Catching up?

So yesterday I stayed at work for almost 11 hours but I finally saw the light of day through the piles of papers to grade. This morning I skipped the gym to come in early. And I am finally feeling a little less behind.

Unfortunately I am still not feeling great physically. I just haven't felt good all week. Which my students have decided means I have swine flu...even though the symptoms are really not all similar to the symptoms in influenza. To a 17 year old right now anyone sick with anything must have swine flu.

We have also implemented procedures to keep the flu (which as far as we know no one has) from being transmitted at school. So we have hand sanitizer by every door. And spray sanitizer for all of the desks, chairs, etc. and sanitizing wipes for the computer keyboards, mice, inside of the laptops, the phones and whatever else we feel should be sanitized. And we are keeping the windows open to allow for air flow in the classrooms.

But then we have to remember to close and lock every window before we leave, after we have sanitized every possible thing in our classroom.

sigh...

The paper chain on the wall says only 18 more days of work before it is summer...

So busy, so tired

I know this isn't new, but I am so busy and so exhausted...

I am just trying to make it through to summer at this point.

Trying to wade through the pile of grading that just keeps growing.

Trying to keep going to gym even though the last thing I want to do right now is get up at 5:30 in the morning.

Trying to keep some control and perspective on the food I eat, when I eat, how much I eat, and the fact that all I really want is ice cream and comfort food.

Trying to ignore the physical stress symptoms for the most part.

Trying to figure out how I ever became the guardian of 3 fish tanks full of fish...

Trying to ignore the fact that it is beautiful out there and I am in here.

Trying not to think about the piles of laundry and dishes at home.

Trying to figure out how I get to this point every year, no matter how hard I try not to.

Trying to plan final exams, and write reviews and keep the academic rigor up even though all the students want to do is go outside.



Trying to figure out how my desk got this messy.

I always tell my students that the clutter on my desk reflects the clutter in my mind, so they should be careful of asking me complicated questions when they can't see the top of my desk....

Slogging through

I've been so busy and then I've been sick for the past 4 or 5 days. I just feel like I am slogging through life. I get done just enough to make it to the next day, but never enough to get ahead. I didn't get done anywhere near what I should have over my spring break, I spent most of it in bed sick. My husband has been the same, working full time and going to school full time. And now that I am back at work I am still fuzzy and groggy from the cold and the cold medicine. I have time to work but I can't focus enough to be very effective.

I know it will get better, but it is tiring and frustrating right now.

Busy

For the last 3 1/2 weeks I have been so busy I haven't done laundry, much less blog. I started working out with a group of people from church every morning, and following a more strict diet than I would normally do. Both of these things are extremely important, but they also take up quite a bit of time. I went from my life being pleasantly crowded to crazy-busy.

I have not really had any trouble sticking to my Lenten fast. I have not broken the fast at all and I have only been tempted a few times. I have not been very good at the focusing/praying/etc part of Lent, which is really the whole point.

I need to find ways to de-stress my life, I just don't really see much that I can give up. I spent Tuesday nights hanging out with my Grandma. I could stop doing that, nothing is locking me into that activity but it is important and I don't know how much more time I will have with her. I am on a Board that is important to me, it is only 1 night a month and I can't really give it up for awhile and then go back to it. I would basically have to give it up forever. I can't give up my jobs, because we need the money and there really isn't anywhere else to cut out of our budget. Luckily I just have to make it through 8 more weeks and then it will be summer. I will go from crazy-busy to crazy-bored.