I’m starting to feel…

I'm starting to feel like I can breathe again. This semester has been, I think, an even more intense rush than usual, especially with all the strike stress and the time it took to deal with it. I wonder if the administration realizes just how much faculty productivity they lost by pushing us all the way to strike, necessitating lots of meetings, damaging morale and investment in our school, etc. Research not done, articles delayed, etc. and so on. Hopefully they won't make it come to that again.

Finishing up a bit of grading now, and I'll be all caught up. This is the last week of classes -- I finish teaching The Handmaid's Tale and at least give them a taste of Persepolis (and yes, I've assigned too much reading for this women and lit. course this first time around, which is basically inevitable -- the second time I teach it, I'll have a better handle on how much they can manage).

Next week, I can hopefully get my house and yard back in order, in between grading final papers and portfolios. I have dahlias and lilies that should've gone in a week or two ago, a path to build, lots of ground cover to plant, a watering system to figure out and masses of mulch to lay. Fun times.

I'm figuring I can give myself a week or so of semi-vacation after the semester ends, mostly just to putter and read. And then, diving into the writing for real. The only way to financially justify not picking up an additional class or two over the summer (and also paying for the kids' preschool / summer camp) is to really spend that time writing intensively. There are books to write, and I am finally unfrazzling enough to want to write them. Onwards!

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