Tunnel vision

There is a light, slight though it may be, beginning to appear at the end of my current grading tunnel.  So far I’ve completed:

• Editing and grading 52 sophomore writing students’ argumentative essays
• Editing and revising five 20 page senior thesis first drafts
• Editing and revising two of five 20 page senior thesis second drafts

I have a feeling that in my sleep I’m mumbling phrases like “incorrect subject verb agreement” and “missing conjunction.” If I had any desire to be a professional editor before, that desire has now been completely wiped out.

We’re also beginning to see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel known as winter.  Temperatures are now climbing to the upper 50’s and bits of green grass are beginning to poke out of the ground.  However, the buildings are still quite chilly.  Today is April 21, and I wore long underwear, a tank top, a long sleeved shirt, a t-shirt, a light sweatshirt, a fleece, and a scarf to my Chinese class.  And I was still a bit cold.  The Chinese were onto something when they set May 1st as the day to remove long underwear–a date that I formerly thought was ridiculous.

Once I crawl out of the restrictive grading tunnel, I’ll hopefully be back to enjoyable activities like photography, writing, and cooking.  In the meantime, check out this story about one of the kids at our orphanage and his family.  The Father is so good!