Journal: May 11, 2006

Yesterday was a day of cold weather and equally cold teaching. With the temperature in the mid-40s most of the day, I shivered through my classes in my chilly classroom. I was dressed warmly in a heavy winter sport coat, but it didn’t prevent the late spring chill from penetrating to my bones. I just couldn’t get warmed up. My teaching seemed to be affected by the weather, also, because it was fairly frigid and aloof all day long. I never felt inspired, relaxed, comfortable, or organized. I was “over here” and the students were “over there”, and I just seemed to be frostily trudging along toward the end of the day, trying my best to stay warm. Later, I took a brisk walk in the park (bundled up as in December), which revived my spirits somewhat. The look of the trees wrapped contentedly with pink and white blossoms would have raised anyone’s spirits. After my walk, while sitting on a bench on a small rise, I listened to a soft Haydn piece on my iPod and studied the serene appearance of the park. It was a perfect way to warm up the end of a fairly frozen day in May.