Can't Stay Away Any Longer
I've missed this space so much!
So, where to start?
My landlord asked the neighbors to leave. When he stopped by to tell me they were moving out, I asked if I could move back into that unit. The smile on his face was all I needed as an answer. He told me I made his day. He then clued me in about the conversation he had with them, telling them he wasn't going to renew their lease, them being angry over this, the mom of the young man calling my landlord to plead with him to let them stay, him not budging, them saying fine, they'd be out by the end of the month even though their lease isn't up until the end of May. He told them he'd give them back the last month's rent, which I thought was really nice (though if I had to guess, the last month's rent was paid by the mom of the young man, so it will really go back to her). They've been in the process of moving for the last two weeks, with a moving van showing up this morning to get all the big items. I will not miss them.
And I can't wait to move back over there. I've never felt so connected to a house like I am with that space. I've missed it terribly.
Another semester is nearly over. Just two weeks of class left, then finals. It's been a good semester, too. I have two hybrid classes, and the worry with them is attrition, so I worked hard to keep as many students as possible. I started out with 22 in each section. The rosters are currently showing 17 in one section and 18 in the other. Of those students, one or two in each section might fail, but these numbers are far better than they were in the fall. I'm really happy with these numbers.
My writing project is moving slowly forward. I'm so, so close to having 35,000 words. My goal is to have a completed manuscript by August 1. I worked the math, and if I calculated the numbers correctly, all I have to do is write 278 words a day to reach my 60,000-word goal. Just 278. That's very doable. Sometimes I'll write five times this much each day. Other times, I write nothing. But now I have clear numbers. Now I know what I'm up against. I can make this happen.
With each part I finish, I print it out and add to the existing manuscript. It's really exciting and motivating to see the manuscript grow. On top of having the hard copy, I'm also saving the document in four different places--my computer, a travel drive, OneDrive, and Google drive. I can't imagine the dismay I would feel if I lost it all and had nothing to start over with. That would be awful!
Angel Baby and I have been fleshing out our Iceland plans. I'm hoping to keep my pack under 30 pounds, so we've been figuring out who is going to carry what. Since we'll most likely have to carry all the food we want for the week's hike, we'll need to split the food between us. That's the one item that can get pretty heavy. We're also hashing out the sleeping situation. One tent or two? I'm for one tent, but I can understand Angel Baby feeling kind of weird about this. Working with him to get the trip in place has been wonderful. I've loved discussing gear, flights, food, and all the other things with my youngest child.
I've been cycling to work as much as the weather will allow. Last Sunday, I took my first long-distance ride of the season: 44 miles. I started out thinking I would do 20 miles. The weather was so beautiful I decided to go longer. My legs were protesting around mile 30, so I got a good idea of where my threshold is. But it was totally worth it.
So, yeah, that's what's been going on.
Oh, and spring is in full bloom. Finally.
So, where to start?
My landlord asked the neighbors to leave. When he stopped by to tell me they were moving out, I asked if I could move back into that unit. The smile on his face was all I needed as an answer. He told me I made his day. He then clued me in about the conversation he had with them, telling them he wasn't going to renew their lease, them being angry over this, the mom of the young man calling my landlord to plead with him to let them stay, him not budging, them saying fine, they'd be out by the end of the month even though their lease isn't up until the end of May. He told them he'd give them back the last month's rent, which I thought was really nice (though if I had to guess, the last month's rent was paid by the mom of the young man, so it will really go back to her). They've been in the process of moving for the last two weeks, with a moving van showing up this morning to get all the big items. I will not miss them.
And I can't wait to move back over there. I've never felt so connected to a house like I am with that space. I've missed it terribly.
Another semester is nearly over. Just two weeks of class left, then finals. It's been a good semester, too. I have two hybrid classes, and the worry with them is attrition, so I worked hard to keep as many students as possible. I started out with 22 in each section. The rosters are currently showing 17 in one section and 18 in the other. Of those students, one or two in each section might fail, but these numbers are far better than they were in the fall. I'm really happy with these numbers.
My writing project is moving slowly forward. I'm so, so close to having 35,000 words. My goal is to have a completed manuscript by August 1. I worked the math, and if I calculated the numbers correctly, all I have to do is write 278 words a day to reach my 60,000-word goal. Just 278. That's very doable. Sometimes I'll write five times this much each day. Other times, I write nothing. But now I have clear numbers. Now I know what I'm up against. I can make this happen.
With each part I finish, I print it out and add to the existing manuscript. It's really exciting and motivating to see the manuscript grow. On top of having the hard copy, I'm also saving the document in four different places--my computer, a travel drive, OneDrive, and Google drive. I can't imagine the dismay I would feel if I lost it all and had nothing to start over with. That would be awful!
Angel Baby and I have been fleshing out our Iceland plans. I'm hoping to keep my pack under 30 pounds, so we've been figuring out who is going to carry what. Since we'll most likely have to carry all the food we want for the week's hike, we'll need to split the food between us. That's the one item that can get pretty heavy. We're also hashing out the sleeping situation. One tent or two? I'm for one tent, but I can understand Angel Baby feeling kind of weird about this. Working with him to get the trip in place has been wonderful. I've loved discussing gear, flights, food, and all the other things with my youngest child.
I've been cycling to work as much as the weather will allow. Last Sunday, I took my first long-distance ride of the season: 44 miles. I started out thinking I would do 20 miles. The weather was so beautiful I decided to go longer. My legs were protesting around mile 30, so I got a good idea of where my threshold is. But it was totally worth it.
So, yeah, that's what's been going on.
Oh, and spring is in full bloom. Finally.
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