Very quickly

I should probably not have signed up for the dance class series I'm going to be taking the next three weeks. I have to blast out of here to get to Manhattan on time: originally I was going to take the train so I could work on the way there (not likely on the way back, as I have no idea how late the class will run--but it doesn't even start until 8). But today I got the unwelcome reminder that I have a committee meeting at 9:30 tomorrow morning, which means being up at 6, so the whole subway to Penn Station, wait for a train, 50 minutes to home, then drive to the house, just puts me home way too late. I'll be home much later than I'd like as it is, but if I drive, I lose the work time on the way in to the city, but I get home a hell of a lot faster (please heaven! there are always the possibilities for huge delays, but I'm hoping not).

And I already am doing triage. I had hoped--with a rather enormous measure of self-delusion--to be able to get one set of reading journals marked and back to students by tomorrow so they'd have comments to refer to before they have to do the next bunch. Not even close. Even the time on the train wouldn't be enough. Ah hell. But ah well.

True, I could probably get a journal or two marked in the time I'm taking to blog, but never mind. Since I wouldn't get them all done anyway, even if I did use this time to mark, I figure I'll do better to have my little bit of decompression before I drive into the City and do something completely, utterly selfish.

About which I feel rather smug, not guilty. It is absolutely life-saving to have obsessions outside of this job.

Classes went OK today, but somehow today we never got to actually discuss the essays, whereas yesterday we at least got a start. Well, we'll see how much we can get covered on Thursday. I have another wodge of handouts for the students the next few classes (those always eat up a fair amount of time). And I had a few students new to my 101s today: I realize I forgot to emphasize with one of them that he's used up two of his allowed three absences, but both of them I told that I was expecting them to be able to get themselves caught up--and to contact me if they have questions--but I'm not going to go over everything with them. Another student was in class today having missed last week: he was very confused--one would think he'd not been in class that first day, though he was--but he seemed a little less panic-stricken when class was over and after I talked to him for a minute.

It's interesting to see who is already willing to do the hard work, who thinks the "I didn't get my books yet" excuse will fly....

Anyway, I'm going to throw this up on the blog without rereading, proofing, anything. Gotta shove some food in my face and get on the road to dance class. It's only three weeks: I hope it doesn't screw me up beyond this week!