The On Deck Circle

Seems I've been falling behind here. Which also reminds me I haven't done today's Rush status message yet. That's actually becoming far less amusing than I thought it would be, mostly because now that I'm pretty burned out on Bejeweled Blitz and Scrabble, I'm finding I'm not terribly interested in Facebook. Still nice to keep up with people, but as far as just going on as a time waster... eh....

Also hard to force Rush into my psyche, even though I'm still pretty stoked to see them later this month. But I have been getting quite a bit more writing done in the past week (WOO HOO!!!), and the writing soundtrack for this new project has evolved into a very definable tone. Included on the list so far: Porcupine Tree, 30 Seconds to Mars, The Dead Weather, and a little bit of Filter. I'm actually sitting here auditioning one of my favorite CDs right now to see if it's appropriate to add: "Darkest Days" by Stabbing Westward. If you're familiar with any of these bands, you can make a pretty good guess about what kind of tone this book is going to have. If not, well... kind of dark.

Incidentally, I'm on the last Stabbing Westward song and have decided it doesn't make the playlist. I have too much emotional imprinting there for it to fade into any kind of a background.

But I didn't intend to talk writing all that much tonight. Nope, believe it or not, I've noticed little bits of school creeping back into my head already. A year ago I remember writing something about how starting the year had become absolutely routine and there was nothing special about it anymore. I don't know. This year, I'm kind of looking forward to it. And not for the obvious reasons of just seeing how things are going to change with everything that will be so new for us this year: New principal, new classrooms, new students, new programs in the building, new staff members... a lot of new going on.

Some of it is that, for certain. And some of it comes from my time in Summer Institute last week. As much poor-baby self-pity whining as I'm apt to do when it comes to staff development, I really felt the class I had was worthwhile and useful. It didn't hurt that I had a lot of time to work (and could listen to music nearly all day on my iPhone!), but it did get that school part of my brain stirring a little. A LITTLE. It was pointed out to me this weekend that while I only have three more weeks of vacation left, that still represents more time off than a lot of people get from their jobs for the whole year. That bit of perspective really did frame things differently for me, in a good way.

I've got the latest yearbook out, which I needed for some vague writing research. As I looked through all of the signatures inside my cover, I saw a lot of students referencing what had been running jokes throughout the year that I barely remember now. There are a few kids who signed with a last initial instead of a last name, and for the life of me I can't think of what that last name was. All a big reminder for me that year is over, that crop is long gone, and there is another waiting on deck, hopefully ready for their turn. I know I will be when the time comes.

But thankfully, that time isn't here just yet.