September already?

First day of school again and I'm BEAT. I think this puts me in like 92nd grade. I'm excited and exhausted all at once, which, in the end, is kind of a good feeling, no? A long work day. It even feels like fall. Boom. Summer. Over. I wore socks and long sleeves and a jacket for the first time in MONTHS. And it was kind of a wake up call to have 25 faces all starring at me in my first class. Tomorrow I have three sections back-to-back of a recitation group. Maybe I'll videotape myself in the first session and just play it for the remaning two. Hm. No, this is a class I'm teaching in English and it's totally new for me and I'm looking forward to it (see: not-yet-worn-off novelty of new semester, Exhibit A).

Teaching to do, studies to pilot, exams to prep for, non-stop action....of course not to forget the daily walking up to campus thinking "I'm STILL ..HERE?".

Comps papers submitted on time at the end of August and now I am prepping for my oral defense. Honestly, all I can do is think about what they are going to trash. But on the other hand, seriously, I never thought I'd get this far. So no matter what happens, I feel like I just maybe, might, perhaps, could be pushing on through to the next thing. Or not.

Well, whatever will happen next will be a 'next thing' but whether it's "THE" next thing...ah well. It will be MY next thing. At any rate, I've scaled a hurdle. I can physically feel it. I feel like I'm starting to feel like I know something. Childbirth will be a snap after this. Yes, you can laugh at that and quote me later and make me eat my words if needed.

It's damn frustrating, to be sure. Gaaah! I do see why not many people get PhDs. It's astounding how long it takes if anything remotely 'odd' happens in the course of one's studies (see: the committee that finally could, Exhibit B). Oh, the humanity! err, humanities! I just want to be "ABD" so I can join the zillions of ABD-ers out there and start planning the home stretch and/or next move.

OK, off to bed. I have to turn off CNN, as they are showing Bush flapping his jaws on this Osama guy all of a sudden. Nice manuever from issues at hand. Hmm, midterm election much? War on tarrah! Immigration! Gays! Stem cells! Eye-wrack! Oh my!

Survey: should I tell the guy I went on a date with--I know, you read that sentence again, it's shocking, yes, it's true, but to be honest, I was so taken aback that he just up 'n asked me if I wanted to go out, I mean NO ONE does that anymore, that I said yes--on Sunday that...yeah, maybe not so much? Or should I just not get back to him? I don't want to be mean but then again...don't want to lead on. This would be a good time for my internet stalkers to speak up...

Oh, and there was a bat or a bird in my bedroom last night, flitting around. It freaked me out so badly that all I could do was scream, squint my eyes and realize that I had to open my fire escape door while slipping under the protection of my duvet. It was a most unpleasant feeling and I do hope it was a bird in the end. I think it's gone. I didn't see it fly out the door since I was under the duvet and all. I'm just hoping. And as a friend said today, "If it happens again, do NOT call me because I will NOT come help you with that!" A reminder that...people just do not tend to like bats. Which is why I still maintain that it was a bird, in the end. I will not go in to how I have no clue WHERE the flying creature came from...

Lastly--a moment of silence for the Croc Hunter, may he rest in peace: