Chimera Song Mosaic
Wednesday, February 04, 2004
The Whiny Part:
I had a horrible day today. I would have been done today at 11:30, just in time to grade like crazy and work poems, but I had to meet a slacker student at 2pm (he has missed the first three weeks of class, including his first major paper--you don't even want to hear his excuse, it's so ridiculous) so I could help him "catch up," so I made an appointment with my doctor about my hurt foot to take up the time between my last class and the appointment with my student. The doctor's visit went fine, but now I can't walk for exercise anymore; he said I can only swim. I have Plantar Fascia something. It's when your foot cramps across the bottom and you have great heel pain. I have had it for 4 months or more. He said I probably injured it. Now I have to get some soft heel inserts for my shoes and can't walk around a lot. Of course, I normally wear sandles, so how any I going to use the heel inserts? I'll probably have to buy more shoes, spend more money. He said usually people get it who have really high or really low arches, but mine are normal. So who knows.
I'm sad about the walking. Now I have to go swimming or ride a bicycle, which is a lot less convenient. And the dogs will be sad not to go on walks.
Then I met with my student, and he assured me that he would catch up, even though he is already missing 16 points off his final grade (I didn't let him make up the essay he missed). Too bad! One more paper to grade now that he's joined the class again.
Then I found out I had missed the Fed Ex guy, spent 3800 on my credit card last month, that Lance had the phone number changed because we kept getting stupid calls for a fence company (so now none of the contests I have submitted to will know how to find me--but they probably won't need to contact me anyway), and Lucy had shit on the floor. I had just gone by Human Resources and filled out a bunch of forms to change the address AND phone number, and now I have to do that again. I also had to drive all the way to Pharr to drop off a video I had rented for my students, then I came home to the shit. Lucy has done this for the fourth time this month. Now she is outside in the wind tied to the table, where she can stay for a while. Maybe she'll live outside now. Also, today a student corrected my spelling of "omniscient" on the board (but he was gentle), and I lost my blog post, which was long, pensive, cheerful, and way better than this one.
The only good part is that I graded 3 essays while I was waiting in the doctor's office, and now I have only 7 more to go, but I am very tired. I got up at 6 am, like I do every MWF--sometimes I wake up at 5:30 if I have to wash my hair.
I am tired and I really need a break. But now I can't go anywhere for spring break because I spent so much money on the new house. Plus I want to get that corrective eye surgery, and it is really expensive. Maybe I'll get it in Houston while I am there during spring break. Maybe it will be cheaper that it is here (Mom, can you send me Dr. Penn's phone number so I can call him and ask for a referral?). I really need new glasses, but I am trying to hold out for the eye surgery, so I am dealing with blurry vision from scratches in my glasses every day. And now I can't go anywhere for spring break, like I do every year for my birthday. So this year I am going to turn 30 and have nowhere to go.
I always thought I wouldn't be one of those people who whines when she turns 30, but I guess I was wrong about that, too. I keep jumping forward to the next few months--I write 4/4/04 instead of 2/4/04, and I thought the first of this month was April Fools. This is either because I already want the semester to be over or because I am trying to skip the sad drama of turning 30. I think it is the latter. I shouldn't delude myself, too.
The Good Part:
I graded 3 essays already while waiting in the doctor's office, and I came home to find that my copy of American Letters & Commentary had arrived (probably late because it had been forwarded, and our post office sucks, and even though I sent AL&C a change of address form months ago, they haven't acknowledged it). This is my absolute FAVORITE journal! I love every bit of it! The cover is fabulous this year, it has a free, color-coordinated book mark inside, and my buddy, Josh, appears in it. He has a splendidly sonorous sonnet in it. This made me happy. Plus I only have 7 more essays to grade today.
The Petty Part:
When I found Josh's name in there, it made me happy. But it also made me jealous. I am such a brat now I can't play with anyone.
