Miles to Go

I should be grading.

There is a stack of exams in my bag that is calling out for blue ink (I refuse to grade in red ink – grading is enough of a blood sport without getting quite that analogous about it).  There is also another stack of papers right next to it making similar demands.  But I have already graded two stacks of papers and another of exams in the last week and I cannot see how doing more of that will be good for anyone right now.  Seriously, students – do not ask your professor to grade while tired or burned out, because bad grades happen when that happens.

I should be prepping for class.

In each of my classes there are lectures that need tweaking for this year’s go-round, and in one class there are two entire days that need to be created out of whole cloth, both of which need to be coordinated with at least one of the other professors I’m teaching that particular course with.  I’m one of those teachers who comes in with everything pretty much written out.  I don’t always follow it, but it gives me something to depart from.  I’ve learned that in my field all I have to sell is a story, so I had better get the transitions right.

I should be writing letters.

We’ve had a couple of very nice performances down at Home Campus, and they always appreciate it if you write them a nice letter on official stationary saying how great they were so they can put it into the press kit for the next go ‘round.  It’s nice to be able to do that for performers who have given you good shows, and this needs to happen quickly.

I should be getting more rest.

It’s that time of the semester when everything comes crashing down upon you and no matter which direction you turn there is another pile of things that has to get whittled down and landscaped.  And when you finally do get to sleep, the piles are just waiting for you there too. 

I should be catching up on repairs.

There are any number of projects that are crying out for attention these days.  Right now the most pressing would be to put in a new thermostat – our old one died this summer while we were away, and the repair guys just put in the most basic one they had.  It works but it’s not programmable, and not being able to control that sort of thing means we are spending more money to feel less comfortable and waste more energy.  So that project has to happen.  And the station wagon needs new lifters for the rear hatch.  And an oil change, which fortunately I just have to pay someone else to do.  My desk is an archeology project.  The screen for the front door is in tatters, thanks to the laws of physics and the momentum of a certain cat. 

I should be attending to a number of long-term projects.

There are photos need to be scanned.  There are other photos that need to be framed and hung, and still others that need to be printed.  There are events to be planned and arrangements to be made, not all of them to take place anywhere near here.  Every now and then I make a to-do list and save it to my computer, where I can add and subtract as necessary.  Somehow the list never gets any shorter.

There are so many things I need to be doing right now.

SQUIRREL!