Working My Way Back

So, yeah, I didn't expect my hiatus to be this long, or for a pandemic to show up, either, but that's life, right? I am slowly working my way back into writing. I'm going to start with the Flash Fiction posts. I wish I had an ETA as to when I will get back to the mythology posts, but there's still a lot going on that Coronavirus just complicated. but I will bring it back in some form.

Also, there are changes to the blog. Blogger is futzing with things as well, and I'm looking at change the layout and general look of the blog. So I apologize in advance for things looking wonky for a bit. Some of it may be beyond my control, but I'll do my best to keep it all readable.

On Hiatus

Not a great way to start the new year, but some things are beyond our control. Due to some family medical concerns, I've been unable to work on the blog (or much of anything else). So, unfortunately I will be going on hiatus until I can get said concerns sorted out. I have no date as to when I will be back, but I definitely will. I find blogging mythic and fictional adventures very satisfying.

Many Paths

            So I’ve been thinking about writing, teaching, life, the universe, and everything. It’s some heady stuff, to be sure. And what strikes me is that there are many paths. And I like that. I want there to be many paths. I want there to be not just the road not taken, but also the road yet to be made, the exploration waiting to happen. I think it’s on these avenues where the best of humanity can come out. The urge to explore, to see what’s out there, is when we stretch ourselves to the fullest.

Time Management

            I’ve been showing my students this semester how little time they have in an effort to make them realize the importance of managing that time. I have also been engaged in my own pieces of time management, trying to locate where my time has gone, and what I can do to rectify that.

Fresh Start

            So, in reflecting on the past year, I have to say the first part was really bad. A lot got thrown my way that made life extra difficult, and I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to make it. Emergency after emergency kept sucking up funds, and my job just wasn’t going that well. But by May things had begun to turn themselves around. I still had a financially-challenging summer because of teaching, but another turnaround in the form of teaching at a new campus helped tremendously by the time the fall semester started.

Resolution Progress

            At the beginning of the year I resolved to a number of goals, the biggest of these being a change in career. I have partially succeeded. I’ve move over to a new school, which has helped tremendously. And while this is not a complete career change, I feel it is a significant step.

Holiday Plans

            Every holiday, I get asked by friends and neighbors if I have any big holiday plans. Nine times out of ten, I don’t. Mostly it’s because of a lack of resources. There have been some lean times, no joke. But more than that, I just don’t want the bother when it comes to holiday travel.

            I don’t need big plans to enjoy a holiday. So I will enjoy my holiday with some good movies, conversations with good friends, and maybe by going out to eat locally.

Milestone

            Today is my mother’s birthday. She’s been here for 77 years, now. And I’m glad for every one of those days. I know she’s not going to be around forever, but I celebrate all the time she has had, and all the time she’s still going to have.

            Happy Birthday, Mom. I love you.

Unfinished

            Another NaNo down. I finished my word count. The title of this post isn’t referring to that. No, it’s referring to last year’s NaNo novel. I started a Matt Allen book, and still have not finished it. Usually over the course of the year I will finish out a draft of my NaNo book, but that didn’t happen this time. Throughout the year I got sidetracked by other projects (Matt included), and just could not get back to it.

Finish Line

            It’s kind of a universal human condition. When we see the finish line, we slow down or get complacent. Psychologically something is going on in our heads that when a goal is in sight, we can begin to rest. Now, every runner knows this isn’t true, but there’s still a flood of relief when that goal comes in sight. Obviously, the trick is to look past the line to make sure that you still cross the goal at full speed.

No Summer Vacation

            Yes, I’m on a break from school, but that’s not exactly the same as taking a vacation. Once again money is the determining factor. I’m still planning (hoping) on taking a jaunt to the east coast in September, so that has neatly curtailed any other plans I might have.

            But oh how I long to leave the heated desert, especially in the next two months when the temperatures reach meltdown. I shall have to avoid going into the oven that is known as “outside” during that time.

            A perfect excuse to redouble my efforts in revising an older book, and to get done some much needed reading.

More Self-Improvement

            I’ve been on a kick of self-improvement, adding new skills to my portfolio. Specifically, I’ve been dabbling in web design. It all started with an ill-conceived attempt at app creation for my teaching, but it did teach me quite a bit about HTML, and I’ve been expanding on that ever since. I’m planning to overhaul this site, but haven’t quite decided on what design elements to change, but there will be change coming.

            I’ve enjoyed this foray, even going so far as to download an html editor and putting it to good use. I remember the early days of HTML, which were completely coded in a featureless text editor such as notepad. Many purists still rely on these kinds of text editors to hone their skills, but I admit no shame to say that I want some bells and whistles when it comes to my text editor, just as I want them in my word processor and spreadsheet.

            Best of all, my new skills are translating into new opportunities, which I hope to capitalize on this summer.

           

Post-Semester Shock Syndrome

            I’ve alluded to it in previous posts, talking about the malaise that accompanies the end of the semester; however, now I’ve come up with a clever name that seems to most accurately capture the idea.

            I’m not trying to belittle those who suffer from PTSD with this name; if anything, I’m trying to draw a very real comparison to how the end of the semester affects me and other teachers.

Weather

            I want it to rain again. A bout of rains here in Arizona in February made me long for distant lands. Specifically, I wanted to be back in Alaska or Washington State. I remember the feeling of the cool summer with light showers, where the humidity hovered around 80%.

The Writer's Life

            I see on Facebook a lot of quizzes regarding likes, what character you resemble, and what would be your ideal job. I remember taking a few of the last in high school, and they all came up the same way: writer.

Even of the New Year

            According to the Chinese Zodiac, certain years are better than others for certain people, and while I have had my good years and bad years, I think I need to stop viewing time in that fashion. People do compartmentalize by year very easily. Anniversaries, birthdays, and taxes help reinforce these ideas, but I think I want to reevaluate and take it on a smaller scale, and make sure I try to make my days, weeks, and months better, and perform more self-evaluation to figure out how to improve them.

            So, here’s to day one of 2015. I’m going to make it a good one.

           

Teaching Future

            I go back and forth on this. I have a deep core in me that really loves to teach, especially mythology, but I’m not sure it’s really for me anymore. I have to adopt a wait and see attitude. I keep pondering a question: If I had the chance to be financially well-off without teaching, would I continue to do it? And I don’t’ know the answer. If I’m not financially bound, then there’s an aspect of leisure to teaching, so I can approach it differently. I can get an increased sense of satisfaction from the endeavor when it’s leisure.

            But that’s largely speculation. I think I’ll have to try it out empirically.

           

Mellow Holiday

            Back when I worked for Target (many, many moons ago, now) I worked in the toy department. During Christmas. That was the year I hated Christmas. I was bitter towards everyone. I hated seeing toys on TV. I nearly developed a twitch on seeing commercials. I promised myself I would never let myself hate Christmas again.

And I don’t hate it. I still really like it, but I don’t’ need it to be a big production. I like the idea that it’s a low stress day. So, I will have a mellow Christmas filled with some good music, pleasant films, good food, and a little family.

Short Vacation

            I’m giving myself a short, stay-at-home vacation (I refuse to use the new compound form of the words stay and vacation). Now usually I have a few weeks between semesters, but I almost always end up filling the entire time with various projects. There’s nothing wrong with that. And the projects are worthwhile, but I feel an increasing need to draw definite lines in my life where I can say I’m not working.

            So, I’ll rejoin the working world next week. 

             

The. End.

            Another semester over. Yes, there’s a little bit of grading to do, yet, but it’s inconsequential. The pressure has fully lifted. Time for a brief respite, and then a longer one from all things school related.