Well, today was my first day of work. Classes don't start until Thursday, but we're required to show up for various meetings this week.

I was a lot less traumatized than I thought I'd be about the whole thing. It was nice to see my colleagues, for one thing; it's such a weird experience to leave for the whole summer and not talk to anyone or think about anything work-related . . . It was nice to get back and realize that I like the people I work with. And I feel like I've got a better handle on the curriculum and what's expected of me. Also, I've got two nifty projects percolating around in my head; if they come to fruition, the year could be fun, indeed. The teaching is agonizing sometimes, but on the other hand, the collegiality is really terrific.

So we'll see what happens on Thursday.

I must say, I've been feeling lots of trepidation about this school year. Last year was dismal to the point that my immediate instincts lately have been to change everything: I want to burn all the clothes I wore last year, completely redecorate my office, take a different route to work, you name it - just do anything I can that would be different and new and not remind me of last year. (I get some kind of weird satisfaction that I'm driving a completely different car.)

But now that I've actually gotten my feet wet, I see that such drastic change may not be necessary. In fact, I'm cautiously optimistic . . .

A few random observations. I got stuck in traffic on the way home, and I was once again noticing how civil people are in the city where I work. Two lanes squeezed down to one, and, as is usually the case, people moved over into the appropriate lane long before the cones forced them over. In the city where I live, in contrast, "lane closed" signs are an invitation to various yahoos to rush up the lane that will be closed, in an effort to get in front of everyone in the ongoing lane, and making the patient people wait even longer . . . I just want to tazer everyone who does that. I think it's a nice characterization of the difference between the two towns.

I managed to keep my "why can't we just move here??" thoughts to a minimum as I drove around today. Last year I felt very torn from the moment I started. I think that this year I'll be better able to deal with living in one town and working in another; I can't take advantage of the opportunities that town has to offer, but I've just had several months of enjoying this one, so I don't feel nearly as displaced as I did, I don't think.

Possibly saying "It won't be as bad as it was last year" may not sound like optimism to anyone but myself, but hey. (I'm sure my colleagues would get it. At lunch today, one of them told another, "Only 17 weeks until Christmas break!" - and everyone at the table - except the staff person - laughed . . . The staff person looked puzzled. She obviously doesn't understand what I was trying to say yesterday about the eight-meetings-a-week pressure . . . )

Ah, well. Better go prepare the lectures I'm going to podcast for my bizcomm class, and look for readings for FY Comp . . . and maybe play the guitar a little bit . . .