My overload life in photos

For 6 weeks, I'm teaching my own classes plus a class of another faculty member who had to take a leave of absence.  One of the things I love about academia is that overwhelming business has an expiration date; I volunteered for this teaching overload knowing (a) it would eat up all my time and brain and (b) only until the end of November.  (And I figured, by about this time in November, I might appreciate mathematical distractions for my brain).

Here's is a bit about how I think of my life in pictures these days.  

My first alarm is at 5:30.  I set myself a second alarm at 5:45, because I live in constant dread of sleeping through my own class, but so far I've always woken up with the first alarm.  Sleep hygiene rules my life.  

The view from my command center window these days; my first class is at 6:00 a.m., teaching kids in Shanghai.  During the first part of this course, the class was at 6:00 p.m. for them and I taught them in the dark.  But now that clocks have changed, I have a bit of light as I teach them, and it's 7 p.m. their time. 

On the weekends, my chalkboard turns into a giant To-Do list.  This was last weekend.  I managed to cross off every single task but one!  It was an awesome feeling, even if did have to give up most of my sabbath.  

I'm so glad I splurged last fall and bought two very nice, large chalkboards for my home.   Splurging is not my M.O., clearly, but my chalkboards have definitely turned out to be one of those totally worth it expenditures in my life.  Between teaching, entertaining grandkids, Monster Task Lists, and just general aesthetics, these babies have made my life easier, more visual, and admittedly dustier. 

Aside from my chalkboards, my laptop is showing signs of nearly non-stop use.  My "S" and "N" keys have been rubbed into indecipherability.  Why those keys?  Not sure.  

Missing:  the actual outdoors.  That's because I'm almost never there, alas.    But by Thanksgiving, I'll be done with this, and I'll get togo outside and play again.