News little and big

First, the regular updates....

South Carolina is at a conference in New Orleans. He wasn't looking forward to going in the first place because he hates Bourbon Street. I've never been there, so I just have to take his word for it that it smells like puke and piss. Nasty. I got a text from him yesterday. "I'm bored to death at this conference," he said. I said something about wishing I was there to pass notes in class....then realized that by texting we were doing the techno equivalent of passing notes!

Aspen is having a hard time. His escape-artist dog got out again (thanks to his ex, who helped daughter feed the animals and let the dog out), and bail is $200. Merry Christmas. He was going to call me Saturday after settling that, but didn't.

I got a spontaneous call from Fella last night. We didn't see each other (again) this weekend, but it's understandable. He had his last basketball game - the district championship. They won. It was two hours from here on icy roads, so I didn't make it. And after that he had to get his oldest son to Denver, to get sworn in for the Army.

Turns out, he was later than expected getting home Saturday night and didn't call to let anyone know. He said his daughter was very worried about him, and cried when he got home. But he said, "I figured they're grownups and I'm not married, so I don't have to check in with anyone. They'll get over it." But I can sure see how she'd be upset, especially since we had a whole load of snow dumped on us Saturday evening.

I also learned what the trouble was last weekend. I was right -- it had to do with son drinking again. Daughter got talked into getting him a bottle, which he got drunk on, then got upset and punched the counter. And broke his hand. Good thing he doesn't ship out until January. Son was depressed and daughter blamed herself, so Fella babysat them both all weekend.

I said something about realizing Fella must be worried about son going into the military. He said, "At this point, I'm just worried it won't happen. I think it might be just what he needs now." He might be right. Daughter told me that it was good to see son motivated about something. Still, how bad does it have to get for a parent to be worried their child won't go into the military, in wartime?

So, Fella called me when he got to Denver last night and had son settled. We'll see how communication goes this week. Looks like I'll be on my own next weekend. My folks are taking the kids snowboarding. We'll see how it pans out, as to who I turn my attention to during my time alone. ::wink::

Now, for the big news.

I, Blogget Jones, am about to be published. ((Happy dance!))

Last year, I did research with a colleague on preferred communication styles and perceptions of online college students. This year, I co-authored an article about the project and the results. I just heard that the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration will soon publish the article. It will also be presented at a major international conference on education and technology in Las Vegas, in March. I don't think I can make the conference, but we'll see.

((More happy dancing!))

Hey, maybe I could convince someone from South Carolina to go, too ;o)