Getting Ready

This isn't my desk. You knew that. Not actually. But in my mind it is.

I spent two days this week at an administrative retreat (retreat? retreat from what? from the desk?) where we outlined the work for the coming academic year. It was very productive, and we worked well together.

Then I returned to the office, bringing all the work from the retreat to add to what was already on my desk. Friends, it isn't pretty.

What is worse, at home there is the list of Things To Do Over The Summer with very, very few crossed off.

I can live with chaos at work if things at home are even. I can live with disruption at home if things are going smoothly at work. Having this kind of stuff going on at both ends is not doable.

So I've spent the past evenings tackling tasks at home. One evening was totally devoted to moving out of the old laptop and into the new -- Andrew will be with us this weekend and I offered him the old one to take home. Check that off the list. Another evening, I got reacquainted with my Palm Pilot and got all the dates and commitments for orchestra, theatre series, and other upcoming events plugged in. And got it all synched to the home and office 'puters. Picked up Bernina from the shop where she'd spent a few days having a tune-up, but haven't even plugged her back in. Plowed through the dreaded stack of papers on the counter and diminished it, though couldn't eliminate it. The list is looking better. Cleaning lady is working her magic this morning, so I'll go home to freshness which will provide the illusion that things aren't as bad as they seem!

There's a wee bit of a chill in the air early in the mornings and in the evenings, and the burning bush has begun to blush and the Nonspeakers' dogwood tree is starting-starting-starting to turn. Signs that summer is coming to an end, and bringing for me the desperate feeling of needing to Be Ready For Fall.