It was a long day, full of microscopes, slow internet, broken slides, irritating realizations, and a meeting after school. It was helped by hanging out with someone for dinner and some quiet time with the animals. The house is cold at night, so they get closer and closer. I can’t say I got a lot done, because I had to send a long union email and manage some other school stuff, plus read the boychild’s highly amusing rough draft for some pre-law class, and write up an independent study contract that the kid won’t do at all. Because when your kid is failing four classes, it makes sense to pull him out of school for an extra week. Because a week at Thanksgiving isn’t enough. Frustrating, but whatever.
I debated applying for a copyediting job and realized I already applied for another one last week and thought THAT sounded crazy. That’s two I’ve debated this week. I really need it to be a side job though and not an all-encompassing Other Job. I’m buried with the job I have. I’m scrambling to get caught up.
So finally on the couch with animals, Midnight decides the cat quilts are hers…despite the pins sticking out all over the place.
She kept rubbing her head on the edge and I’d bop her, waiting for the inevitable Pin in the Eye injury. She eventually got up and moved right next to me (I guess I’m warm) while I stitched the binding on Cat 4…
14 ½” w x 13” h, $160. Contact me if you’re interested.
I actually stopped in the middle on this one to go write that contract for the kid who will be gone all next week and has turned in nothing at all this trimester. Good times! As I said to the administrators, I’m going to work harder on this ISC than he has all year in my class…I’m pretty sure that’s not the way it SHOULD work.
Three more cats and two hearts in hands to go. I’m debating taking them to gaming tonight. The callus is better, but still sore. Maybe if I just bring one tonight. I’ll think about it. Cat 3 did sell…she was my favorite because she looks just like Kitten. But I have the technology if I want to make another one.
Last night I had some revelatory moment about artmaking and living alone and creativity and whatever. I don’t remember what it was this morning, because I’m tired, I didn’t get enough sleep (when DO I?), I haven’t had all my caffeine, I’m prepping the lab in my head for today and revising what I think they can do, and I’m also writing Monday’s assignment in there as well, which could be an issue, plus I just realized I have kids bringing cell projects today, food ones, so I’ll have to grade them during prep so they can eat them at lunch. I seem to bring teacher chaos on myself.
But it was something along the lines of maybe having all the alone time helps me make more art, but I know that having less alone time (after Wednesday ALL DAY almost not talking to anyone) would be better for me in the long run. Some days I don’t even notice and some days the silence just weighs on me. And that’s silence that’s filled with loud music or something on TV or the computer. It’s never really silent here. And there are cats and a dog demanding attention, so it’s not even really that alone. But people constantly ask what it’s like to have the kids gone, and I try to explain, and usually the people who ask either went through it themselves or have absolutely no idea. They think deeply and say that they can see after a day or two of no one being around that they might start to miss it. Then again, yesterday I had both kids texting and emailing me on and off, so it’s a little like being connected in space, even when they’re not in the house. Though girlchild sent this…
With all that, I need to get to school to receive cell model cakes and set up microscopes for swimmy things (I saw some yesterday! Yay!) and cheek cells. Lots of washing slides will be going on today. They never told me about the dishes I would wash for science when I said I wanted to teach it.
Kathy Nida 
As always I enjoyed your posts. Love the photo of boots in leaves!
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