Long Time, No Post

Clearly I am not going to be posting a lot when school is not in session (not that I did so much when it was...) I found my desire to post diminished significantly because I was spending time with my family. I also rarely have quiet "alone" time when I am at home (multiple kids, no designated 'home office' space), so I didn't feel like my thoughts were clear.

They're not now either... but school starts back up in little more than a week, so I thought I'd get back on here. I'm of course not even near ready to start back, either emotionally or in terms of class prep... I have so much to do.

Situation with foul-mouthed student is still unresolved, as the holiday break interrupted chances to deal with it. I will speak with the student affairs people next week and see what they say.

I still feel tired -- I had hoped to feel rested. But it was good to have some 'settling in' time with my family, which we never got to have when we first moved here (I got to town weeks before classes started in the fall and never had time to get to know the area... it's all been 'on the go' since then).

I still don't know the roads and the best ways to get places, and I've lived here since August. That will come with time, but it would have been nice to have a few weeks to do it before I had to start working. Some colleagues in other departments told me they moved here in June! I didn't even get the job until mid-June, for various political reasons within the department (the position was originally to be a two-year visiting job, but my department insisted they needed a tenure-track line filled... this argument stretched out beyond the original hiring deadlines and into May)...

So, the holiday afforded me some time to relax with my family, get to know the area a little, and just feel more like this is our home now. It's just been such a crazy life since I got the job.

So, now it begins again. My wife is dreading me being out of the house so much (I work best in my office rather than home, due to aforementioned children). I am dreading the exhaustion, which no doubt will take less time to set in this semester since I'm still tired. But I am still happy to be here. Just wish I wasn't teaching SO many courses this term. I'm supposed to be on a 3/2 load, but they're not starting that til next year because they just don't have enough faculty to offer required courses this year. We have hired someone for next fall, so things will be normal again (well, mostly normal)...

Such a rambling post -- sorry. Will try to be more topic-oriented soon.