After a weekend of relaxing and Pokemon with my son, I went back to a school full of students on Tuesday.  He returned on Wednesday.  The week has been crazy with so many incidents and events to juggle.  In other words, I wasn’t able to even glance at Darwin & the Joy Path until today.  Tried desperately to write even a paragraph last night to set the stage for chapter 2, but I couldn’t muster the energy.

The first challenge of the week was getting to work and helping our students settle into a full year.  I hit the ground running with my break during second period (around 9 am) and my lunch during eighth (around 1:30 pm).  That’s a lot of time without food, so I’m trying to carry a granola bar.  I’m also on my feet for a lot of it and our students are always on the move even in the room.  Things might get easier in a few weeks when work sites start, but that could also be more draining.  A lot of changes for our students is causing tension as well, which I seem to be absorbing.  No chance to release it, which has led to me not sleeping well.

On top of this, my son entering 11th grade didn’t go smoothly.  The day before, we realized his school lock was still with his mother.  It took some doing to get it back and I’ll leave it at that.  THEN, we got a letter that they were going to repave our street on Wednesday morning, so we had to get out before 6:30 am.  My son is always anxious on the first day, so it was hectic.  I promised Dunkin Donuts for breakfast to make sure we got out, but then I heard him wondering where his school ID was while I ordered.  It appears his mom had that as well and forgot to bring it over, so morning negotiations were required.  This resulted in me forgetting to confirm the order, so we showed up and waited for 10 minutes before I realized what happened.  Managed to get his ID at the last minute, get him to school on time, and get myself to work with some semblance of sanity.  That was only Wednesday.

The stress definitely built up a lot too.  My stomach went into full IBS spasms and squirming last night.  That was another reason I didn’t get any writing done.  I went to bed early though.  Figure I can wake up, eat if I feel like it, write a bit, and then hurry to do Pokemon and shopping before the storm hits.  Definitely going to take advantage of the bad weather running from this afternoon until late tomorrow morning.  Means I might be able to get all of chapter 2 of Darwin & the Joy Path done.  It’s 4 sections that shouldn’t be more than 3-4 pages each.  Spent last night staring at the ceiling thinking about how to run it, so I should be good.

This coming week is going to be equally crazy.  I’m not holding out for any writing time after work.  Wednesday evening might be it if I’m lucky.  Every other day has my son here or an evening meeting.  I’m responsible for all the cooking for the next two weeks as well and I don’t want to bring in much.  My plan to reduce the stress is to cook big meals when my son is here and the leftovers will be my dinners when I’m alone.  Should help to save money after an expensive month too.  Maybe I’ll get lucky and catch something that requires a sick day.  It won’t help me write, but I might be able to get a good night’s sleep for once.

I’m trying to find a good anime to watch too.  Finished ‘The Residence’ on Netflix and felt like I wanted some 30 minute animation to enjoy.  I’m sure I’ll find something that keeps my interest.  As for ‘The Residence’, I really liked it.  Shame it won’t get a second season, which was apparently due to costs.  Hard for me to find live-action shows that I really get into.  Those I do find tend to disappear after a season or two.  Guess this is why I stick to anime these days.

So, what are the goals for next week?

1. Finish chapter 2 of Darwin & the Joy Path this weekend.
2. Food shopping today.
3. Sleep better.
4. School meetings for son.
5. Lego time to relax.
6. Get fresh air when possible.
7. Work on November and December blog posts if time allows.
8. Pick a new anime to watch.
9. Maybe change the CDs in my car if I feel like it.