Más nieve, otra vez

It snowed yesterday. Again. Sloppy, wet, heavy spring snow. It was only pretty for a couple of hours, and then it started falling off the trees and rooftops and onto our passerby heads beneath in cold, wet clumps. Anyway, it didn't make for bad roads, at least not here.

I'm updating, yet again, not because I have anything to say, but because I feel obligated. Is that a good enough reason, or is it a sign that I should quit this thing altogether?

The semester is almost over, and it's not nearly as ugly as the last one. I'm taking only two classes, both of which I enjoy, both of which have manageable final projects and no exam, and teaching is going well. I think I'm going to have to fail a few students, though, and it pains me. Why should it? They're irresponsible, and I only give out the grades that they've earned, but I still feel rotten about it. I have to remind myself that some students earn an A, others a B, and some earn an F. I'm not doing anyone a favor by passing them to the next level when they're not prepared for it. On the flip side, I anticipate assigning a few more A grades than usual this semester. There are some very serious, hard-working students in my class this semester.

In other good news, the meds are doing their job (read: I'm sleeping and not crying every day) without robbing me of my creativity. If anything, with the upswing in motivation I'm more apt to write down my ideas, which come more freely (surprisingly) and aren't as dark as they were before. The other day I started writing about my childhood experiences with Barbie. Still dark, but in that humor-noir way, and not outright depressing. I'm aspiring to the feminine counterpart of David Sedaris. Set the bar high, right?

I have to meet with a student. Such is the life.

Lola wants some sunshine.

Día soleado

I think the meds are finally starting to kick in and the sleepy side effects are beginning to wear off. I've been progressing back toward my normal morning-person self the last couple of days. Keep your digits crossed that the trend continues.

Through the stress of this semester, I've had a bright spot that I've mentioned before, and that is teaching. It keeps me focused. Some days, it's the only thing that musters my focus. More than that, by coincidence or providence, I have a great group of kids this semester. There are, as always, a couple that aggravate me now and then, but for the most part they are good, motivated, fun, hard-working students, and a higher-than average number of them are consistently pleasant and prepared. Because today is sunny and beautiful, we went outside for class today. I'm always a little hesitant to do it because of the inherent distraction, but today these kids exceeded my expectations. We went outside on a gorgeous sunny day, and they stayed focused and on-task the entire fifty-minute period. We're going through some confusing grammar right now, and they plowed right through it like troopers. Good kids, I tell you. Today has been one of those days that I feel less insecure about the future in the hands of our youth.

I sound like such a vieja sometimes.

Last night I had an unexpected surge of motivation (I tell you, the meds are kicking in) and busted through the first chapter of Wheelock's Latin. I'm probably speaking too soon because I haven't gotten to any noun declensions yet, but Latin's not so bad. I'd even say easy. Anyway, I had a couple of mini-epiphanies about the vosotros conjugations in Spanish, and how they came almost directly out of Latin. Vosotros, no me fastidiáis más. Ahora os entiendo.

Lola sees a light at the end of the tunnel, and so far it's not a freight train.