Over the past three days my back has developed that nasty kink in it that had me lying on the floor eighteen months ago. I’m trying to avoid movements that trigger the intense pain, but I forget sometimes and yelp embarrassingly. This isn’t so bad at home, where there are only cats to look at you condescendingly, but when you’re freelancing in an office, people turn around.

My press packet and the NDA haven’t reached the US publisher. I’m a smidge anxious. It should have been there by Wednesday.

There are five books at my local secondhand bookstore that I covet. Problem is, they’re all ten dollars or so. They’re trade paperbacks, so I ought to look at the encouraging fact that fifty dollars is significantly less than the hundred dollars or more that I’d pay for them new, and all of them are in mint condition. I do have a paycheque that needs to be deposited, and a morning free today. Hmm…

I woke up at 4 AM so I got up and began sorting through all my teaching stuff. Yes, CMS level 1 sessions begin again tonight! I love beginning classes again; I meet new people, discover new points of view, and refresh my own knowledge as we go. Then I get to do it again tomorrow morning with another level 1 group. Saturday afternoon, though, I get to start a new level 2 group, which will include several of my past level 1 graduates (Joy!), and on Sunday I have a level 3 group of equally marvellous ex-level-2 students. (Yes, if you think all of that through, I’m teaching from Friday night straight through to Sunday afternoon.) The first session of all of these ends in early February, so I’m looking forward to five months of study and watching people make new connections and acquire new skills and knowledge.

This is always a stressful time of year, though, what with people scurrying about and re-integrating their schedules and what-not. Orchestra begins again for me next Wednesday, for example. I’m glad the weather has become sane again, at least. Everyone can be thankful for that. If you can’t get outside for half an hour, at least look out a window often!