Insanity Sets In

You know that you've lost it when having nothing to do for two minutes sends you panicking to find something to do.  All work and no play makes the Porkchop a loony!  All work and no play makes the Porkchop a loony!

It has been a whirlwind since before Spring Break.  The day before was the departmental bus trip to DC.  It was a lot of fun!  It was a beautiful day, spent with beautiful people (Lemmings and Rambas), and it was a nice way to enter into the break.  But, it was also long and exhausting.  And, I had to be at the airport at 5:45 the next morning to head to Mexico!  With students!!

The calls started coming at 4:15am.  That was nothing - David was getting text messages starting a 1am!  I feared the worst.  But, I got some of the best.  The trip was awesome.  Nearly flawless, the students were fantastically fun and energetic.  The new events on the schedule were really great (visiting a working Hacienda was a cool experience), and the last day of sun in Cancun was actually relaxing (no Bros to speak of).

Of course, after getting back to reality...well, reality sets in.  I spent several extra hours at work Monday night in a Union meeting during which we decided to reject a contract offer but NOT go on strike.  It was a bit like an election where you are forced to vote for the lesser of several evils.  But, I admit that I am happy to be in the classroom rather than on a picket line.  I'm thrilled to get to finish out the semester is style and to stay on track with my classes.

The weather cooperated this week to allow me to eek out some nice training rides outside.  YAY!  When not at work or on my bike I have been uber domesticated - Spring cleaning the house, completing every speck of laundry, and making sure that Chuck and I have nothing to do this weekend except hang out together (something terribly lacking of late!).

Next week, I am off to Asheville to present my first chapter at the Nineteenth Century Studies Association conference.  I am very excited about it and looking forward to dragging my bike with me to ride up the Blue Ridge Mountains!  2,500 feet of elevation...here I come!

I will be posting photos from Mexico soon - keep an eye on the flickr site for updates.  I've already posted some Wyoming photos there, so check those out, too!  More news about my next photo show in the next blog post!  :)