Have you ever noticed...

... that no matter how organized and motivated you are the finish grading, you hit this "critical mass" moment when you need a serious break... and then ANYTHING will do? I just spent 20 minutes eating clementines and browsing iTunes for absolutely nothing in particular. But I needed a break.

Grading period ends in two days and I'm determined to take almost nothing home over the long weekend. I consider it worth my while right now to stay up late the next few nights getting tests, homework, and writing assignments graded so I don't have to feel their shadow over my break. My husband's gonna kill me when he finds out.

You see, I've been trying to live more healthy, and I'm pulling hubby along. We've been putting more fresh foods - especially fruits and veggies - into our diets and I've all but cut out juices and pops. I've drawn up a schedule of exercise for myself, and we've both been trying to get chores done early in the day/evening so we can relax together and then get some sleep. The NetHack tournament has been cutting into hubby's sleep some, but he's getting better.

It's hard at this time of year to not put the kid to bed and just plop down on the couch. I mean, it's cold outside, so who really wants to ride a bike around the block or rollerblade? Not me, under most circumstances. And the all shows are in sweeps. And then all these movies are being released for the holidays. And I could catch up on reading and replying to email.

I'm amazed that my daughter doesn't feel the pull. I'm jealous too. But then, she has been telling everyone who'll listen, "I'm very very tired," even when she's not showing any signs of it.