eek - i have been really bad about updating since i got to oxford.  the truth is (a) i'm really really busy - working from 9am until dinner time, then having fun with all these friends - fun we can't have as much of once the kids get here, and (b) nothing terribly exciting is happening.  we work, we eat, we drink, we laugh, we sleep.  there is very little claire time.  while we're having a lot of fun in addition to working hard, there just isn't much interesting to SAY.  so, apologies for not having much interesting to say.

i'm really liking my new office; the old office (when i was in the other college) was very male-heavy, with lots of banter and little organization, and i loved that and was very frustrated by that at the same time.  two of my friends from that office are back again this year (in the other college, so i see them only in the evenings when work is done), and we've done lots of laughing and bantering and that has been wonderful.  my new office is very female-heavy, so there is a lot of giggling and a lot of organization, and it's a more comfortable environment for me - i don't have to be the responsible one who makes us get back to work - we're all on the same page.  i love my female co-dean (jennifer) and our two female PAs (oxford undergraduates) and we work together really well.  we feel bad for the two men in our office (who are awesome, as well) - one dean and one PA - who have to listen to us talk about kate middleton and get excited about multicolored index cards.  the vibe is just very different, and i'm able to go back and forth between the two, getting the best of both worlds.  it's really really nice.

the kids arrive on sunday.  eek.