grading therapy

no, i don't mean i need therapy because of the grading i have to do. i mean the therapeutic power of grading. the sense of accomplishment that comes when you finally get a class done. the (cliche alert! cliche alert!) light at the end of the tunnel now that half of them are graded. the ability grading has to take your mind off the fact that another huge project is coming in tomorrow - and the fact that you've felt out of sorts all day.

but i don't want to talk about that. yet.

was pondering my recent adventures in the theatre world and looking at my life and thinking how much my decision to leave full-time youth ministry has helped me to become more me, more in touch with my passions and, thereby, more in touch with God. don't get me wrong - i loved doing youth ministry. and i definitely miss certain aspects of it (especially the no grading/no getting up early aspects). but in the process i lost part of who i was. i look back and am amazed i was able to go so long without doing theatre. oh sure, i helped with church drama stuff, sketches and the like, but it's not the same. and i'm amazed how i lost touch with the poet inside during that time as well. glad it's back (though school and grading threatens to squeeze it out too).

all that to say, i feel more confident now that i am journeying in the right direction, that the choices and decisions i made what, seven years ago now, were the right ones. i am where i am supposed to be (ok, why did "where i want to be" just start running through my head? damn you chess!).

speaking of chess (really, some day soon it will fade into the past and you won't have to hear about it anymore. well, maybe not soon...), looks like some of us will be getting together friday night for drinks and to see the da vinci code. here's hoping it's worth the $10. at least the company will be good. will be interested to talk about it afterwards, which, knowing this group, should definitely happen. i'm not expecting much, other than to enjoy watching audrey tatou on the big screen. and to keep myself from openly scoffing at some of the glaring errors in the story. but i'll be good, i promise.

today marked the end of my experience with whiz kids, the tutoring program at allison elementary. we had a time of sharing and snacks with the kids. i'm going to miss jordan, though there's the possibility that we'll be able to make contact over the summer through the next step (a "mentoring" program that sounds like big brothers/big sisters). i'm not sure i did much to help his reading and writing issues - he does have a long way to go. but maybe some kind of seed has been planted which will grow into something later on.

ok, 11:00 now. time to get to sleep. long day of independent novel presentations tomorrow. here's hoping they go well. and that they're fun for both me and the students.

night!
Æ

Tunes: queen - hammer to fall