Halloween in Glenside

Sunday was the neighborhood association Halloween party, complete with lots of sugar and a hayride. Mom and Emily came up from Lancaster, and we all enjoyed the party a great deal. Noah and Minami were adorable (pictures to come this week, I promise) and really enjoyed the whole experience. I was a little surprised that they were content to march in the costume parade, but I guess I shouldn't have been.

It was great to spend time with Emily, who we don't see a lot of even when we're in Lancaster.

And speaking of which, we'll be headed to LanCo to see Mom's new place next weekend. Looking forward to that a great deal. Mom seems very happy with the house, and it'll be great for the kids to have their own place in Lancaster so we don't have to be telling them, "Don't touch that!" and "Careful!" every ten seconds. It should make the whole experience much more pleasant for everyone, but especially for Noah and Tomomi.

Now that Tomomi has her permit, she's been practicing driving whenever we go somewhere. After an initial day or two of getting used to driving on the right side of the road, things are looking up. Granted, she's not ready for a cross-country trip, but since her international license should arrive today she'll soon be able to take Noah to and from school. This will make life a lot easier for everyone: I won't have to be tied to Noah's school schedule, Noah will get into a routine at daycare, and Tomomi will have a great deal more independence. Next we'll see about getting Minami in—not optimistic since they really only do 2+ days a week, but maybe they'll make an exception.

So, all in all things are looking up.

That said, we'll probably be marooned in Glenside for the remainder of the school year. Originally, Tomomi was planning to go to Japan in December or January, and I was going to find an apartment in University City during that time. But now she's really looking to go in April or May, so it'll be too hard to move around and unsettle the kids in January then again in spring. I'm not happy about that because of the continued long commute, but it really is the best choice for everyone else, so I'm going to bite the bullet and try to make the best of it.

Well, I have to go print out my paper on the role of the gods in the Tale of the Heike, aptly (I think) entitled, The Gods Must be Crazy."

I love academia...