Man, like half of my links under "Friends and Neighbors" are now defunct. C'mon, guys: stop quitting your blogs! Also, update your blogs! I like to read them whilst at my office job.

A quiet, productive day. I deliberately prepared a shorter To-Do list, streamlining it to include only the most necessary of tasks. I still haven't taken my new (or at this point, "newish") jeans to the tailor. Where is motivation for alterations? Finished a full draft of Weirdos, Exes, Telesoliciters, Uncles (a short story I've been working on for, oh, the past year. Not continuously: in little bursts.), and now have to make my corrections to the electronic version. I make all initial revisions by hand. I'm pretty satisfied with Weirdos, satisfied too that it will be in the neighborhood of 27 pages. I never used to write stories this long(!) But now, I do.

Reading Nobody Belongs Here More Than You and am sadly underwhelmed. I don't dislike the stories - I found It Was Romance touching and concise and admirable - but the collection, so far, seems hit or miss. (A common complaint for me lately, I guess.) Am going to keep on keepin' on, though: I bought the book.

Listening to Jolie Holland. Thinking about my hurty teeth and what I'll wear to the party tonight. Enjoying the quiet house.

Hell yes!

Finally, I am done with the semi-annual gradeathon! Yes, Sunday and Monday I forged through the insane amount of work I created for myself (using various methods of procrastination/accompanied by bouts of balking). Handed back my students' unit three papers yesterday, and the semester is mostly downhill from here. Get this, though: one of my students, after receiving his paper and as he exited the classroom, called me a bitch. This student, I assume, was disappointed with his paper grade. Such is life. Still: WTF? You don't do the work, you don't get an A. End of story.

In other, less obscenity-riddled news, I'll be teaching my creative writing course during winter break, and I am psyched. When I applied last year for a creative writing position, I received a continuing ed slot to be taught during J-Term. I didn't really know what to expect in terms of enrollment; I got a letter notifying me that minimum enrollment was eight students, that if I didn't reach this quota my class would be cancelled and I'd be given a mini-stipend as compensation for my planning. This did freak me out a bit, and I continued being freaked out as the enrollment held steady at six. But, sometime last week, two more students signed up: the class is on!

It's going to be intense: a semester's worth of work condensed into three [four day] weeks. It's going to be awesome.

It will be strange, not going home for winter break. Every year for the past six, I've headed back to MN for a monthlong (or sixweeklong) stretch of arguable R&R. My time was equally divided between working (random part time jobs; more recently, subbing in the public schools) and reading. Here, most of my time will be spent working: teaching, at the key office, on my thesis. Work, work, work, and the gray sky getting dark earlier every night. To keep from going nuts, I'm planning: 1) to go to the gym as often as possible; 2) a few ski trips; 3) to resume where I left off with various craft projects. Strategies: oh yeah!