Well, it was bound to happen sometime…
We have had the first little…mmm, bump in the road financially.
Well, maybe it’s the first big bump. Of course, it isn’t “nice” to talk about money, so we will say this in the most general of terms, but we have found that our student loans — from previous years of school — will not, in fact, be allowed to be deferred. (If any of you think for a bare minute that you might EVER go on to school after your Master’s program, do NOT, I warn you, consolidate your student loans. Ever. Unless all parties consolidated on the loans are in school full-time as well…) We have to fill out paperwork to explain that we have limited income, but we are now paying out a substantial amount from our American bank for that, plus taxes and HOA on our townhouse back home, plus still making up for the early and unforeseen inability to use our Scottish bank, plus…
The short story here is this: we can’t go back to the U.S. for awhile. The planned retreat at Christmas? Nope – airfare is four times higher in December than it is all year. The quick trip to USF for the amazing Multicultural Children’s Lit Conference in February? Probably not. Right now, what with having to juggle funds, even attending our niece’s high school graduation in June is in jeopardy, and that makes us kind of cranky, as that’s a BIG event to miss. T. is hoping to sell another book (the editorial committee is weighing in on it even now – crossed fingers that they finish up before Thanksgiving. They’re trying to convince her agent that since it is a WWII novel should be marketed as adult fiction – T. is frantically whispering, “NO! NO!” and making signs of “Avert!” against their bad ideas.) and set aside the advance for plane tickets and to bring over her siblings and niece to the UK in the summertime, but all of the plans are, at the moment, falling apart.
So the Hobbits are going to Rome.
Or somewhere.
The fact is, these things work out. Right now, with so much due, and deadlines hovering and darkness falling, things look bleak (T. is on another diet. This is, in fact, likely nine-tenths of the bleakness for her.), but that’s …today. Tomorrow is another day, undiscovered. So, why not see what’s in Spain? Or in Greece? It just seems time to change the landscape, do something fun and inexpensive and adventurous.
And it is inexpensive. Before we left the States, we were told to check out the wonder that is Ryanair. Much like the U.S. Southwest airlines, Ryanair is frighteningly cheap and zips back and forth around Europe. We could be in Rome for £20 ($40) each for Christmas. We could be in Greece for something close to that. A tour of Spain including a flamenco show is £16.58. We could just — go. See what else is out there. Continue the adventure we’re meant to be having.
The nurse at the clinic just got back from two weeks in Florida. Since both of us had grandmothers who lived there, it’s not exactly an adventure to us, but…why not? The media makes much of being home for the holidays, when ‘home’ is usually a place they’re trying to convince us we’re bored with, should remodel or leave for someplace else. Since we can’t be home annoying each other, we may as well find some strangers to bother.
Our Thanksgiving plans continue to shape up amusingly. D. has classes Thanksgiving Day, as we’d said previously, and we have a two and a half hour pre-dress rehearsal for The Creation, after which we plan to go home and have our ideal Thanksgiving dinner: toast, popcorn and jelly beans. Does anyone else remember A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving? (Even though the cartoon is far older than either of us, it’s one of those ridiculous things we just have to watch…) We have been having a Thanksgiving-style lunch every day this month, simply because we can, and to celebrate the many uses of parsnips and turnips as fill-ins for potatoes.
Meanwhile, we are very much looking forward to our two-day trip to St. Andrews, the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving. D. has received an invitation to come and participate in an epistemology seminar class and meet the team behind a philosophy research project that is apparently very big in philosophy circles. D. is applying to work on this project and potentially another project in Sweden, in lieu of teaching, and on top of his own research. It could be worth £22,000 to him, and a chance to work with some of the brightest minds in the field of philosophy. (As well as the chance to wear scholar’s robes at St. Andrews, and run around looking like an escapee from a Harry Potter film, but never mind that.) No matter what comes of it, we’ll very likely enjoy visiting a smaller, cleaner little town by the coast. Who knows, maybe we’ll run into Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods. St. Andrews is golf country, after all.
And that’s the news from Lake… um… Never mind. That’s just our news for now.
Decidedly,
– D & T
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yay! saint andrews and robes! hope you have a wonderful time. and then go somewhere sunny and warm to dry out! have fun.
Make the most of the chance to explore Europe while you can – it won’t make up for the missed visits home, but there are so many great places to see. And Switzerland will be beautiful in the spring I am sure ;0)
India
Bummer about the money woes.
Good luck to T in the book selling area (especially good luck in getting it in young adult and not adult)
ANd have fun exploring Europe. YOu may as well do it while you can.