Light and Momentary

Bullets

• The semester started. I am tired and sort of stressed. I have moments of elation that I am an actual professor. Then I have moments of stressballness, because it's a big job.
• I forgot how much work it is to prep a class. It's sort of like childbirth that way.
• Except none of my newborns complained about being born.
• Had some grousing from my grad students today. I think, honestly, some of it is just that grad school is hard and I am making them read hard things closely.
• Some of it is also that they want me to be more organized. Fuller descriptions of assignments that are not due in the immediate future, more time to complete readings.
• Haven't quite decided how reasonable I think those requests are.
• School is off to a good start for the kids. I love-love-LOVE the third-grade teacher. Junior high is treating my new sixth-grader well. The eighth-grader announced tonight that he'd like to do an online algebra 2 course along with his face-to-face geometry class. My high-schooler is taking a college class and holding his own so far.
• I think he is, at any rate.
• I love Remember The Milk. That might deserve a post of its own. It has totally eclipsed Toodledo, the online task manager I used to use.
• There are all kinds of things I've thought about blogging, some funny and some serious, and during my absence I even wrote a long post about a metaphorical prehistoric sloth living in my basement that didn't make it out of the draft folder, but sometimes a person just needs to spew out some bullets to get the wheels turning again.

Update

I think it went fine. Phew! If you would like to hear it (and you have commented for long enough that I know you are not a creepy stalker (or that you are a really dedicated and persuasive stalker)), I can send you the link. Thanks for your prayers!

Buzz

So you guys, my study has been getting some attention. I have a couple of interviews this week, actually, including one tomorrow morning for a podcast. If you're a pray-er, could you pray for me not to sound like an idiot?

MVP

Tonight was the last meeting of my summer running group, and at our little party afterward there were prizes. I was unreasonably excited about my perfect attendance award: sunshine yellow running socks. Then Jill the coordinator announced that they were giving out two MVP awards. The first one went to my neighbor, who could not be more deserving. She has had a ton of pulmonary issues so she can't go very fast, but by golly she is determined. She is cheerful and encouraging to everyone who passes by and she knows a surprising number of our names. Where another person (naming no names here) might be tempted to say, "Don't sprain your ankle running so stupid fast," she says, "Looking good, Kelly! Keep it up, Jane!" I was trying to think of who else in the group was similarly cheerful and encouraging, and I was astonished to hear my own name called.

Jill said, "Jamie ran in group 2 last year and she wasn't sure if she should try group 3 this year. But she did, and she rocked it." And if your definition of "rocked it" is "persevered grimly while surfing alternating waves of self-pity and self-doubt," that is totally true.

I was talking to my husband about running a week or two ago. I told him I've never worked so hard to be marginally above average. It's been humbling, and frustrating, and weirdly addictive. Tonight when Jill high-fived me and handed me my shiny new running hat, I couldn't have been any gladder, or prouder, or more determined to keep at it. Next year, level 4! (I think.)