Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Mixed Bag

I just finished grading my student's portfolios and posting their grades. They were, predictably, a mixed bag of quality, intention, care. What is great for me is to see how far they've come in the course of the semester as writers, and as readers. I love that. At this point I'm not sure if I'll be teaching in the fall, and I'm easy in my heart about that.

What I'm uneasy about is my continued podiatrist-induced pain. My foot continues to have me hobbling about, which keeps me from walking, bellydancing, biking, even from being able to walk easily from my car to my office. But what's worse? It keeps me from my shoes. With each week that passes, my desire to wear my cutest, least-appropriate-to-an-injured-tootsie-footwear grows more acute. I sat in my room trying shoes on my "good" foot (the right one, for the record) for a long while this weekend. Plotting which pair might be back in the rotation first. I've come to hate my tevas and my privos...must wear pretty footwear soon....ohmmm. Pitiful, eh?

I'm also not at ease with my air conditioner. It has to be replaced. No amount of charm could convince the repairman to pump it full of ozone-depleting CFC-laden freon...the thing is shot. Turns out 12 years is not an unusual life span for an air conditioner in the desert. I felt so OLD...ranting about how it was "just broken in."

My new job is so busy...soooooo busy. Crazy. But rewarding in the way that you're rewarded when you clean a really dirty house. To make this comparison work, you would have to need a backhoe to clean the dirty house. One thing I'll say about working for a Fortune 100 company - the big problems are BIG problems. Messy. I keep running into former coworkers from my days at OreIda, when we were allllll a lot younger. I was the baby back then. Technically, among that group, I still am! :)

I'm thankful for the good thoughts of friends all over the world who are trying to help me find my writer's mojo again. To friends who know nothing of THAT but who help me stay hopeful. And I'm thinking piles of good thoughts for a friend who is MIA, another who is healing from a surgery in Oz, another who is wrestling an alligator of an exhusband (seemingly while wearing a steak strapped to her head to make him want to BITE her), and an almost-birthday boy with a thang for terminally white cake.

Here is what I'll say about the air conditioner - not having it when it was 95 this weekend was not pleasant. But with the bedroom windows open, I slept all night in the scent of my lilacs, and woke to birds chittering in the spruce tree. Played hell with my allergies, but it is nice to remember the world outside the walls, the windows.

Summer will be here soon, and there is plenty of time to bike and bellydance and walk my loop in the mornings. Ease is a state of mind that one chooses.

~ patti

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is good to see you again.

Anonymous said...

I was a little worried about you - glad to see you're back, and smiling. Seen the new Terrys? Sexxxxy....if you like two-wheels and no engine!

:-)

Big-ass hugs for you!

Patti Knox said...

Hey there you! Yes, I've seen the new ones - did you notice that the Isis Pro practically has my name on it? I'm hoping to bump into you on a trail soon. Think healing thoughts for my foot - and big hugs right back to you. Wait - did you say I had a big ASS? :D

~ patti

Anonymous said...

Your enthusiasm makes it impossible not to smile. You must know that we are pulling for you, everywhere. Write the damned book, ok?