Ebb and Flow

For the past few months, I really haven't been working that hard. I haven't had a lot of work to DO, so it hasn't been that difficult to get done what I did have. That all changed drastically in February. I went from a dry tank to a completely overflowing expansion tank on top of my inbox, and it all comes to a head rightnow this week.

My mother thinks I'm ignoring her calls. My students look at me aghast when I talk about work not from their class, but from the other, online class that I'm now teaching. I have no idea who's on the other end of the phone when my sources return my phone calls without identifying themselves. I have to play it cool and make ridiculous small talk until they say, "remember me? I'm from the department of blanky blank and you called on Thursday?" Well of course I remember once you say all that! Walter? I have no idea with just Walter.

Some people think I'm mad for the amount of work I'm trying to squeeze into this 5 week period (trip to Chicago for AWP, crazed amounts of writing, trip to NYC for Greener Gadgets conference, crazed amounts of student paper grading, trip to Las Vegas/Phoenix for Shelbie's wedding and visiting my sister). I say this in response to them: When the heck else am I going to do this kind of stuff? Twenty weeks from now I'm going to have an infant. A big day for me will be making it to the curb in time for recycling pickup. Plus who the hell knows when my writing well will dry up again in this gorgeous economy.

So until March 16, I'm busy. And I kind of like it. I feel so studious and industrious and efficient what with all the coaching and flying and thinking about rugby and writing. The best part? I get to interact with human beings other than Corey on a regular basis. I think these sorts of spurts are necessary for people who work from home. At least this month I have plenty of opportunity to use my vocal cords...