Got virtually nothing done this weekend, apart from the reading for my classes today, but it was a nice break. I was in Quaint Smallish City until this morning, where George Washington Boyfriend and I did some shopping (bought a fabulous, peacock-blue 3/4-length coat on sale at Nordstrom's); met up with his mother, sister, and brother-in-law; saw the fall theatrical production at Atypical College (a great, lesser-known 18th-century play). . . and had my first blogger meet-up! What Now joined us for brunch and then a stroll around town on Sunday. She's as lovely in person as she is in cyberspace, and I'm glad we had the chance to hang out.

I really ought to have done some work on an old conference paper I'm revising for publication, but I just couldn't muster up the energy. It's a tiny little thing, and non-refereed, so it isn't high on my priority list except insofar as it's due a week from tomorrow. Instead, I've been reading, yes READING, actual, non-teaching- or research-related books. Books! I literally can't name the last entire book I read that wasn't either immediately or peripherally related to my work. The ones I'm engrossed in now are, arguably, semi-professional (Michael Berube's The Employment of English and Pepys's diary), but since they aren't serving any immediate purpose other than pleasure and general information, they count as leisure reading from where I sit.

But stay tuned to see whether I actually finish either one--papers are coming due soon.