Luna del'Corvo

About seven years ago, I was in and out of the hospital for a month on account of, of all things, an ear infection. It was a doozie, no question. That sucker tore right through most of my outer ear, worked its way through the labyrinth, and stopped just short of the cochlea. I lost a good chunk of bone to that beast. I also lost roughly 90% of my hearing on one side.

I mention this because today I realize the loss of 90% of my hearing on one side was not nearly enough.

You see, we often have to cover classes for out-of-school teachers. For me, on this day, that means I am sitting in a large room with two dozen beginning band students and as many instruments (from a tuba to drums and everything in between) ineptly (if earnestly) blatting at me and I cannot describe the headache.


My nerves are already frazzled to the very edge, and never have I wished more sincerely to be fully, completely deaf.

Sorry I've been semi-away, but it was a very odd week. For one thing, it's finals for my college classes, and those always get squirrelly; papers to grade (so far actually pretty good this time, knock on wood!), and panicky students...

After my unpleasant Monday, things looked up a bit, in part because himself kept to himself. Then Thursday, I got his with I don't even know what; either the short-lived stomach bug from hell, or I ate something that disagreed with me, violently! I ended up calling in sick to my middle school classes (first time this school year), but was begged to come in for my evening 'other person in the building' shift anyway. Meh - three hours to play games and surf - I can do that. I did feel better by then, after a horrible morning. By Friday I was fine, though I felt like I'd run a marathon, and my stomach muscles were threatening mutiny....

I was able to take Friday easy, but then turned right around and worked my butt off in the yard on Saturday (for which my back has not stopped chastising me...ouch!) Still, good work was done...

Then Sunday was a brief D&D session with the kiddo, his friend, and my cousin. And grading papers. Have I mentioned I kind of hate grading papers? *sigh*

More than you ever wanted to know about my Struggle for the Yard (See, that's me, in the icon, holding back the ebil weeds...LOL): ( Read more... )

So first final exam given, one to go, then one school DONE! Huzzah!

So, real life entry! Been a pretty good week, actually. This is my last full week of uni classes (thank goodness!) though my HS/MS classes will go through the end of May. 

The yard is pretty much stabilized, so if I can keep up with the few weeds/vines that pop up for a few more weeks, I think I will have a good handle on it not becoming a jungle again! Imagine: I might even be able to USE my patio! Who'dd'a thunk it???

The niblet is in the Chamber Choir at his HS, and last night they did an amazing rendition of Gabriel Fauré's Requiem with the choir and orchestra. There were a few squeakers from the orchestra, but it was a really good performance, especially for such an incredibly complicated piece! I'm so proud of that kid I could burst sometimes. Of course I was geeking out all over the place that they did it in Latin...LOL

Otherwise, I'm just waiting for the weekend! I have a pretty big stack of grading to do, but I should have a good bit of downtime, too. And we should be back to our D&D campaign, which is a lot of work (I'm the DM, and it's an all-original campaign), but a heckuva lot of fun! Mostly, though I'm looking forward to sleeping!

I adore my HS/MS teaching; the school is amazing, the kids are fantastic, I can throw pretty much anything at them and they will tackle it head on. But OMG, I am so not a morning person! At least they start a bit later than Niblet's school, but I still have to get up to get him up, and even so, it's not by much. :( *yawn* Sooooooo sleepy.....

...and with, Spring Fever!

My students were positively insane today! It doesn't help that I have them for the last class of the day in Friday. I adore them, but OMG, there were a few I wanted to stuff in a sack!

These are my middle schoolers, BTW, and they are amazing and smart and inspiring, but also wiggly as hell....

Doesn't help that I'"m not immune to the spring fever myself. I am pretty over this semester/year. Oh, and then there is that other spring fever, also known as hayfever.... *achoo!*

Still, I love spring here - I fall in love with living here all over again every spring, and every fall. (Which is a good thing, since the summers nearly cook me, and Jan/Feb just suck in general....)

Once again it's been too long. And, as always seems to be the case, life is a mixed bag; lot of good, good bit of not-so-good.

Still teaching, but the stress of wondering, every semester, if I will get enough classes to be able to stay afloat is wearying in the extreme. So far, this time, from my main uni, I have only one for fall. My other uni didn't give me a class this spring (first time since I started there), and hasn't begin their fall scheduling yet. I'm also teaching at a middle/high school, which I really love, but they don't schedule until mid- to late-summer. So for now, I'm on pins and needles, wondering just how tight I'll be pulling my belt come fall. And fall is the worse of the two semesters to not have a reasonably full load, coming as it does on the hells of summer, which is always lean in and of itself.

Then there is the massive fear/anxiety/depression/anger/stress over the election and they way the next four years are shaping up. I hope I am being hyperbolic when I say that I suspect within a year this nation will be unrecognizable. On the one hand it feels like hyperbole, but then again, we got this far because we have, as a culture, become far too adept at ignoring what is right before our noses. More on that in another post, lest I get too maudlin here!

The kiddo is flourishing for the most part. he's a bright and talented high school sophomore (how in the hell did THAT happen?), and he's looking at pursuing engineering. My middle and high school students are a bright spot of hope in these times; far more capable, literate, informed, and motivated than 99.9% of my college students. Yes, it's a private school, but still; they shame my college kids. I find this both inspiring and incredibly sad - inspiring for the hope these amazing children give, and sad for the ones who are in their early 20s with no grasp of life or the world around them. How did they ever get out of high school? ANd how will they ever be bale to function as citizens? (that may not be an issue soon anyway, I suppose....)

For me, personally, life is still a struggle at times, and a joy at others. (Like everyone, right?) I am nowhere near 'over' the collapse of my marriage and with it, many portions of my future. I cannot imagine ever entering into a relationship again; the notion makes me almost physically ill. At the same time, I am often so lonely, it takes my breath away. Sill, even when lonely, I love having my house to myself, and my time to myself, and just being *me.* So, it goes in stages.