Ugh! Computer problems

Without going into details, we had some major computer issues that resulted in a complete wipe-out and restore. I've been depending on my computer at work to do some basic things like e-mail and renewing my library books.

However, the evil machine is now up and running. Perhaps I should be careful about using abusive language with it. I don't want to jinx anything.

On a more positive note, M. and I just returned from a 2 week vacation in Spain and Portugal. Traveling with M. is not easy. He refuses to be part of any tour, go anywhere anyone else wants him to go, or do anything anyone else wants him to do. He's very independent.

As a result, we spent 1-3 days each in several different towns or cities: Ubrique, Spain (where we visited friends), Ronda, Spain (where we spent an afternoon at an archaeological dig, Malaga, Spain (where we visited a sculptor M. had met via the Internet and we also saw some major Semana Santa processions), Huelva, Spain (which was a mid-point between Malaga and Lisbon; we were driving), Lisbon, Portugal (where we boarded a plane to the island Madeira), Madeira, Portugal (where we visited friends who used to live in Hatfield), back to the Lisbon (where we had to stay overnight because of the flight schedules), and then to Boston. From there we took a Logan Express bus to Framingham and then drove home. Whew!

We don't travel a lot, so this whole "living out of a suitcase" thing is awkward. I'm someone who likes security and routine. For 2 weeks I did not have either.

The weather in Spain and Portugal was warm and sunny. We arrived to chilly drizzle. The last two days were more like our vacation, but today is rainy and the same is predicted for tomorrow.

Well, this is April (as in showers).

I'm so looking forward to those May flowers.

Winter 2015

This winter has really taken a toll on me. The snow, the cold, the extent of both. I'm functioning okay, but I'm certainly not at peak performance. My lack of postings is one of the results.

M. and I had an early January vacation in southern California. It was great. One entire week where the most we had to wear to keep warm was a sweater or light jacket. We heard others complaining about the cold, but it was like heaven to us. I thought that when we came back home, the worst of winter would be over and we could begin anticipating spring, which, despite the mud, makes me happy because the days are getting longer and the weather is getting warmer.

Ha! That week in January when we were away was just practice for the artic conditions in New England. That week in California is such a distant sensory memory even though it was just 6 weeks ago. At least the days are getting longer.

I have a lot of work to do. I agreed to give some cataloging workshops. Since I'm not teaching at Simmons SLIS-west this semester, I have more time and less money. I like giving CE classes. In, out, and no papers to grade. Of course, there are no relationships that build over the course of 12-14 weeks, but some of these people in CE programs I see 2 or 3 times.

I'm headed off for a chair Yoga class in a few minutes. After that, I have errands to run. When I get back home, I'll hunker down and get some serious planning done on those workshops. Now that I've put my intentions into print, I have to follow through.

Back to the Real World

I spent 4 days in Provincetown and caught the last day of the Tennessee Williams Theater Festival. Saw 2 plays on Sunday plus a talk by John Lahr who has just written a biography of Tennessee Williams.

Then we spend a couple of beautiful days walking around, taking advantage of "end of season" sales and sampling clam chowder (though the second day was cloudy and sometimes drizzling). The day we left was raining, which made packing the car a challenge - especially with all our packages of sale stuff.

Now it's back to work and I'm having a hard time facing regular day-to-day stuff after my biggest worry was having to move the car in the early a.m. to a non-street-cleaning portion of Commercial Street.

Today, I'm leading the Senior Exercise Class. I'm hoping lifting weights will be a conduit to my regular life - which isn't so bad.

I'm Done!

Saturday was the last day of classes for the western campus of Simmons GSLIS. I handed back the last homework assignment, the students finished giving their oral presentations, and they also completed posting to the discussion board.

Today, I reviewed my notes on the oral presentations and calculated the final grades, which I submitted. Several students asked for feedback on their oral presentations, so I wrote a brief review for each one and sent it to them via email along with their final grade.

Now what am I going to do on Saturdays (and Thursdays, my prep day) for the next 4 months? I'm sure I can think of something.

It Feels Like I'm On Vacation

Last Saturday was my last lecture of the semester in Info Org. There are still 2 classes to go, but for those 2 classes the students, not I, will be giving oral presentations. I get to sit back, listen to them, and take notes.

Today is Thursday. For the last few months Thursdays have been devoted to preparing for Saturday's class. I've already revised the sheet I use for evaluating the presentations and now I just want to relax and do all of the things I don't get to do enough of during the semester - like reading and listening to music.

There are a lot of other things I don't get to do enough of during the semester like housecleaning. Even in my "It Feels Like I'm on Vacation" mode, I'm still trying to be productive (plus I can still listen to music). I ran the dishwasher, emptied the garbage into the compost pile, and did a load of laundry. I'm trying to work up some enthusiasm for vacuuming and dusting the master bath and bedroom. On this sunny day it's obvious that those are tasks that should have been done a long time ago.

But I'll have the next several Thursdays without class prep to vacuum and dust, so maybe today I'll just enjoy the vacation.