Monday. Last week was a lost week. My class submitted their essays for the second essay, and I spent the week, and a portion of the weekend, grading their papers. On the happy side, I have completed the grading (last one graded Saturday, and all of them returned Sunday). I was quite pleased with how the class performed on this last collection of essays. The class average was likely a B, and that is better than the last grade. In general, their work was better than with the first essay.

Fall has descended on us, much to my disappointment. How can I boast about warm weather when it is cold? Though it was awesome here yesterday.



The colors of fall are stunning. Not only do the leaves take on these vibrant reds and yellows, but the pines seem greener in contrast. Yesterday's high was 75, which is the best we will do for a while.

My application to Chapel Hill's MSILS is submitted. All I have to do is call NAIT and get them to send a transcript out. And then wait for some kind of response. I have not begun to think about what I will/may do if I do not get accepted. Work may be hard to come by given the current state of the economy.

I have lived in NC for just over 18 months, and I still revel in the fact that in early November it can get to 75. Our neighbor planted pansies and some ornamental kale last week.

Time for me to get busy. Another week, and only four more to go before the term ends.

I am sure that I should be working this morning. But the weather resists any serious attempt at thought. It is one of the usual fall miseries, where the rain comes down in a steady mist, not really raining, but not dry either. The clouds are thick enough to give the surface of everything a pallor that seeps in and weakens motivation. So I sit here, in my office, watching cars dribble by lacklusterly. That is me imposing my mood on the world, of course, but the world is strong enough to deal with my lack of enthusiasm. I am sure there are some excited souls in the city, but not here in this upstairs room.

I did have a good week. I enjoyed meeting with my students in conferences, the classes went well. The weather, while fricken cold, was sunny and gorgeous.

Today I have a paper to grade, and a whole lot of my own work to deal with. I would list it here, but I am afraid to do so. Building a mountain and knowing it is just the first of many, some much higher, to come is intimidating.

To work I go. Mopeyly.

So I did the voting thing Thursday. It took nearly an hour, mostly because a fair number of people were still doing the register to vote. And, because this is early voting, the polling people had to dig out the correct form form their stack of forms. Everyone was smiling and friendly, so the whole process was painless. It feels strange in some ways to think that this is the first time I have ever voted, and it is in NC. At the same time, I feel virtuous, and patriotic.

Friday was a usual day. School, class, home. I have to decide on the text I will use next semester to try and lead my students from one state into another (hoping that new state is not a fugue state). I have a stack of books to look through this weekend, and I have the following things to do: write my teaching phil, my grading phil, finish my class observation, grade some journals, look at some essays...I think I am forgetting something.

I was going to go for a walk this morning, but it has been raining all night, so that may not be an option. It is cold enough now that I could do it later should the rain ever stop falling. I do need the walk. I am all achy and old this morning.

I am tired this morning. I stayed up to watch the silly fools debate last night. I remain convinced they are exactly what I thought they were.

So, I am short on sleep this morning.To make it worse, the long term weather forecast says cold weather ahead. Summer ends I suppose, but wouldn't it be great if it were to last just another couple months? It will be warm today, and that is something I can cling to in the coming cold and dark days.

It has been a busy week, though all weeks are busy now so that does not really offer any differentiation. I find it shocking to think that I am already into the middle of October, and only a few weeks left in the entire semester.

Bit early for working, but off I go anyway.
Another long day (but I get to vote!), and a busy weekend ahead of me. I hope to get down to the lake, maybe, on the weekend. Take some photos of the start of icky fall.

Saturday of course

My fall break is nearly over and I have wasted away the hours of the days. Wednesday I went to the arboretum (link to the photos is in Wednesday's post).

Just out of general interest, kitty just attacked her toy, it apparently insulted her.

where was I? Oh yes, feeling like I have not accomplished anything this weekend. Thursday I don't remember much of what I did, if I did anything. Friday we went to the Farmer's Market (photos linked to the right). We picked up some great veggies and took them home to have one of the best suppers in a while. Roasted veggies (onion, turnip, sweet tater, carrot, and tomato), dry fried tofu with a lime glaze, some fresh beans, and some fresh baked sour dough bread. Yum.

I started the application process for my second masters and after two seconds remembered how horrible the process is and began to think that I hate the application process and why do I even want to go through the process. I do know the answer to this. I hate doing it because I am coming as a supplicant saying choose me. I enter from a position of powerlessness. Yesterday Carol asked me if I could see myself as a librarian and I did not know. I a thinking this morning that that is the wrong question. What I need to do right now is try to envision myself as a student of library science. What does it look/feel like to be studying in this area? When I applied for my MFA I had a good idea of what it would involve. Workshops and classes in literature. Easy. I do not know what the study of libraries looks like.

Any way, I am going to go get me into some working. Maybe make some progressing. At least I have my grading done, and I can move forward into the gap created by my own hard work to produce. See, I am getting good at writing gobbledy-gook. :)