Me Time

I'm a Scorpio, so by nature I am passionate and unpredictable. With time I have learned to deal with my love-it-or-hate-it attitude--what Brazilians call 8 or 80. But I am currently struggling with the latter. This normally happens when I feel overwhelmed by the numerous essays and reading assignments I have to grade--the downside of being a teacher.

Monday through Friday I am busy meeting obligations. At times, I miss the freedom of leaving work and doing something adventurous, like going to the library and losing myself in the Historical fiction section (adventurous, I know). I miss talking on the phone with friends without the musical sounds of a cranky 2-year old. And I also miss the ability to sit in front of the TV or read a good novel without feeling guilty that I have not finished grading my students' essays. In other words, I miss Me time.

Though I have not found a remedy for my problem, I may have a temporary solution. While my top choice is to marry Brad Pitt, work part time, and have Freddy as my lover (I can't live without Freddy), I will settle for a personal day off. I will then go out for a long walk, catch up on 30 Rock episodes, talk on the phone, read the same novel I've been trying to finish for the past 3 months, and not grade a single essay! FYI: The essays are usually what drives me to need a personal day off.

To achieve me goal, I have two options: Take a day off from work or ask a friend to babysit Camila. Since a day off From work is not a viable option right now, I'm going with the second choice.

We have dear friends with a daughter the same age as Camila. It also happens that their daughter and Camila attend the same daycare. Consequently, we often see each other and enjoy each others company. Unplanned, we began doing babysitting swaps, which I love. Almost weekly, Camila has a play-date at their home or the other way around. The same goes for sleepovers. We drop Camila off for dinner and pick her up at 9ish. I love the swaps!! Best of all, I have a day off and am comfortable knowing that Camila is in good hands.

On a side note, here is a great video from the Onion, a satirical new source. It's title: "In the Know: Are Tests Biased Against Students who Don't Give a Shit." Though the video is not about teacher overwhelmed by numerous essays, it is a humorous skit. From the title, you can guess that this is a informative, accurate, and newsworthy ;) report.