20151016.0613

Work continues, as ever it must. I completed one freelance order yesterday, and another one appeared for me within the hour. I am more or less clear to work on it over the weekend, which is good; I continue to need the money my freelance work affords me. The book I am writing up, which I have already started reading, seems to be more in line with much of the reading I would do for leisure than some of the other pieces I have read for the work. (The vampire porn stands out uncomfortably.) I am already having thoughts about it, but I will not publish them here; they will wait for the write-up or for papers that I have yet to write. And there are several of those yet to do, even if I have no formal submission requirements at the moment.

Yesterday, I also made to stock some of the new bookshelves with materials I had had boxed up for some time. There is a certain satisfaction in laying out more of my scholarly apparatus where I can actually access it--although I find there are some issues of journals missing, to my annoyance, and the redistribution of the books that is underway (since I am not yet done with that task) is somewhat disconcerting. There are more boxes to paw through, however, and so I am confident I will find the missing information--and my notes on it. (The marginalia matter.) I am also confident that having my books and journals arrayed will do something to ease my mind; it always does, somehow. I suppose my choice of a field to study is a fitting one, then.

Today, I am back in the classroom, teaching four sections of first-semester composition. Things move along much as expected in them, although I could hope to see better performance from some classes. I know grades are not settled, and I have some wiggle in assigning things, but there are some seeming deficiencies, and they worry me. Today will begin to address them somewhat, as students are being offered what amounts to a completion grade as they make short arguments in favor of one or another option for an exercise I am having them carry out. It is a small thing, to be sure, but the students seem to appreciate having the chance to 1) forecast what assignment they will get and 2) improve their standing through little effort. I get the chance to demonstrate magnanimity, which improves my standing, and to collect data which may factor into other projects--if certain proposals are accepted. Everybody wins.

The Mrs. has adjusted her work schedule against over-staffing on Fridays. Ms. 8 will doubtlessly be pleased to have her mother around a little bit more; she misses her greatly when she is away each day for work. I am not displeased, either, for while it may make my work a bit more...urgent, it also reminds me of why I do the work: ensuring they can be happy.