Lest you think I actually have been corralled and deported – thus the reason for the radio silence on my blog – I am posting to dispel the rumors. I’m alive and well (except for the cold sores from our freakish weather) and in Paris. So why haven’t I been posting? Well, coming back from vacation completely overwhelmed me. I know. That’s silly. It’s even sillier when you’re mostly unemployed, let me tell you. But I felt like I needed to ramp up my to-do list and rediscover some sense of productivity. (I feel like this is a sign that I am truly an American – why can’t I stop working, even when I don’t have a job?) And part of that was that I needed to blog about my whole vacation in order. It’s been a little crippling. I know it’s ridiculous to talk about the pressures of blogging, but there it is.

My brother and his entourage are still here until Monday morning, but after that I plan to get back to work on my blog and the rest of my life. (I tend to sniff out the distraction. What? You’re going shopping? Oh, no, I’m not busy.) Unfortunately, I’ll have another major timesuck on my to-do list as well. One of my babysitting families just learned they’re moving to the States in three weeks. Bye, bye babysitting. So I’ll need to find something to replace that.