Second week of school and

it's already exhausting. It feels as if I have been back for several weeks. A presentation in Amer. Lit tomorrow and a Reader Response (1st of 12) due in Asian Lit. Had a history quiz last week. It's been a bummer on campus-furlough days for profs-no pay and less class time for us-good and bad. But of course we have the same work load-I'm not sure how it's going to work out. I feel bad for the kids struggling to get their classes-it was hard enough for me and now I'm going 4 days a week. I do love my French class-it's a bit harder than I thought it would be since it is all in french, but that's good too.
Nic is settling in as an 8th grader in love...with Hannah and not homework. We'll see how this plays out over the course of the school year-yikes!

Off to see

Wicked tonight in SF. Patrick is in SF for 4 nights and he's off tonight. I love the theater and I love hotels! And I love SF! It will be nice and cool and foggy and I can wear jeans.
Hard to believe that summer is almost over and I have done nothing-except gain weight. Well I am in the midst of trying to get rid of the extra weight-down a bit. And I quit eating desserts-almost 3 weeks now. Although last night I did have dreams of chocolate...
Finished the essay class-got lots of great comments but it did not inspire me to keep writing. Instead I've been so burned out from school that I've been doing nothing-except working, watching movies and driving my son to different skate parks. His eyes light up when he goes to a new one or when he does the "night sesh" at Cunningham. Can't wait for rock camp when he is with his band and playing music.
After seeing both Sandi and Shawn's FB pages with photos from Italy and England I want to go away-Paris, South of France, London, anywhere in Italy-I'm ready to go. Could also be because my French book arrived in the mail. I want to be fluent in French-seems pretty difficult now, but hey I'll enjoy the journey.
Off to see the wizard!

online essay class is

taking up more time than I thought. We have to post 4 essays over 4 weeks and then comment on each others essay and the editor also gives us feedback. The first week is over and bam! I have to post another essay by the end of the weekend. At least only 3 essays left to write and critique.
Last day of school today for Nic. He's had a bad week: lost Dad's video camera (left at park) too late to sign up for skate camp (his dream camp-skateboarding for a week in the mountains-no parents) and his girlfriend broke up with him. He has all the makings of a ballad or maybe even a country song (but he hates country!) It is definitely a bummer to start off the summer with no money! He needs a lot of money to pay Dad back-hard to do on his allowance-he needs a job or at least some gigs with pay. Hard to find paying gigs at 13.
I am so happy to be on break from San Jose State. Just thinking about my fall semester is enough to make me quit-but I want that degree! I am also going to take a summer tennis class starting next week-woo hoo! Maybe I can get in shape and get a PE unit.

Memorial Day!

This feels like the first full day that I relaxed. And then of course I remembered what Memorial Day is for...I read the paper and I salute those who serve.
What a crazy week it's been-school done, band concert, band practice, Maddie's high school graduation, work, Memorial Day party and now the glorious day after. What a fun day. All the friends, the music, the kids. Seeing the kids and adults play together is great-classic rock with alt rock-love it!
Speaking of music my son, Nic is doing a project for leadership called "Songs of My Life" He has to list 10 songs that have been important to him in his life. I've been getting nostalgic reading the list. Like "All My Loving" I sang it to him as a baby to go to sleep and when he heard the Beatles version he was surprised because he thought I wrote it (I wish!) Then there was "The Cup of Life" Ricky Martin-in preschool he was CRAZY for Ricky Martin-Iplayed that song at least a million times! And "Beverly Hills"-the first song he played on guitar in a talent show in 4th grade in his first band "Blue Fire". And his first song on vocals at the Willow Glen Tree Lighting-"All the Small Things". And the first song "No Reason" wrote in rock camp-"No Idea" -wow! The list goes on. I love this project!
I'm not sure where the time went today-it's been the best doing absolutely nothing, except going for a walk. In a week I'm doing an online essay workshop. I forgot I signed up and felt like backing out, but I'm going ahead-it is just what I need after all the term papers, poetry explications, etc. to get back to my own writing.

The last final of

this long semester. I'll be leaving soon so I can get there by 8am. What a fabulous professor! She changed the final time from 715 to 8 am-so much better. My head is filled with definitions of literary criticisms and the essays are all blending into one giant essay-they all seem to mean the same thing.
No matter what it is all over by 945 and life as just a mere worker and all my other names will seem SO easy.

Kid home sick

but he still had to go in for standardized tests. He's home bored waiting for me to finish work so we can go to the doctor and the doctor can tell him he has a sinus infection and then we can go get antibiotics.
My group from Shakespeare is coming over later this afternoon-we will study our lines for Twelfth Night and figure out props and costumes-I feel like I am in high school again-not liking this assignment at all.
Read some great stories in fiction though and got good feedback on my story and A- on psych theory in Max Where the Wild Things Are.
Some days I wonder exactly why I am back in school...this is one of those days....

Last paper for literary criticism

and I'm a bit tired of Max in Where the Wild Things Are. I always knew this was a great book, but I have such a different perspective on it now. And the movie is coming out this fall. I will definitely see it because I have to critique it after all my work on different literary theories.
Back to school tomorrow. I can't wait until May 18th.
Tomorrow my last short story gets workshopped-always a scary thing.
Have to memorize my lines from Twelfth Night. I'm going to watch it tonight and pay attention to Olivia's role-that's my part!
The boys are gone tonight so I'm getting lots of work done.
Maybe my allergies will be better tomorrow-I've really been suffering these last few days-to be able to breathe again would be great!
Oh well-off to Shakespeare!

