first day of "spring".....

semester, that is. At least during the spring semester, we can watch the weather get progressively better, but it's all contextual in these parts. It's a bummer that this first day of class should be so blustery and windy and cold and crappy. I have to walk around campus more than usual to access copy machines, library resources and classrooms in different buildings. Oh, and Starbucks. It will be a 9-hour on campus today, so the weather has affected clothing choice, food intake, efficiency of tasks, parking......I have a lot of copying and organizing to do but that's typical of the first week. I don't teach until 3:30pm, but there is a wicked wind and some patches of the ol' I-90 West can be tricky. Coming home, in the dark, is worse, but at least my day will be done and I'll have that hour to reflect, listen to tunes and avoid being crushed by big trucks.

I'm excited by my classes and ready for a real schedule. Tu/Th teaching days and prep; M/W/F Diss days; Saturdays errands/family stuff; Sundays work (church) and maybe more work in the afternoon if my little dude can find a playmate (the downtown library is open Sundays til 5pm and no one is there then, which rocks). Sunday nights=chill out. We'll see how long this lasts :)

I have 18 enrolled in my "Music of the 1960s" class. The enrollment has some restrictions on it for students, so the smaller number is expected and good, since it's the first time I'm teaching it (and I'm creating it, too). My Monster class (MUS 115) is at 100, and this morning I had the 25th student request to force-add since the class is full. Mon dieu! Um, sorry dude. I get paid by the class, not the student number (although for this biggie, I'll take a double salary. Sure! *sigh*) so 100 it is. See ya next semester. It's in a different lecture hall and I can't really get in much earlier than the start time because it's used all day for the big lectures. I'd prefer to peek in a bit, and hope there are no surprises. I was assured that there is a music console to actually play music (great! since it's a music history class and all), so, again, hopefully no big surprises.

And, Romanticism is full at 30 and begins Thursday night. I'm not changing much from last semester because I think it went well and, well, I have these other two classes to deal with. Revision is what summers are for, me thinks. Poolside with drinkies.

And, I'm off. Welcome back everyone. Hope you are ready to rock and roll.