(Again: Bonus points if you get the reference in the subject line.)

Well, it's Monday, and I spend Monday nights at Louise's house. That's where I am now, but Louise isn't here . . . she's off in Florida somewhere, hiding from Hurricane Jeanne. I heard from her next-door neighbor that she had called yesterday around noon, while the eye of the storm was passing. She and her friend Gail were holed up in a motel somewhere, riding it all out . . . I bet there's a good story or two in there!

At any rate, I'm here by myself. Since William is at Louise's parents, and not around to be frustrated by this, I brought a bike with me this time. Today after dinner I rode around Lake Lansing (yes! It's true! I used to RUN around Lake Lansing . . . ). When I got to the west side of the lake, right by the park, I noticed a gigantic full moon peeping up over the treetops. It was just absolutely stunning. I wish I'd had my camera . . .

It was quite bizarre covering old ground like that. There are apartments for rent in the complex where Emil and I (and Jeff and Marty) used to live; they go for $490 a month and heat is included; it almost - almost - seems worth it to get one, so I'd have a place of my own to crash on nights when I either got done late or had to go in early. (Emma thinks this is a wonderful idea. She has some vague notion that she and her friends would be able to come to Lansing and party on the weekends . . . which is one excellent reason NOT to get an apartment here . . . )

It's a very odd sensation, looking at all these apartments and realizing that we could afford just about any place we'd ever wanted to live . . . I think something must be going on with rents here or something, because places that used to differ widely in price now all seem kind of similar. (That could be a function of our income, too - $75 a month up or down used to seem like a huge difference.)

Found a house on the lake that was selling for $598,000. Just made me wish we'd bought property out there back when we bought our first house. If we'd done that, and kept it, we would be rich by now . . . There are two houses for sale that are just going to be razed so a big place can go in, I know it.

Ah, well.

Better get some stuff done, here, so I can call it a night. I am very tired today, and I didn't do nearly enough work over the weekend . . . now I have to get through at least a half a dozen papers so I can get them all finished by class time tomorrow . . . grr.

So how's everybody else doing?