A Break for Joy

One of the candidates we hired this year is visiting today to look for a place to live and show a partner the community. This is a really great candidate, one we're all happy about hiring, and it's so nice to see hir come visit and be enthused about being our colleague.

We start a week of break at the end of the day today. I have a ton of work to do.

It's weird, because I love teaching, but sometimes it feels like I'm so fragmented between this and that task that I can't do anything all at once without being interrupted and needing to pay attention to something totally different.

For example, I think I helped five students change their majors today. I met with each, and had a good conversation (at least, I felt they were all good conversations) and got them started with a new advisor and some sense of the program and all. And I wrote two letters of recommendation from our departmental POV, which meant coordinating stuff from other folks. And I taught two classes, put together a mekeup midterm for a student who was ill but has recovered (thank dog), and helped a colleague with advising questions. It's been a good day, but my brain just isn't that good at jumping centuries (From Chaucer, to Coleridge, to Smith) or programs (we have five programs in our department, and one other affiliated program).

So this coming week, I have some things to get caught up on.

1) Grading. I have three stacks to grade. Three. Stacks.

2) My own research project, which I need to pull together and write up and make a poster for. A poster. (Maybe I can put a picture of Sir Olifaunt on it!)

3) Prepping for the rest of the semester. I'm teaching a new book of poetry, so I need to reread it and be really ready.

4) Meet with the study abroad folks about my responsibilities while I teach overseas. Responsibilities, yeah. (You know that TV show, The Middle, where the kid repeats words under his breath? Imagine me doing that here).

So, as soon as my student finishes making up this midterm, and I send out the final versions of the letters of recommendation, then I'm good to go meet with my new colleague and some other folks! And then, let the weekend begin! Sleep! Gardening! A bike shop visit! Running! and more Sleep! And reading for fun! And sleep!!!!