A Glorious, Rainy Day

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Today, and yesterday for that matter, is one of those glorious, rainy days where it just pours and you discover you can get a lot done when you're avoiding actual work.

So far this weekend I've slept late both days, lounged in my PJs both days, done laundry, napped, read the Times, done travel research, napped, read part of a book I'm trying to finish and return, and gone to Pub Quiz.

I should be doing productive things. But rain makes me lazy. There's just something about the sound of raining pouring down outside my open window that relaxes me. Add in the humidity and dreariness, plus a few singing birds, and it feels like the part of the Disney movie where the fair maiden drifts off into a deep sleep.

Things I should be doing:

• Lesson planning. Really, it isn't that hard, but with less than a month left, trying to keep 14 year olds interested in anything is a challenge. Especially when the chapter in the book is duller than dirt.
  
  
• Studying my Chinese.
  
  
• Planning my summer travels. I've got a rough plan involving Yunnan and hopefully Tibet. I want to see Everest, but that doubles the price of Tibet. Oh, for a magical travel fairy to give me money. I've managed to save a bit these past few months, but I'd like to not spend all of it and have some here for when I return in the fall.
  Likewise, trying to get permits and coordinate people's schedules is seeming to be harder than I'd like because other people also don't know what they're doing. I think we've been in China too long--we've forgotten how to plan in advance. But since this is China it will all work out in the end, somehow.
  
  
• Planning my trip to Hong Kong for next week. No, not camping. This is a good, touristy one with all the sights and photo-ops a girl could want. At least I have my hostel booked.
  
  
• Cleaning my room. It's not dirty, just disorganized. I havne't been home enough the past few weeks to do more than dump my stuff on to a chair and go to bed most nights. And we all know my love of washing dishes.
  
  
• Reading books I've borrowed from people. This speaks for itself.
  
  
• Catching up on my emails. I have a tendency to avoid them if I know I have to write more than 5 sentences.
  
  
• Catching up on my podcasts. I can download then at my local coffeeshop but then I need to find time to listen to them. I'm currently addicted to Grammar Girl. And loving that I already know many of the things she talks about. It's a nice ego boost.
  
  
• Breaking in my hiking boots. One of those things I should have done last winter when it was chilly, instead of now when it's 90 and humid and sunny. Oops.
  
  
• Figure out my packing for this summer. Of course, this can't happen until I know where I'm traveling and when I'm flying home. Then I need to figure out what to do with everything while I travel for a month. I don't want to leave my computer at the school. My room may be locked, but as proven by its extra cleanliness and cookies in Feburary, I know I'm not the only one with a key. While I trust the people here, I'm not stupid, either. You just don't tempt fate.
  
  
• Plotting how to talk to Anthony about next August and this summer. Like, can I leave stuff in my room? Can he take me to the police station to register when I come back a few days early (required by law)? And finding out when my last day to teach is. June 15 is a Monday, and that would just be odd.
  
  
• Writing a blog that's not a to-do list. Sorry.

But now you know what I've not been up to and what I will be up to. Yeah!

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