This is a four-day weekend, (with Memorial Day Monday and our last snow day Tuesday). I have some grading to do, but not so much to prevent me from doing some writing, which is nice. I hope to post the May issue of VoP as well as catch up on chores. We also plan to go out for Jean’s birthday dinner this weekend as well.

Last year an English teacher at my school retired so she and her husband could enjoy their retirement years together while they are still healthy enough to do things. Thursday her husband died unexpectedly of a heart attack! That scared a lot of people at school who have been thinking about retirement but for one reason or another have been putting it off. It certainly reminded me of the necessity of lowering my stress, meditating and exercising more, and consider how many more years I should continue the stressful grind of teaching.

Currently reading: A four day weekend gives me the opportunity to read a longer novel, so I selected Chindi, a novel in Jack McDevitt’s Academy series. No McDevitt book has disappointed me so far, so hopefully this will not be the first.

Currently listening: The Waterboys’ This Is the Sea is a wonderful album which very few people have ever heard (if indeed they even know who the Waterboys are). Fans of progressive folk rock (Jethro Tull, The Strawbs, Richard Thompson) should enjoy it a lot.