State of the mess.

My work may not be 100% done, but I can say this for myself: I have a fairly clean office, for once. The situation in here was exacerbated by the aforementioned tenure box of doom, which is now cowering under a bookshelf, topped with some copies of the Writer's Chronicle (they are such an odd size, you know).

When I clean, it's more like a mosh pit than a ballet. This office was an utter trashland until a few hours ago. I have fed the recycling bin. My binder clip basket is full. The student papers from 2007 have been dispatched. I still have 100ish books to re-shelve, but at least you can walk into my office now.

The hall is teeming/seething with comp students picking up their portfolios. I just got a coffee and had to argue with the barista because I did not want it cold; no, I wanted it hot, despite the weather. And thus is the state of my mess as of Wednesday afternoon, though I'm not completely sure it's Wednesday, and have been doubting it all day long.

I will finish everything eventually. Or will I? Because there's always more everything waiting. I'm envious of academics who can chill once the grading is done. I still have to get up at 5:30 every morning, in anticipation of the everything. Later in the summer, after my class is finished and I've read all of the mss, I will attempt to do less of the everything. Maybe I'll be able to sleep until 6, since my kids will be in summer camp.

And then there's the new book I'm writing this summer. A new book of poems.

Anyway. The piece of rust above was calling to me a few days ago. I left it there in case someone else wanted a look.