I was reflecting on just how tired I was this week.  The analogy I finally settled on was that making it to the finish line of a school term/break/summer vacation/four day weekend/three day weekend - heck, sometimes just to Friday was that of a runner.  You know your objective is to give all your energy to get to the finish line with nothing left in the tank and your best effort behind you.  So, you happily make it to that point, but realize all of your energy is behind you.  This calls for serious down time.

Now, please let me be clear, I'm talking not just about teachers, but all working folk out there who give their best effort each day (don't know about you, bur for me, some days are better than others - I freely admit this...) powering through and doing incredible things while managing your gas tank to the finish...

Whew...  Made it.  Nice...  Now, give me a day or two to recoup, then a few to go, go, go, enjoy, live, experience, laugh, live, love, be...

Then, a day to work.  One good, solid day with no distractions and total concentration.  For me, I have targeted this Friday as my productive schoolwork day.  I have a lot to catch up on.

So, today was supposed to be a road trip up to Santa Barbara, but I just couldn't muster the energy.  Yesterday, a power outage at my house (the third in two days - that's what you have tolerate living in the middle of nowhere...) threw me off whack, but it did impel me to the laundromat, where I took care of my business and I now have about 30 pairs of underwear and 60 pairs of socks after my latest spending spree - socks and unders at La Target.  Stella helped me pick them out, but all she seemed interested in were the Beats headphones.  Good times whenever Stella and Poppy are on the loose!!

So, I found an extra day in this week's schedule to do some work, watch some football, enjoy a fire in my woodburning stove (yep - it's that time of the year in the desert, and, if you recall, I have no heat, just the stove - which, by the way is awesome!!!!  I am going to have to move some furniture because the stove and file cabinet are a little too cozy for my taste.  Luckily, Tina is cruising out this coming weekend.  This is good - and bad.  Good, cuz I get to hang out with my dear friend, Tina.  Secondly, because she is an excellent interior decorator type, while I am, well, hmmm...  Let's just not go there, okay?

The bad?  Now I have to clean this place up.  That was a plan for one of these vacation days, but now the cheese is a little more binding.... Which, I think means that things are getting a little more serious - especially for those living in Wisconsin.  Ooh.  That reminds me - I need to call my uncle Jack.

See you tomorrow, Mark, and Gioia.  Can't wait!