a few days ago, an acquaintance made the offhanded comment that, since the school year is almost over, things must be relatively easy for me job-wise right now. that is just so far from the truth. now is my busiest time of the year, the time when i feel the most inundated with work - and the most unproductive. my 12 of 12 for june depicts the last sunday before school ends, in the life of a teacher.
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coffee is a staple these days. iced or hot, i drink it a lot. and i'm still tired. sometimes i look longingly at those 5-hour energy drinks and mentally calculate what time it could be when i finally run out of steam for the day.
the garden as seen through the window where i work. i long to go out there, to smell the peonies or deadhead the pansies. or just sit. but the work is inside these days. i dream, knowing that in a few week's time, the garden will be my haven.
budget is due. this is the time i decide what i will need for supplies in order to teach and run my programs next year. spreadsheets, catalog numbers, shipping costs, object and function codes. it can get pretty overwhelming. and i feel so responsible for the decisions i make and for the money i request.
slide shows. you've seen these. highlights of the year, visual reminders of special events and lots of happy children's faces. kids and parent love these. they represent hours of work for the person making the show and, if the creator is as particular as i am, finding suitable music to accompany the presentation is hard. making it match the mood of the pictures and sync with the transitions between slides is near impossible. but it doesn't stop me from trying.
this is bed. when i'm in it, i'm am often lying awake, thinking of all that needs doing. when i'm sleeping in it, i just can't wake up. mid-afternoon i longingly look at the pillow and think just a short nap, just a wee snooze. and i do. the crumpled pillowcase is evidence of this.
much later, perhaps a walk - just to clear my head. i go about 200 yards before i turn and sprint back to the house and the work. a walk just seems like too much of a luxury right now. besides, like the garden, there will be time for this in a few weeks.
take out food for dinner. i suppose it could be worse - these are supermarket deli meatballs. it's not like i'm eating cheeseburgers from a drive-through window, after all. mostly because i did that already this week.
dishes in the sink. i just don't get to them. for days. you'd think i could take a moment to at least rinse out the milk carton. but no.
my most recent netflix mailing, from the middle of may, sits on the living room cabinet, untouched and covered with a thin film of june dust. i try to remember my netflix password - and can't. it's been that long...
i don't call my family. i don't call my friends. not this weekend. fortunately, there is only one call all day and i don't pick up. sorry, unidentified caller.
but regardless of what else is going on, it's never, ever too busy to babysit, just for a few hours. the little girl is the best diversion right now. just what i need to keep me sane for a couple more days.
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and the ultimate example of how busy and distracted i get in june? i only took 11 pictures. sigh. my 11 of 12 for june. july will be so much better.
9 comments:
I understand. I was a teacher. The first week school was out I headed to the beach to clear my head, all the thoughts you are having. I read as many books as I could in one week, walked alone on the beach, ate fruit and seafood and took naps. When I went back home everything was in perspective. Find a place to get away from it all. Let it go. xxoo Jenny
Taking a big deep breath for you! *hugs*
you've been a busy bee. I love sharing the snippets of your life. I feel you being too busy to take pictures. I have taken so few myself this year.
Teachers enjoy their summers more than any other adult! I hope you do too!
Relaxation is only a few weeks away.. although I know you will still be on your computer when we are there!
Thank you for sharing your day; it was a lovely post. Energy to you! Particularly loved the snap of the flowers through the window screen. Thanks for your pictures, which I always enjoy.
Have you ever heard of the program, "ProShow Gold"? It's a slide show program and it is amazing. It actually syncs the music to the number of slides you have in the program, you can fade one piece of music in while the other is fading out, you can move the slides around and change the order. And it's practically a no-brainer.
I'm pretty sure they have a free trial download. It really simplifies the whole slide show process and then you look like a genius because the finished product is so professional.
Check it out, you might like it.
Oh...and I hope you totally enjoy your summer vacation. Kudos to you for what you do during the school year.
thanks, Linda. i will check it out! i need all the help i can get!
Nice you can get to babysit a bit. Children that age can simplify things...then they get old enough to teach!
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