This is no vacation

Just in case regular readers might be concerned that I've gone on permanent vacation, some reassurance that just the opposite is happening.  This is my busiest time of year by far.  Not only are courses just getting underway, but many new research grants are in the works (of which more will you hear (says Yoda) when there is more to tell).  As if all of this weren't enough, I've been going through the copyedited version of my book,which is now closely approaching the stage where the words leave my hands for the last time.  Funny thing:  last night I was telling my wife that I was finding it hard to resonate to the thought expressed by other writers about their reluctance to let go of their "baby" and to send it out into the world.  In contrast, I told her, I was long past ready to relinquish this book and was having a momentary struggle thinking about mustering the enthusiasm to promote it.  An hour later, copy-edit inspection completed, I found it ridiculously hard to stuff into the envelope to say 'goodbye'.  The caprices of the human heart.  Even funnier was that as soon as the book had gone under cover, I began thinking about the next book.  Fickle heart.