3 weeks left

of this semester. I am so exhausted and feeling a bit crummy-stuffed up and overwhelmed. Papers, memorization of a scene in Twelfth Night, finals, ugh! It is so hard on my old brain. I am so looking forward to this summer. And of course have to get Nic through 7th grade. He's got the 7th grade slump-sick of school and ready for summer. He has tons of projects too. And I have all those permission slips to sign-constant stuff to do. Honestly, school makes work seem easy. I look forward to working because I know what I'm doing. Anyway I'm too cranky. Full weekend ahead: Kenny Williams Band tomorrow night, last dance of the year for Nic, work Saturday and then party Saturday night. When will I fit in school work?

Weeks have passed

and I've had no time or desire to update blog. The work seems relentless now. In fiction we are reading student stories and critiquing them, in Shakespeare I just finished a sonnet explication -I did recite my sonnet in class-I will remember this sonnet forever! In literary criticism we are learning a new theory-Reader Response. Seems great after the bummer of the deconstruction theory where everything can go on forever-no meaning in the meaning-who can say the real meaning when language itself is so ambiguous? Huh, what? no real meaning? No one true meaning? Ok I get some of it, but it is way beyond me. And on that note I need to make some notes about RR. Application due Monday. Not looking forward to it.

I'm writing and writing for

literary criticism. I will never again feel the same way about "Where The Wild Things Are". I always knew that children's book was deep, but...
At any rate I am pounding away and I have enough words-I just need to wrap it up well with a good conclusion and strip away the crap. Easier said than done. I love this class-it is totally interesting even if when all is said and done it sometimes sounds like a lot of bs.
At least I know I'll be done in time to kick back and watch my all my time favorite event-The Oscars! And this year I've seen quite a few of the films nominated-something that hasn't happened for years! Good luck to Milk even though it looks as if Slumdog will take it all.
Ellen comes next week -I am so looking forward to my break-even though I don't really have one. It's always a party when Ellen is here.
That's all for now!

The last minute

I've just finished my homework. I don't usually wait until the last minute but this time...
Had to see "Slumdog Millionaire"-what a movie. Also heard a 1930's style broadcast of "Hamlet". After reading the play, watching the 4 hour Kenneth Brannagh movie and going to today's broadcast I am a bit Hamletted out as Patrick would say. While I can hardly consider myself a Hamlet expert, I know a lot about Hamlet now. I had no idea how many famous sayings came from that play. As if I'm not thinking about Shakepeare all the time anyway, I'm still trying to memorize my sonnet-8 lines down and 6 to go. It is not coming easily.
Speaking of not coming easily-literary criticism. Fascinating class, dynamic professor, out of her element student-that would be me. New Criticism I understand-read the text and evaluate from the text only. Structuralism is another thing altogether. I hope I understand more tomorrow. Going to school on President's Day when the kid is sleeping in will be rough.
Back to the books.

Seems to be going

fine. It's nice to be feeling better at school. Last week was miserable. The hardest class this semester will be literary criticism. It is so interesting but it will be such a challenge. Shakespeare and Fiction are both hard in their ways also. I've got tons of reading and it's piling up. Haven't worked out for 2 weeks because of allergies and low energy-today I play tennis-maybe I can get my energy back-once I'm back exercising I will feel much better!

Second week of school and I have

a nasty cold. It ought to be a blast tomorrow. I'll be loading up on the Dayquil so I'm not blowing my nose every 10 seconds like I am right now.
I'm pooped after working the crab feed at school-it was a fun event. Went to superbowl party today-that was fun-didn't care too much about the football (thanks goodness it's over!) but the food and company was great fun.
Finished my two main texts for literary criticism: Heart of Darkness and The Tempest. Had to write a character sketch for fiction and will start on A Midsummer Night's Dream in Shakespeare tomorrow. I just hope I get through the day. For some reason I am feeling lousy right now!

My free time is

SO over! Wow-the shock today at school. I'm still spinning from the workload this semester. Even for me the reading seems daunting. Professor for literary criticism told us the class was not hard it was "extremely hard"-yikes! Shakespeare-I have to memorize a sonnet (at 49 it's hard to remember people's names!) and also act out a scene from a play-besides reading 6 plays, writing papers, etc. And the fiction class-well let's just say I'm not ready to share my short fiction with them yet, but I have no choice. Workshopping my fiction will be sitting quietly while 19 other students comment on my piece-ouch!!
Why am I doing this? Oh yes, I love to write and I want that degree. Got to keep reminding myself before I freak out and drop those classes.
Back to the books for now.

Last night of freedom

to choose my own books. I feel so nervous about tomorrow. No classes with Nancy Stork as professor. No classes with Ivy. Back on Light Rail. Long day. What was I thinking? No, forget it-I am excited-it's just that that excitement is tinged with nervousness. It's not like last year-I know where I'm going-just that first day of school butterflies-way beyond what I'm going to wear. Because that of course is what I always wear to school anyway- t0 sweater and jeans-got to be comfy! Back to school and back to packing my lunch!

My last free weekend

until the middle of May. wow-these last 5 weeks have just flown by and I feel as if I have accomplished nothing or at least nothing that I wanted to. Maybe I just needed to relax and do nothing-if that is the case I accomplished my goal and did a very good job of it. Monday looms-a mere 3 days away. Time to get a few things done that I thought I would do:
Nic's Christmas letter, cleaning closets, finishing an essay, screenplay, etc... the list goes on.
I have 3 new classes to look forward to/dread. Literary Criticism, Shakespeare, Fiction Writing. I'm not sure which is going to be the class that I love or hate or is too hard. I am excited to be going to school only Mondays and Wednesdays with all 3 classes back to back.
So on my last Friday I will be working and meeting friends at Starbucks later. Melissa has been back at school for 3 weeks now-she still doesn't feel in the groove-how long will it take me?
Nic started new semester too. And he does seem to be growing up and getting it together but as a 13 year old this can all change later when I pick him up from school.
Back to school Monday-yikes!