Solo

That cold has come again. The one from Prague that seems to have never really cleared up. I suspected it was here last week, but now I'm sure of it after having leaved over the sink for 10 minutes hacking away to remove whatever it is I can feel lurking in that pink fleshy void that link nose to throat. 

Whatever it is looks like lungs or brain. I'm sure it can't be good, but I have neither the time to take off work nor anything to keep a sample in until I can make it to the doctor aside from an old glass jam jar I washed out yesterday.

It hasn't stopped me entirely, this cold (if I can call it that). Although this is the time of year that I would start to burn out, and I am. Now the leisure of last minute planned activities will be replaced with more rigorous academic content. Play time, at least for us teachers, is over until after spring break in mid-April when at last we can pass comments over poorly brewed coffee in the staff lounge like

"the end is near!" and "we've almost done it, keep strong." 

I supposed part of me is excited for the change. With it comes centers meaning I'll get to take a step back and watch the kids blossom. We are here to make independent learners after all, right? It also means that winter months will soon fly by and those simple joys that came late to me last year will be soon upon us in 2013 - lest the world ends abruptly even before the new year.

I'm excited to see them plant seeds in our box if only to watch them peak outside the classroom door when they think I'm not paying attention in hopes of capturing any glimmer of movement beneath the soil. I'm excited for our "better" planned field trips to the Tech museum and, possibly, Academy of Sciences if Blythe can pull it off. We'll see. 

Soon. First we finish 2012, wrap up what lose ends we have going forward in the hopes we can blaze ahead lose ends free. Next Saturday I leave for New York to visit Jules, an impromptu trip I'm looking forward to very much. Any excuse to get out of Oakland and away for longer than an evening is much invited. 

I'm excited for snow. I'm excited for the time to read and write. I'm excited for good food. And, most importantly, I'm excited for the rest only a trip such as this can provide: no responsibilities, no demands, no schedule. Simply me and a brand new city.

Here's to the rest of this week....