Post-Flood Update

Well, the trip to Boston was great, but when I got back, I found that my house had a disaster at some point over the weekend. Thanks to the extreme temperatures on Friday and Saturday night, the pipes leading to my bathtub exploded. The control knob on the shower popped off, letting water flow freely into the tub, and when it was too full to keep up with draining the water, the whole bathroom flooded. So: my ceiling tiles on the first floor (six of them, I believe) got soaked and fell out, and my couch became waterlogged. It was one of those moments where I opened the door, looked inside, and immediately wished for a do-over. What a mess. The good news is, the couch is (mostly) dry, with the exception of the mattress, which is still sitting in the (now-repaired) shower. The ceiling tiles should be replaced this weekend, and normalcy will return.

Another casualty of the weather has been my health--I am home sick as I write this, fueled only by DayQuil. I guess working outside in single-digit temperatures can really make you susceptible to illness. Who knew?

I am working on an article for the local publication I write for, which will appear in the March issue. My first article turned out really well, and I'm looking forward to seeing how my second one will look in print. I'm also hard at work on a new short story, and waiting patiently to hear from MFA programs. It will be such a relief when I start getting responses.