Back to School Chaos (& Lentil Therapy)

The new semester began yesterday--smoothly. I put a bit more time into organizing things than I typically have in the past, and was especially proud of the websites I built for my distance learning sections of Tech Writing. At least until about 9:00 last night, when I checked in to the DL courses and found numerous complaints from students that the assigned book was not in the bookstore. Usually, all Tech Writing courses use a common book, ordered by the department. I hadn't heard of any change, but sure enough there had been one. Since my entire course had been built around the previously used textbook, I had a couple sites I had labored over for nothing. Plus I would look like a dork in front of my students and colleagues.

I went down to campus today to get the new textbook and begin revamping the course, but the person who has the books (and keeps them locked in her office) wasn't in, and not expected till late afternoon. However, I learned that I was not the only person in this position. Others had been blindsided by the book change and were scrambling for desk copies. Apparently the change was last minute. I got in touch with the tech writing coordinator by phone later, only to learn there were no more copies of the new book. After speaking to a publisher's rep later, I was assured one would be expedited to me. So much for that new, more organized Dr. Shupac with more free time to research and write.

So lots of angst and running around today with little to show for it. When I emailed Kristine about all this this afternoon, she commiserated and ventured that I probably wouldn't be in the mood to cook this evening. On the contrary. I made a pot of a french lentil soup that we like and found the preparation ritual soothing. It's a recipe that's almost impossible to screw up, and it tastes heavenly. Making it, you whip up a steaming, aromatic pot of self-confidence and optimism. Exercising an assured but loving control over a tasty cubic foot or so confirms that, despite suspicions you had to the contrary, you are not yet overwhelmed.

Temperatures are forecast to hit the upper 40s here this week. Great conditions for winter steelheading, which my schedule might actually permit...if I weren't stuck here tweaking my DL courses to the new textbook. If we were heading into a few days of heavy snowfall and subfreezing temerpatures, I'd curse being stuck here instead of skiing. Having more pastimes means more potential sources of pleasure, but also more potential sources of vexation. I suppose that underscoresThoreau's injunction to simplify, which I'll be considering tomorrow with my composition II students.
Tags: Education; Cooking