best laid plans . . .

So. I had a long Amtrak ride ahead of me (I'm off to Buffalo on Friday) with Crime and Punishment to prep for fall teaching, plus a well-stocked Kindle to take breaks and be more frivolous, and a freelance job with a far-enough-off deadline that I could work on it but not go crazy.

I just got an "only you can save us" email from the boss. I can never resist being a superhero. (Also a considerably higher rush rate, an extension on the other project, and the promise of a delayed check -- publishing is not doing so well, you may have heard -- in the FedEx package tomorrow.) So . . . as much on the new project as I can today (I have a PDF to start with) and then lots of hectic work.

Luckily, it's not like my parents and I had any *plans* for my visit anyway. Dad's definitely coming home from rehab on Friday and we'll basically be keeping him company. I *am* having dinner with two of his new BFFs on Monday -- he's gotten very close to some people at the last church he was Vacancy Pastor at, and two of the women, who I believe are about my age or just a bit older, friended me on Facebook about a year ago. Since they are really stepping up and being there for him (also one of them is married to his new best guy friend, apparently) and since I do not know these people at all . . . I am having dinner with them on Monday. At least I'll get out once when I'm up there. More importantly, since I'm so far away geographically and since these people are doing a lot of the things I would be doing if I lived closer, I just want to *know* them, you know? And also have them as reliable eyes and ears if my parents are pretending so as not to worry me.

Also they seem to really love him a lot and that's just really . . . nice.