Because Cara Asked: A Photo Journey of My Weekend

Cara, famous Cara of January One, poses the question: "How was your weekend?"

I thought it would be rude not to answer her question. So, here for you all, is My Weekend--all its thrills, spills, and chills. (Whatever that means?)




This weekend, I had MUCHO grading to do. So, I started it off, as any sane teacher would do, with a Bloody Mary and the beginnings of the infamous Mason-Dixon Warshrag.



I must admit, I sat a little bit too long on the sunny porch (before the incessant rains began!), sipping the drink and knitting the rag. (Why does writing that--"knitting the rag"--sound so offensive?)



But despite this relaxing start to the weekend, most of my weekend was spent indoors, grading furiously (that is, furiously as in a frenzied state to finish 60 papers, AND furiously, as in how could my college students--some of them SENIORS!--not know how to use a comma, a semi-colon, even an apostrophe?!?!?!) Needless to say, I looked like the photo above most of the weekend--unshowered, pulling out my hair, feeling like I was in a state of agony.



Our black-cat-from-hell, on the other hand, felt just fine while grading his papers. Calm, cool, collected. Nothing to it.



So I wouldn't die from the boredom/frustration/agony of grading 300 pages of sophomore literary criticism, I broke up the day by cooking one of my favourite meals: hey! it's not procrastination, people. One must eat, and therefore, one must spend 1.5 hours preparing Chicken Saffran & Fennel Stew (or Ragout, as "the French" would say, and really, it sounds better than "stew") with Baby Potatoes. AND I made homemade baking-powder biscuits. AND I made brownies. AND I really didn't want to continue grading...



But the papers got done. It was brutal, but they are back in the hands of the students who have probably already smashed them--filled as they are with all my useful comments, suggestions, corrections--into their knapsacks, never to be looked at again, already forgotten.

Just think, in three weeks, it gets to happen all over again. What fun!

Oh well, at least we ate well. Oh yeah, and the warshrag got done too. It was MUCHO fun.