April 12, 2005
Back to School
After two full weeks away, it's back to the semi-grind. The biggest problem, as always, being the getting up at 6. The key is, it seems to me, to hop out of bed, go to the living room, watch CNN until my mind clicks on (about 2-3 minutes), then remind myself over and over again about how, when I think about it, my job is actually very easy and often fun. I carry on this chant off and on through the shower, breakfast and 25 minute walk that's still a bit chilly at 7 in the morning. When I get to the school and start teaching, I'm usually in pretty mellow spirits. It's all very tidy.
And surprisingly enough, today went pretty well. Most of the students were listening well for their second day off of spring vacation. I actually read aloud for vast stretches of time and they paid attention. I'm going to go ahead and call that an accomplishment.
The weather's cheery, there's basketball promised occasionally, and outdoor cafes are everywhere. Can't really complain. Some are talking thunderstorms to come. But I don't see it, Wunderground doesn't see it, so I'm going to worry as little as possible about it.
I love Spring. That's the strange thing about these 4 seasons places. You wind up loving somewhere between 4 and 6 months and hating everything else. In Alaska, you get used to the chilliness and praise the good days as the miracles that they are. It's a matter of taste, I suppose, but there's no way I could live my life in a place where everybody is absolutely miserable almost half of the time. It just seems odd.
Posted by Rob at April 12, 2005 03:26 PM