Compression

It's massive stress time, with it all coming down to the last week of the semester not just for me, but for the students who missed classes without projecting forward to the consequences of those absences for their semester grades. No, we do not go back and "make up" all the missed assignments for an entire semester: this is college, not high school, and as an adult, the student is solely responsible for either attending class or not, either completing the curriculum or not, either passing the class or not. TV shows can be DVR'd and watched when it's convenient, but classes meet when they meet: either attend or don't. No "later."

The dogs are engaged in a contest to see which one can lick me first and more. I hate dog lick, but find myself being ambushed, especially if/when I have to bend over to pick something up from the floor or reach out to touch something. Daisy is fast, but Mia is thorough. Yuck.

Although the temps soared well into the 90's a bit ago, we're back to hurricane force winds blowing 24/7. I hate the wind, as well as the stinging sand it picks up from the desert floor and carries with it. Today, there are big, white, fluffy clouds topping off the mountains, but I doubt that we'll have more rain from any of this. Just wind, more wind, and too much wind.

The people diagonally behind me, the ones who built their block wall across the 10-foot public utility alley access, are adding a wooden shade structure to the backyard. If they have to relocate the brick wall to provide utility access behind the house, as required by law, they will probably also have to relocate the shade structure. They have a very narrow backyard that runs the length of the property, but no depth, as the house was placed toward the back of the property line; hence, pushing the brick wall back another 10 feet, as well as extending the shade structure as far as possible.

I took the time to reprogram all the summer season shows into my remote for the DVR. The summer season is much better than the fall season, mostly on the "off" channels, rather than the network channels, and I don't want to miss some favorite shows. My new favorite is Miami Medical, but I also love both NCIS and NCIS Los Angeles, which are going on hiatus. I'm bummed that Law and Order ended its run, but will give L&O LA a chance to fill in for the long-running franchise linch pin.

My vacation is starting to take shape, so I'm getting into the spirit of adventure and travel. My goal is to visit both the dinosaur park at 4 corners and 2 friends who have moved out of state. I've never been to WY, but will just drive to my friend's new home and then on to my next stop, rather than try to visit all the well-known attractions in WY. I enjoy the drive almost as much as I enjoy stopping here and there along the way, so I try to let it happen, rather than schedule what, where, and when. I'll miss my travel buddy, but totally understand that he did not want to fly out to meet me by himself. I have a housesitter coming to take care of the property and the dogs while I'm gone, so it's on to the next step in the planning process.

Hi-ho, hi-ho: I have things to do and places to go.