Back to School

What I'm doing this week:

Reading:
Online comics -- Girls With Slingshots (which got onto my TBR list via a recommendation but so far it's got potential but hasn't really hooked me), and Sorcery 101 (which is pretty engaging so far, although his website is a pain in the ass to maneuver around) -- and staff development articles on building a supportive school culture and inquiry-based teaching.

Listening to:

Watching:
The new season of Miss Fisher (finally available on Netflix!)!  Phryne's the tiniest bit OOC (out of character) in it -- they've got her chasing after Jack at one point, calling out excuses about her dalliance with an air force officer, which is just not at all believable. I can see the two of them struggling a bit with whether it's possible for them to find a way to actually be together, given their very different outlooks on life and on relationships, and I can see both of them making some compromises, but I can't see her chasing after him -- but it's still a lot of fun.

We're giving Merlin a try, as well.  Quite enjoyable so far.   A nice mix of adventure and humor.

Doing:
Having the first week of school -- the first day went remarkably well.  I can see how much the kids have grown in their ability and willingness to be part of community activities, conflict resolution processes, and the school meeting's decision-making.  Other than that, spending a lot of time in bed, recovering from this week's cold.

Eating/Cooking:
I'm needing to change my eating plan to help lower my cholesterol.  I'm not too stressed about that -- I did it in my 20s, quite successfully, and then just got out of the habit of doing all the things that kept it in a good range.  So I'm putting together a list of reminders, and getting them on the wall.  Today we're having papardelle and cauliflower.  Not a particularly cholesterol-lowering food, but tasty, and moderately healthy (healthier if we were making soy sauce lentils-and-onions to go with it, but we're not).

Something that went particularly well, this week:
I facilitated a difficult mediation at school, and was pleased with the results.  My bloodtests were generally good, other than the cholesterol.  I was particularly pleased by the glucose results -- that's something I keep an eye on, because of family history -- and my blood pressure is excellent, which always makes me happy to see.

Something that went less well:
There was some confusion around our Back to School picnic, which made our Friday a little tricky.  We found out our favorite tea spot and haven is closing at the end of the month.

Something I'm grateful for:
The gorgeous days -- sunny, pleasantly warm/cool (hovering in the low 80s, for the most part), often breezy.  My health.  My little family.

Something I'm thinking about:
How I spend my time.  What choices are worthwhile, given how brief our time here is.

Something I'm looking forward to:
The things I'm planning to facilitate this year -- glee club, science club, and an independent research and public speaking class.  I'm a little excited, a little nervous, but mostly just feeling really settled and contemplative about those classes.  They give me a lot to chew over, as I think about what I want to do with them.