Well, after a month’s hiatus, I am back.  The last month has been filled with preparations for school.  I have been interviewing, hiring, ordering and sorting through textbook orders, setting up teacher professional days and the list of tasks goes on and on.  I do have to admit that I wanted to blog many times this past month but the energy level just wasn’t there.  With the longer work hours (yes, can you believe that they can get even longer!!) have really kicked my butt!  Luckily I am not laboring much on this Labor Day holiday and I am home from work with little on my to-do list today other than work on a web page I am developing for a friend.

The month of August, as quickly as it passed, ushers in a new school year and last week was our first week of school, complete with the extended day.  I do have to say that the additional hour attached at the end of the day has been kicking everyone in the tail – it just is a long day, plain and simple.  Sure, I can sugarcoat it by saying that we now have more time on task with the students, but it doesn’t materialize that way.  Lunch gets longer, other non-instructional activities are introduced to the school day, I am even tempted to state that there is less time on task with an extended day than we had last year with one hour less.  Time will tell, but the early reports from the polls are in!

Sitting here at home, in my pajamas on a cold and rainy morning, the coffee cup ever full and steaming on my left – this is a great day!  Yesterday LC and I biked a total of 39 miles from the condo to Mount Vernon.  Essentially, I am extremely sore and can barely walk.  So sitting is doing me just fine right now.  I can’t complain, I do have the best mate who fills my coffee cup if needed and has been very gracious in helping….err, enabling me…this morning.  I should be ready for school tomorrow if only a bit sore.  Luckily we biked yesterday and had perfect weather.  The bike trip was originally scheduled for today and we would have been rained out.  The luck of the gods has been on our side!

So I will continue to sit here in the office as LC reviews a case for work.  The tippity-tap of our computers will be the background music of the day, I suppose, as my body heals.  Not bad for a day off!  And, yes, I’m back!