Spring Breakin'

It is April, it is rainy, it is Monday, it is my Spring Break. I'm sitting in my messy office, the Clamcave (feminine version of the Mancave) in the middle of a rearrangement, and taking a think-break, namely because the placement of hardscape (furniture and shelving) baffles me; maybe I had the only workable arrangement already? Nevertheless, I wanted a change, and need a setup that doesn't require a complete rearrangement every time my sister comes to stay, so I can put out the futon couch...

The weekend was auspicious and wonderful. I went on retreat with my spinning guild, stayed at a cozy conference center lodge, took long walks in glorious weather, earthed myself in cool moss, and spun a lot. What I didn't do was sleep well, but that was to be expected, maybe. I made new friends, cemented old friendships, and ate a lot of great food, drank wine, finished knitting my long-languishing Ringwood gloves, and in general, reclaimed my spinning mojo. Always good.

Now I'm home, and trying not to be too unproductive, for the remainder of the week.

In other news, all my observations for school were completed, with good scores. I've been fighting a tendancy toward personal negativity at work; hoping the break helps me raise my spirits and my sense of buy-in and vision about my workplace a bit. Things are kinda shitty at work, not affecting me personally, but politics, testing burnout, and the seeming disconnect between admin/staff/students/parents is tiring in a low-level, depressing way. A hard look at my finances with my financial advisor confirmed my suspicion that I don't have nearly the $$ to retire, and so I soldier on...but I'd like to do so with some more enthusiasm. Meaningful work would be awesome. My work is socially redeeming, but is it meaningful to ME anymore? This, I ponder. But the good news is that we have a little less than 2 months left, and the evaluations are in, so I can breathe a little bit. The downside is that in 2 weeks, the over-emphasized state tests will start; 2-3 weeks of endless, grueling examination; the culmination and disruption of all our learning for the year.

My little break is over. Tonight, I go to my first swim lesson at the Y. I am taking this adult swim class to improve swimming technique, because I want to start swimming laps. Part of me dreads getting into that cold pool tonight. I think I'll have to park in the hot tub beforehand to make it even bearable...