens. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. Now, dear reader, I assure you that I love writing. Moreover, I love research. I do. Research feels so SOLID. As a former actor and theatre professor, I can tell you that there is very much a lack of data on anything- how to be a good actor, what acting technique is the best, how to cry onstage, best way to – nothing is empirically validated with acting. Acting is as flimsy as cryptozoology, in terms of evidentiary findings.

However- RECORD SCRATCH- my vacation may not be happening after all.

As you may know, Vermont flooded on July 11. Well, not all of it, but most of it. Just submerged. Our capital city was innundated with water, and some places near where we live got socked with tons of damage- roads out, crops lost, the works. We were lucky in that we escaped the worst of the damage. In fact, we didn’t have any damage in my town. People were kayaking down State Street in Montpelier, but here in my town, it was business as usual.

CUT TO PRESENT DAY: MORNING
We are one day out from leaving for Boston. My six year old is refusing to go to camp. My dog is grabbing things off the counter because she is now a big dog instead of a little dog (even though I call her “tiny dog” and ask her how did she get this tiny because she is the tiniest dog I’ve ever seen. It’s our bit.). My husband is in bed. Still in bed. Boychild and I argue about going to camp. He is adamant that he is not going. I am reflecting back to the night before where I had to basically waterboard him to wash his hair and I think he’s maybe going through a phase? Where he needs to say no all the time and fight and argue with me? Oh, and I forgot to put the filter in the coffee maker and my coffee was basically a solid. I had to eat it with a spoon.

Just kidding. I basically made a pour-over situation with the coffee and it was fine. But my husband was not fine. He was quite sick- sicker than I’ve seen him. Napping. In the bathroom. More napping. Toast. Nap. Bathroom. Nap on the toilet. More napping. And so on. He’s not doing well. So, along with trying to get my affairs in order to go on vacation, I also had to single mom it with an angry child, a restless puppy, a sick Husband, a bunch of work to do before I leave, and also no idea if I am even going on vacation at all. And then a giant storm hit our town and the sky turned weird colors and the wind whipped the branches against our windows and we all hid in the bedroom and listened to Cat Marina. Coincidentally, I think my cat, who is scared of the rain, may never recover from this. I could also write a whole blog post about Cat Marina and how much it has meant to me these last four years. But anyhow, there’s a lot to deal with here. My house is a mess. I have nothing packed. My Husband is ill. Will I make it out of Vermont? Who knows. What I do know is this:

My papers can go F*ck themselves.