Three today, 12 tomorrow, 18 by Wednesday?

Taking a little break here, clearing out the mental sludge. The three papers I have left to mark for RB are from the three best writers in the class--at least that's been the case up to now, though they can always surprise me. Sometimes a student will take a quantum leap forward (genuinely, not through a [cough cough] "ghost writer"), but sometimes a reliably good student will stumble or even fall down completely. One of the three good writers is also one of the students who is resistant to the topics (an anti-environmentalist: I can never understand that attitude--the way people of different political parties can never understand how those in the other party can feel as they do). Because of his resistance, I'm curious to see how he handles the topic. Monkey Skulls is also resistant (largely, I think, out of a deep-seated need to rebel against anything and everything), and so although his paper was better in terms of approach, it ran away with him because he so desperately wanted to prove that organic farming is idiotic (without proof, by the way, beyond a Penn & Teller video he watched, which I wouldn't let him cite, so instead he cited nothing at all). I'm hoping the same doesn't happen to the other resistant student--and it shouldn't: he has much more control over not only his writing but also his attitude. I know he hates the material, but he does his best to handle it objectively anyway, which I applaud.

In an earlier break today, I did pay an atom-sized bit of attention to the promo folder. I got an e-mail from one of my mentees, and her question about a specific form of documentation reminded me that I need to request the same thing for myself--so I sent out the e-mails asking. It isn't much, but I do feel better for having done it. And two pieces of needed documentation came in. I haven't looked at them yet, but I know they're there, and that's comforting.

(As I write, I hear the troublesome downstairs neighbor stamping around: very heavy footsteps. I'm glad I live above, not below. But when I hear her tromping about like that, I get self-conscious and try to literally tread lightly. I know I can stomp pretty hard for someone my size, so I attempt to walk softly. As for carrying a big stick, if you ask my students, I do indeed--and they get whacked with it, poor dears, on regular occasions.)

I just looked at my calendar to see when I have time between now and Wednesday to finish up the papers for the M/W class--apart from tomorrow, which I will spend on KC (the other T/Th section). I decided for a change to put RB first, in part so they get the candy end of the lollipop this time but also because I only see them once before Thanksgiving. True also for KC. And the answer to how much time I have for grading apart from tomorrow is "not much." We have a damned department meeting on Tuesday (and I have to be there, as we'll be discussing assessment stuff, which I'm part of). That means Tuesday will be a back-to-back-to-back-to-back day, reducing the size of any window of opportunity for grading. Monday's windows will also be small: I know I'll be seeing at least one student during my office hour. And on both Monday and Tuesday I want to leave campus by 7 to go to dance class. Consequently, I may be looking at a few very early mornings--and the other upshot is that I won't be able to cancel class on Wednesday: it's when I'll be able to return their papers (no can do by Monday, not and still have KC done on time). Ah well. Three days of getting up early won't kill me--and will be followed by four days in which I can sleep in as late as the cats will let me. And it will be worth it to push a little bit on the school stuff to make time for the dance classes. I tend to back-burner my personal life, and I hate it when I do. So next week I won't, even if it means that poor candle gets burned at both ends, in the middle and from all sides. Worth it, worth it.