Two Weeks/ Two Years; Brazil Trip, and Other Bullets

Two much going on, as always, so a bullet-post is needed.

• In two weeks we'll know whether my husband's group will get a two year contract from big pharma or whether he might be laid off now or soon. There are positive prospects, but one never knows. My heart breaks again at the prospect of having to sell the house and live in limboland again for who knows how long. (not that we're not there right now ;-) , but the mere possibility of knowing where we'll be for at least two years is immensely comforting).
  

• On Sunday night I uploaded the revised dissertation, but, luckily, yesterday I found out that I had missspelled the first name of a scholar (a person with whom I'll be soon collaborating, i.e. part of my dissertation will be published in a forthcoming collection that s/he's organizing) and I had to correct the dissertation again, generate a new PDF, and resubmit it to the graduate school last night.

• The dissertation needs to be approved by 5/16, that is, in three days, so I can participate of commencement on the 23rd. I think I'll make it.

• I'm going to submit at least two articles, and perhaps one English translation of a Brazilian short-story, for publication this summer. Plus another accepted paper (a translation into Portuguese of a previously published paper of mine -- I only have three, OK? All three about children's literature, which is not the main focus of my dissertation, BTW.) which will be published in Brazil. I'm really excited about that!

• We're going to Brazil on June 5 to stay there for 20 days (K will only stay 10). I guess I've never stayed for such a short period of time (except when I went by myself for a weekend), but I'm OK with that. I don't want to miss too much of the summer in this house, particularly now that we have a share in a CSA (mostly greens and vegetables, only a mile from our home)!!! YAY!!! (It'll be late fall, winter in Brazil, so it'll be cold).

• We're already planning some summer trips. K has a workshop to attend in Boston at the end of July and we're going with him, and in August we're going to my in-laws to meet our newest nephew (due in July) -- I'm so excited about that, "K3" and "Rene!" We may also go to Florida and we'll certainly visit our brother- & sister-in-law and our nephews in Maryland several times. This summer will go by quickly, I can tell. I'm already missing it before it's even begun!
  

• Oh, yeah, and I almost forgot to say that I want to spend at least one weekend in NYC. We haven't been to the MoMA (OK, I went there only once in my life, back in 1998) since it was renovated and I want the boys to experience the Big Apple (they've been there a few times, but I think they don't remember much, probably just several playgrounds in Central Park and these).
  

I'm sure there's much more to say, but I guess I end this post with an overview of what's to come soon: photos about home renovations, gardening plans, home decorating (hanging photos and art in walls), and, of course -- birthday party decoration photos (another birthday party this Sunday)!!! I'll be back soon.