Is it just me, or are book reviews often borderline absurd, especially when the reviewer is fawning over a critically acclaimed Booker-style novel?  On Real Life (which may in fact be a stellar  novel, but give me a break):

Real Life is a novel of profound and lacerating power, a story that asks if it’s ever really possible to overcome our private wounds, and at what cost.

“Lacerating power”?  Really?

In other news, I discovered I could have applied as a post-bac student at UW had I known about the option.  Because I didn’t know, I have to wait until Fall ’21.  (The application deadline has passed.)  This is important because as a non-matriculated student, you’re at the back of the line to take classes, behind UW students.  (This obviously is a sensible policy.)  Anyway.  I e-mailed them, but I’m sure the situation is hopeless for the near term.

I’m still struggling to find childcare and am not optimistic at this point.  My new plan is instead of taking one class in Fall and one class in Winter and one class in Spring, I’ll take three or four classes in Winter.  This would be far more efficient in terms of childcare required (due to saved driving time and other factors).  Also, it’s a lot easier to hire a nanny for more hours.  People understandably don’t want to traipse up to Newcastle for a few hours a week in the middle of the day.  However, there are two issues.  (1) Pre-reqs and (2) Classes being full.  (2) is actually the bigger problem.

All of this is making me ask myself, what do I really want?  Answer – not sure.  In the short term, I know I want to take some classes at UW.  But how badly?  At what cost?

In the medium term, I’m excited about a little family adventure H and I are talking about.  It’s helping ease my Covid angst, which is unabated.