Well, I'm just back from a 10-mile bike ride in the crisp, cool sunshine. I went my usual Gallup Park route, and the park was full today: Parents and small children at the playground, people walking their dogs (including one little pooch who tried to take my leg off), couples out holding hands . . . it was nice. That was the park where, about a week after we moved here, we saw two men walking and holding hands, and I started laughing because I was so relieved not to be in Erie any more. (I've always felt bad about that . . . I'm sure they misunderstood.)

Been a pretty mellow day, otherwise. I got the floors washed for the first time in ages, which was nice. I can't figure out why, but the academic year doesn't really allow too many gaps for housecleaning, at least not if you want to do anything else besides work on the weekends. (And a weekend spent cleaning and working has never been my idea of a good time.) It's puzzling to me why this is so, though, especially since I've spent the last three years working as a staff member, during which time I had no trouble doing all sorts of things on the weekend, cleaning included. This inability to relax, to manage time, to have time - call it what you will - was one of the things I thought about before trying for a faculty job again. I thought I could forestall that feeling of always having to work by managing my work as if it were the same as the staff work that I was doing before. But that's not working, because it isn't. And I can't put my finger on why.

I am really looking forward to the semester being over.

I'm really looking forward to thinking this year over and planning for the next, too. I'm getting a pretty good handle on the parameters of what the curriculum and portfolio system will allow me to do. There's a lot of leeway, really. The big effort for me will be to figure out what I've learned this year about how these students learn, and what's likely to spark their interest.

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Well, it's much later . . . we just finished dinner (London Broil) and I think maybe I'll take advantage of the waning warmth and sun a little longer and take the dog for a walk . . .