A Busy Summer

 A friend recently asked me how my "comp prep" was going and I was not ashamed to tell her: not at all. ("Comp prep" being short for comprehensive exams preparation, which is a major checkpoint in the progression of earning a PhD.) As those of you who have been following on the FB may have noticed, it's been a very busy summer in MPLO Land. We were forced to move in early July (our landlord has or is about to lose the house we were renting to the bank), we've gone camping, to Six Flags, to the fair, the tide pools, swim lessons, and celebrated Lola's 6th birthday party. Among other things. I'm sure I'll be back to my normal, stressed-out self over school soon enough, but at the moment, I'm having too much fun.These various experiences have provided plenty of opportunities to think about, as I am want to do, what it means to be a parent, the problems I've encountered, the (frequent) mistakes I've made, and what I believe are the long-term consequences of every parental decision I make. However. I am on a little high from our first opera experience yesterday so I'll simply leave you with a few pictures for now and promise a self-indulgent soliloquy in the near future.[Be sure to click on the first one so it opens the pics in a slideshow format.]