Up-to-the-Minute Update

Just thought I'd drop in to apologize for not posting for so long and to try to catch you all up on what a mass of insanity our lives have been, and what insanity lies ahead. At least ours has been mostly self-chosen and positive.

So, the past couple of weeks have included

• The end of the semester for me, including trying to deal with a student who plagiarized a paper, was given a second chance (a circumstance that will not be repeated for any future students), and plagiarized a second time


• The boys ending school, freeing them up to be wild monkeys on a full-time basis


• A Cub Scout hike/campout dinner, at which the boys graduated to being Wolf Scouts (for those of you out of the Cub Scout loop for some years, there are now four gradations: Bobcat, Tiger, Wolf, and Bear. I am convinced that these were added in order to make parents pay for four sets of hats, belt buckles, neckerchiefs, and slides during their sons' Cub Scout career). Also, Born Dancin' once again showed her propensity to become instantly covered in grime (in this case, a combination of dirt, popcorn cheese, fried chicken grease, and s'mores)


• Speaking of, Born Dancin' turned three last week, and we had her birthday party today during which she showed her propensity to become instantly covered in grime (in this case, a combination of bubble gum and stolen lollypops, bubble blowing solution, sand, dirt, and Play-Dough)


• I attended the Audio Publishers Association conference (thanks to all the generous contributors who got me there), and it was pretty great. I spent the day trying to chat up audio publishers and fellow narrators, and there were some excellent panel discussions and demonstrations. It was much better than I thought it might be—now I just need to get my demo shaped up and sent out. Pippin is helping me with my website and has up my current demo if you want a listen. (I may add a track or two, if I can get my wee home recording set-up to emulate the fancy-pants recording studio within which the original tracks were recorded


• As Frodo reported, I have brought the evil that is World of Warcraft into my home, and had the audacity to drag several of those I care about with me. Now Gimli, Frodo, Joanna, and I have played many an hour. Thankfully, the charm is starting to wear off, so I can occasionally drag myself away.


• I'm beginning to work on the murder party my niece requested for her sixteenth birthday. It's a Civil War affair (actually, I'm setting it in the Reconstruction, just so's we don't have to have people kill one another instantly), and I've never done such a thing for teenagers before, so it's challenging but interesting

Now, given all that, if the summer held the promise of some cooling-down time and relaxation, some broad swaths of calm, that would be nice. But a partial list of the schedule for the coming months:

• We leave tomorrow for five days of camping in the Sequoias with a friend's family. It's a beautiful spot and a fun trip, but always exhausting. Born Dancin', no doubt, will display her propensity to become instantly covered in grime, several times a day


• When we return, we'll have four days, and then we pile everyone back in the ol' minivan to head up first to Pippin's house for a day or so, and then on to Kathie's place for almost two weeks. She thinks she's ready for this; we shall see. I know that will be a great time, and it'll be terrific to finally see this new palatial mansion she's moved in to. If that "bonus room" isn't the bee's knees, I shall be sorely put out


• We'll get back just a couple of days before summer school starts, so that will keep me pretty well booked for six weeks. It'll be hard to get back into the swing of things since I took last summer off


• Partway through July comes a Cub Scout camp, which will be intense but fun; then a trip to Mammoth with the folks, because how can you turn down Mammoth?


• August brings us to the end of summer school and Joanna heading back east to visit her family and friends for a week, leaving me with solo dad duty. It'll definitely be the longest either of us has been away all at once, and by far the longest we've been without mom (though she was away with Born Dancin' nearly that long a couple of years ago), so it'll be an educational experience for us all, no doubt


• Denver and Poncho turn seven in August as well, so there'll be birthday madness to plan all over again. Thanks to watching Mommy and Daddy play World of Warcraft, no doubt they'll want a Tauren and Draenei party (though, given their almost-seven-year-old natures, that's likely to change a dozen times in the next two months)


• And then, one week after summer school ends, the fall semester begins in mid-August. Egads.

So that's what's up at the Slusser household. If you don't hear from me often over the summer, you'll know why, but I'll certainly be trying to put forth a better effort once we return from the wilderness.