Taking the whole "vacation" idea seriously

My family, who has continued to bother me ad infinitum with their chores, their kids, and their shopping, doesn't believe that I am on vacation. So I guess, in my nerdily rebellious way, I revolted against the blogging. But really, not much has happened!

Okay, so there was my one student, who is a total calamity, who suddenly needed to take the exam a full week before everyone else. Which was annoying, because I had to go in to school. On my vacation.

Then there was my cousin, she of the multitudinous trips to the hospital to have her baby. She actually did have said baby this time (grand total of hospital visits- 5. This is her third kid, y'all. The trips to the hospital grow in number exponentially with each fetus, I swear). And she then proceeded to kind of abandon her other kids, ages 12 and 8, on us from last Monday through Friday. Between my mom, my sister and I (because that's what this house needs- more bodies! Why they didn't bring a cat or two with them, I'll never know) we had to get them ready for school every day. And since her daughter's school is a block up from Chez Crazy, she's been sleeping here every night this week, too. I have an 8 year old, didn't I tell you?

Also, there is the little matter of Christmas being 11 days away, and every time I got out shopping, I come home with dumb crap like eye drops or socks or Tylenol Sinus Congestion and Pain (what's with the highly descriptive names for over the counter drugs anymore? Also, not feeling the "cool burst" feature, which feels more like heartburn than sweet, sweet relief. Note to Tylenol- no more fancy coatings, you aren't Advil!) I have ideas for everyone, now, I think. Except for...

Oh, and also, Kev is my hero. I wear the diamond earrings he gave me to wear on our wedding day always. Never take them off, not even in the shower. They are so pretty and sparkly. Imagine my surprise when, today, I was bored and pulling on my ear and noticed that my right earring was MIA! Apparently pulling on my ear is something I do a lot, since recalling feeling them in my ear last night in Circuit City and Target helped me to deduce that the Lost One just had to be somewhere in the house. I woke Kev up and told him. I'm usually of the mind that, dude, things are things and don't be all that emotionally involved. But the thought of not having those babies any longer REALLY upset me. Really. We tore the bed apart, we found a cat we didn't even know we had (in the form of tumbleweeds, of course!) and I did a lot of praying to St. Anthony. Kev was all busting on my Catholic superstitions, and I was sure to tell Tony that he was the one saying that, not me and don't punish me, for my husband knows not what he does, and all. Of course Kev finds my earring, on the floor of our bedroom, probably where it landed after falling out of the blanket that entangled it in the first place. I hate it when he's right, or vindicated, or whatever.

So, that, in a nutshell, has been my week. A quick question for the readers, because as you should all know from reading my blog, "academic" types often have no real knowledge of the working world, appropriate behavior, etc etc.

What constitutes "full time hours", to you? And before you say, duh, 40, everyone knows that, just know that NOT EVERYONE DOES. And that shall whet your appetite for tomorrow's post, to be posted tomorrow at work. If I have a job, that is.