Rain, rain, rain

Sunday: This morning I awoke to the sound of pouring rain. It has rained hard almost all day, save for a few pauses. The leaves on the trees are dripping and waterfalls are splashing off the roof. It's now 8:30 (almost time for me to crawl into bed and grade the last few papers before retiring)and I can still hear it coming down hard outside. I love rainstorms if I'm inside and have nowhere to go.

The day stretched out. I graded nine weeks' exams all day, alternating that with the ongoing battle of the messy house. My day was almost exactly the same yesterday, except that Paul and I went to the gym yesterday afternoon, and I also took Pete for a walk, but other than that, it was the same ole. I was telling Diana today that when Liberto goes to Venezuela during Christmas break, I don't have the same pressures to get papers done, so I can actually turn my mind off from work and have fun on my own around the house, just puttering, doing this and that, so I never feel bored, even when he's away. But during the school year, when I'm under pressure to keep up with the grading, either I can't seem to find the time to do something frivolous, or I can't shut off school-related thoughts long enough to enjoy whatever hobby I should be taking up. Thus, his absence right now has created a sense of boredom. Without his energetic presence to balance the monotony of 85 tests and other less-than-exciting work-related tasks, I feel rather dull and blah today.








I wish I could spend less time on schoolwork; I wish I could just turn off the switch when I get home and forget everything until the next day. I'd like to spend more time writing my blog, or working on another creative project I have, or hanging out with friends more. I guess part of it is I'm just wired to be anxious about work. Even when I was a young thing, I worried, no matter what the job was. Even when I slung hash in Maine during the homestead days, I was nervous about doing it well, never mind for other more important employment gigs over the years. I admire people who are naturally placid and unruffled, who never worry and in fact always assume that the workplace is lucky to have them! Yes, I've seen that type before!


Gus and Pete snuggled up for a nap today. That rainy weather just makes a dog and a cat feel sleepy, doesn't it?