The Eye of the Storm

So, I feel eerily calm, hence the title up there. I think I'm caught in the momentary serenity of a full force storm.

I took Thursday completely off. I made three pies (2 pumpkin, 1 sweet potato). Husband fried up a mess of okra. Then we were off to two Thanksgivings (about four hours at each)--a Southern Thanksgiving with a guy that went to high-school with Husband! and a Transient Thanksgiving with Husband's school buddies that didn't visit family (mostly East Coast folks and poor college/grad school students). The okra was a big hit, as most of the guests hadn't had it in years or at all. The pie was a big hit as it was homemade and "Mammaw's recipe" (though not quite because I didn't have milk and had to substitute evaporated milk, and I didn't have pumpkin pie spice so had to substitute individual spices, but I used FRESHLY grated ginger and FRESHLY ground cloves--it was very homemade pie).

We were invited to a third by one of my colleagues who has been my sanity-saver this semester. We give each other pep talks as she is freakin' busy too (I have mentors out the wazoo, but none of them formally called that). But I told her I didn't think I could make it as we had these two other Thanksgivings to go to. I would have liked to have gone, but I was determined not to stress Thursday, and 3 Thanksgivings might have pushed me over the edge.

Yesterday, I slept so very, very late. Then I read most of a book for the final project for one of my classes and thought about what I was going to do. I read a couple of articles and did a bit of MLA searching. I have a better handle on it, though nothing written that reflects my better handle. Bah Humbug.

My teacher actually emailed me yesterday to find out my progress on my final project. She is being very supportive and helpful--totally a good teacher and mentor and what I would want at any other time--and reading the email made me panic (on the inside). The fact that she is worried enough to email me on a school holiday--ouch. But I'm in the stage where I am so busy I just need to be left alone. I'll get it done, but not by anyone's schedule, and not the way it should be, but done and great nonetheless. I will suffer, not my project.

Today, I must email her back with my newer ideas and set up an appointment to give myself a deadline for writing something this week. I must grade at least one set of papers today (1.5-2 would be better; I have 4 classes worth, and Wednesday is my absolute latest deadline to return papers--for my sanity, not my students').

Tomorrow, I must grade at least one set of papers (the more the better) and write at least 4 pages on my other final project--the one I know what I'm writing on and have a good handle on and even have an imaginary introduction for that needs to become reality. I must also do more research for this one. Ugh. I have the books, but not the time.

At least, the intense pain in my neck and shoulders from muscle tension and stress has subsided. Do I feel the wind picking up?