Pain in the neck

While I could easily be referring to the enormous to-do list I have, or any number of other small issues, I actually do have some soreness in my neck, shoulders, and upper back today. I'm not happy about the fact that every time I reach up (say, to hang some clothes on the line) or stretch out (say to try and relax after writing another section of my paper), it hurts! I suppose it's not really necessary to complain about this online for everyone to read, but it's really been bothering me all day. I think it might be a combination of grading 45 papers in 5 days (which kind of makes me tense), and sleeping funny last night, and maybe just being stressed in general, but I sure hope it goes away tomorrow. Well, enough about that; I haven't posted in a while, so I'll try to move on to something more interesting.

So, since I last wrote, I took a big test (and did well!), went home for Thanksgiving, graded all of my students' third essays, and completed the first draft of a final paper. I suppose that means things are going pretty well. Our time in ABQ was too short (as always for Thanksgiving), but overall I think it was good. Despite being a difficult holiday for both families, I think we were all able to enjoy and take comfort in each other's company.

Since we've been home, Mark and I have both been really busy. I already mentioned the essay grading, which is always both time-consuming and draining work, but I really prefer to tackle it right away and get it over with. I think I might have finished this set in record time. I've also been working on final papers/projects, and making progress, but the next week will still be quite busy. On Monday, I have a paper due plus a 15 minute presentation; Tuesday is the day I hope to turn in another paper, plus we have our last take home test (which will probably take at least 6 hours to complete); Friday, I collect my students' finals, which must be graded and final grades calculated by Monday. The following week, I have a presentation of another paper, and my last final project due on Thursday. It's a lot to manage (and I'm not even halfway done with that last project, but I haven't had time to deal with it yet!). I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel here, but it's still overwhelming. Mark is also turning in and presenting a final paper on Monday, plus he's got at least one more test next week. He also has the percussion ensemble concert tonight (and he's been at school all day setting up and rehearsing). And, he'll have juries and sight-reading tests, too. So, we're both pretty focused on just getting one thing done at a time...And, we're both really looking forward to finishing the semester! Actually, it's pretty unbelievable that we'll be back in ABQ only two weeks from now. (Of course, I'm looking forward to that!)