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The plumbing remains fixed at present, for which I am grateful. There are no signs as yet that it will be breaking down or clogging up again at any near point, but I remain vigilant against the possibility. I would be a fool not to do so, and I try to avoid folly. I commit enough of it even with the attempt to avoid it, after all; foolishness needs no encouragement.

Work continues, although my teaching is currently on hiatus: both of the schools where I work are on break. One of them is wholly shut down for the event, with offices closed in addition to classes suspended. The other has only suspended classes, although some offices are operating on limited hours. I supposed part of the difference is in the populations served. The one works with lower-division undergraduates only; the other serves up through the doctoral level. For such students, work continues even as it does for me. Having the tools with which to do the work is therefore vital. And I do not think I am the only member of the faculty who will be writing a paper over the break.

My goals for the time away are unambitious. I have some grading to attend to, and I have the luxury of approaching it with some ease; the students have been told to expect replies early in the break, but not necessarily over the weekend. I have a paper to write, my contribution to the International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, Michigan, for which I am registered. And I mean to write a piece for Travels in Genre and Medievalism, for which I have an idea. Ms. 8 is going to help me with it--meaning that there is some material in some of the shows she watches that may be usefully examined for the purposes of the Tales after Tolkien Society. Freelance work might pop up, as well, and I will be glad to see it if it does so. Even without it, I have things to keep me busy during the week, and I have some time in which to attend to them; both are decidedly welcome.

The Mrs. and I are both looking ahead past the end of this term. Changes are coming, and they should prove interesting. More details will follow as they become available. For now, though, I mean to enjoy a bit of my break. It will not last long, and I have things to do in it; I shall take the chance to rest a bit while I may.