Brightening skies

It's been a strange trip all around. Noel's Chicago jaunt was supposed to be headquartered in the guest room at Chez Head Editor, but then said editor got called out of town on a family emergency. So the bivouac moved to the sofa at Chez Old Friend. A bed of one's own and a big dog was exchanged for a sofa to crash on and a preschooler. A day spent in exhausting meetings at the A.V. Club offices was exchanged for a morning waiting for the cable guys to arrive.

As for me, I woke up to forecasts of heavy rain and the news that my babysitter, who had been secured well in advance for tonight's evening class, was sick and had to cancel. That led to a frantic morning flooding Facebook and Twitter with requests for assistance before a kindly alumnus came through.

Now there remain only two uncertainties -- well, maybe three.

1. I have to skedaddle over to campus at 5:30 in order to be present as the host of the 6 pm videoconference. What form should dinner take for the kids? I'm leaning toward pizza, but it's not quite as easy to go pick it up from the place a few blocks away when there's only one adult in the house. (Delivery, shelivery -- I haven't paid to have a pizza brought to my door in years.)
2. This is the first videoconference I've ever done using the facilities at school. A guest speaker on my end will be addressing members of my class, his class from the school across the tracks, and a class at Creighton University led by a colleague of mine on the AAR board. I don't know how smoothly it should go, but presumably the technician on site both here and in the remote location will be able to make it work. Never having done it before, I have no image in my head of what to expect.
3. After I rush home and relieve my emergency babysitter, it's time to blog the finale of a reality show. Or is it the finale? The previews last week didn't bill it as such. So I'm not sure whether I'll be investing two hours in that endeavor or just one.

In any case, once we get through the night and the kids are safely at school tomorrow, it should be the end of my shift of single parenting. Noel is scheduled to arrive home mid-afternoon -- if there are no delays, he'll be available to pick up the kids. And then Thursday and Friday I'll have quiet days at work with no students and no class. (Some would say I never have any class.) I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend of me time. And preaching on Sunday. Which will be relaxing if I can get my sermon written on Thursday or Friday.