I, once again, have my headphones on, tuned into the silence. This way no one (read: crazy Tia) bugs me. Well, at least she has to ask permission first this way. Or at least I can pretend not to hear her for about 20 seconds first.

Yesterday I did not one damned thing all day. So there. I did not even leave the house. I did not even venture into my own backyard. I hermited fiercely.

And then I slept horribly last night. I was a touch insomniacal, which is abnormal, and then when I finally did get to sleep Bash kept waking me to go out. Over and over, until 4 am when I finally just left the back door open for him. Thereafter I slept for a blissful 3 hours. I feel surprisingly rested and uncranky. Could be because I rode my bike to work for the first time ever. I�ve spent the last year driving to work, accruing parking tickets and spending stupid amounts of time moving my truck out of parking ticket range, wasting gas, etc. Minutes I spend driving to work: 10. Minutes I spend riding my bike to work: approximately 2. I�m a fool.

I don�t know anymore. I feel the taste of dread in the back of my throat and I don�t know why at all.

Plumber is coming today to fix the shower. That�s good for all concerned I think.

Classes start in one week. Good. Bad. Both in equal parts. I have not even thought about my syllabus. One of the instructors at RCC (my new place of teaching employ) gave me her syllabus for this class. She was terribly nice but I think her ideas are no good. Uninteresting. I would hate to have to read and write about literature based on her syllabus. It�s all so cookie-cutter dry and well explained and I really don�t think that stories and poems and plays are meant to be well explained like this. Like there are certain words you must know and if you know those special words you will Understand Literature. She teaches about symbolism when she teaches poetry. Gag. I don�t have to do that, do I?

I was initially excited to find that I�ll be teaching this class in a computer lab. I like to be able to do most paperwork things online, and have found that my students really don�t get the whole computer thing on their own. Odd, no? So it�ll be a bit easier, I think. But we�re supposed to do so much reading and I like to set up a seminar circle type thing for class discussion about reading. I don�t think I can do that. I think no one will ever look at each other in this class because all their heads will be behind computers.

It�s 11 am. Time speeds its way past me. Vroom.

Shawn began 8th grade today. School seems to start earlier and earlier each year. We talked for a bit about middle school. He actually likes it. Weird. I asked him if he ever made fun of other kids and he said no way. He�s rather upstanding. He�s also popular. He told me he found one of his friends picking on a mentally handicapped kid and he told his friend to quit it and that if he ever did that again he�d punch him. I bet that other kid listens to him. Shawn has that power. He�s kind and good and funny and strong. A righteous boy, that one. He wields his popularity well, I think. I hope.

Hopefully my wallet is flying home to me today. Hopefully my dad manages to not be scattered-brained about this. Which is where I got my scatterbrain. We are all terrible about such matters, we of the Molu clan (except Shawn, who is, as I�ve mentioned, the anomaly of everything). My mom got three tickets this weekend. One for parking in a handicapped space without her handicapped tag (which she forgot in her car which my dad drove up here), one for not having her license which she forgot at home, and one for not having the current insurance card. Which my dad lost. A family of ditzes, I swear.

Wowee. I�m pretty hot right now. I just returned from my date with the plumber. Lots of bike riding in the hot sun. But he fixed the shower in about 2 seconds. It�s so much easier this way�not letting things go and fester and worrying over them.

J-bird and I have made a date. We are spending Friday, September 27 together in Boston. He just bought his plane ticket so I have to go now. By hook or by crook. Hopefully Blythe will be there. I hate to have Complaint as my only female-like compatriot. Although J-bird is sort of girly. J-bird and sfitz are best friends, however (even though I think they both like me better than they like each other. I bet.) and often enjoy ganging up on me. They think it�s funny. I think I�ll have to punch them both in the eye a few times. Unless Blythe comes. Not to be all pressure-y or anything.

Onward, ho. Today is a good day. I don�t think I�ll have to use my AK.