When a Reminder Note Doesn't Remind
I put a post-it note on my monitor to remind me to listen to the Purdue men's basketball game at 1 today. At 3:30, I looked up from the book I was reading to see I'd totally missed the game. This is like the fourth game I've wanted to listen to but missed because I simply forget. Hence the post-it. Lot of good it did. I must not be all that interested in actually listening to the games or I'd figure out a way to make sure I remember.
I almost missed taking Ado to the vet yesterday, for his spa day, because I'd totally forgotten about his appointment. I didn't have to get up for work, so at 6 am I rolled over and went back to sleep for over an hour. When I finally dragged myself into the living room, I noticed my phone's calendar had kicked in, trying to remind me of Ado's bath and nail clipping appointment. Maybe my forgetfulness was because of the first week back in the classroom fatigue. Maybe it was because of having a gnarly headache four out of the five days during the week, the kind of headache that makes me sick to my stomach. The kind where I'm good as long as I'm standing, but if I sit or try to lie down the pain grips my skull in a vise. I've never had one four days in a week's time. Usually I get one of these headaches once every three or four months. Since I avoid taking pain relievers, I tend to suffer for hours, until I can't take it anymore and finally give in. Wednesday, I ended up taking 1200 mg of over-the-counter pain reliever before it made a dent in the pain. Yesterday, I only had to take 800 mg. I probably should see my doctor about this, but I'm going to try alternative methods first as I think the headaches are related to back-to-work stress.
Most of the stress is stemming from one class: Graphic Novels. I love reading. I love to talk books and ideas. But I get completely stressed out trying to teach a lit class. And this is my background! Seriously, you'd think I should know what I'm doing with nearly 30 years of experience, but every single semester, I feel like such a fraud when I teach lit. Composition? No worries at all. I can teach that class with my eyes closed and both hands tied behind my back. Lit, though, is a totally different animal. Especially graphic novels. I've not read a lot of graphic novels, so I'm a bit behind the eight ball. I just don't want the students to feel like they've been cheated. I want to give them a rich experience, and in wanting this I'm mega stressing over the materials I'm prepping for class. Thankfully, the first two class sessions went well. The students are very open to discussion, which helps a ton. And I found out the students have read even less American graphic novels than I have. Most read manga, making all the titles I have on the reading list new to them. This also helps a ton.
So far today, no headache. So far today, I've simply enjoyed being inside during another weekend snowstorm, reading the newest Michael Connelly book and watching mindless TV. I thought about venturing outside, but the wind is whipping and the temps have dropped significantly. Unless Ado needs to go outside, it's an inside day for us. More reading. Some writing. Maybe playing Metro 2033, where I'm having trouble getting past a dragon that keeps swooping down and clutching my character in its claws and carrying him up only to drop him to the ground where he's so stunned he can't get up and fight. I don't know how many times I've tried getting past this dragon, but I'm going to keep trying. I'm stubborn like that.
I almost missed taking Ado to the vet yesterday, for his spa day, because I'd totally forgotten about his appointment. I didn't have to get up for work, so at 6 am I rolled over and went back to sleep for over an hour. When I finally dragged myself into the living room, I noticed my phone's calendar had kicked in, trying to remind me of Ado's bath and nail clipping appointment. Maybe my forgetfulness was because of the first week back in the classroom fatigue. Maybe it was because of having a gnarly headache four out of the five days during the week, the kind of headache that makes me sick to my stomach. The kind where I'm good as long as I'm standing, but if I sit or try to lie down the pain grips my skull in a vise. I've never had one four days in a week's time. Usually I get one of these headaches once every three or four months. Since I avoid taking pain relievers, I tend to suffer for hours, until I can't take it anymore and finally give in. Wednesday, I ended up taking 1200 mg of over-the-counter pain reliever before it made a dent in the pain. Yesterday, I only had to take 800 mg. I probably should see my doctor about this, but I'm going to try alternative methods first as I think the headaches are related to back-to-work stress.
Most of the stress is stemming from one class: Graphic Novels. I love reading. I love to talk books and ideas. But I get completely stressed out trying to teach a lit class. And this is my background! Seriously, you'd think I should know what I'm doing with nearly 30 years of experience, but every single semester, I feel like such a fraud when I teach lit. Composition? No worries at all. I can teach that class with my eyes closed and both hands tied behind my back. Lit, though, is a totally different animal. Especially graphic novels. I've not read a lot of graphic novels, so I'm a bit behind the eight ball. I just don't want the students to feel like they've been cheated. I want to give them a rich experience, and in wanting this I'm mega stressing over the materials I'm prepping for class. Thankfully, the first two class sessions went well. The students are very open to discussion, which helps a ton. And I found out the students have read even less American graphic novels than I have. Most read manga, making all the titles I have on the reading list new to them. This also helps a ton.
So far today, no headache. So far today, I've simply enjoyed being inside during another weekend snowstorm, reading the newest Michael Connelly book and watching mindless TV. I thought about venturing outside, but the wind is whipping and the temps have dropped significantly. Unless Ado needs to go outside, it's an inside day for us. More reading. Some writing. Maybe playing Metro 2033, where I'm having trouble getting past a dragon that keeps swooping down and clutching my character in its claws and carrying him up only to drop him to the ground where he's so stunned he can't get up and fight. I don't know how many times I've tried getting past this dragon, but I'm going to keep trying. I'm stubborn like that.
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