Today is the first day of classes!... technically. To accommodate multiple Monday holidays during the semester, the first day of classes-- though always on a Wednesday-- follows a Monday schedule. So, since I have no Monday classes, I do not have class today. Nor tomorrow, because my first class was cancelled, due to a conference this weekend. So, I am lucky, and have a few extra days to savor the sweetness of Winter Break (I have gotten a couple of reading assignments to start on, though).
I feel very grateful for these few extra days because I'm getting a cold. We've had a terrible cold snap here, with wind chill feeling like -15 degrees F a few nights ago, reaching a high of 20 degrees (felt like 8) yesterday. Brrrr... And, perhaps because of the dry air, or the stress that accompanies the beginning of a new semester, I awoke yesterday with a sore throat. Last night it turned into a runny nose, and this morning it's a bonafide cold. Thank goodness for tea. Also, thank goodness for gumbo, cafe au lait, and beignets. I tried to make lunch for myself yesterday but failed pretty miserably, so I headed up the hill (despite the cold) and feasted on some creole favorites. Yum! I really felt perfectly happy while eating that meal. And, while we're on grateful, can I just say how much I love long-johns, scarves, fuzzy quilted hats, fingerless gloves with mitten covers, knee-high stockings, and boots? They've been keeping me warm whenever I've needed to go out the past few days.
And why have I been going out? Well, The Tempest rehearsals have started! I am very, very excited about this one! On Monday we had a read-through with the full cast, then yesterday was the cast's "dramaturgy" day. We had them in three separate time slots of an hour each, so I gave a condensed version of my Shakespeare lecture three separate times, and I had a blast! I love talking Shakespeare. Each hour, I spent about thirty minutes of a brief history early modern theater/Billy Shakes, then the directors and I worked on scansion with the groupings and answered questions. The evening flew! So much fun. I wish this were my real, paying, every-day job. Who doesn't love to teach the wonders of Shakespeare?
Boo :( I just got over a cold myself. It was the worst!!!!!!! I hope you are doing better than me. I always such a big baby when it comes to colds.
ReplyDeleteOoh, I just noticed that you read Neil Gaiman's latest. I have put a hold on it at the library. I can't wait to read it. I love his stuff (although I prefer his short stories to his novels) and have only heard good things about it.
"The Ocean at the End of the Lane" was really good-- more like one of his short-stories, in some ways. It's not long at all. I think you'll really like it. It has elements of Coraline in it, which I appreciated, and some nice mind-bendy stuff. I can actually see myself re-reading this one in the near future. Let me know what you think when you get it!
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