Triage and Tunnelvision

I spent most of spring break and five full days last week finishing off an article that, at last, has been sent off for publication.

Now I have one week — one week! — in which to send my dissertation manuscript off in time for a deadline the publisher gave me over a month ago.

Oh, and I have to write a conference paper on brand new material. Technically, that's due tomorrow, although it's another week yet before I present.

If I grade three student essays each day day, I can stay on top of my grading in the midst of this maelstrom. All of Monday and Wednesday are pretty much "lost" to teaching, teaching prep, and overflow reading for class, but there's not much I can do about that. Plus, the students from this semester have made the springtime sweet. So there's no way I can cut back on them.

I have only a little more than month before unemployment. How then could this school year be ending with as much frenzy as any other? And how can I start feeling more awake? My deadline and writing-induced narcolepsy is kicking in again...