The Overwhelming Feeling of Work

It's the first real bulging full-time week back at work in months. I feel a bit overwhelmed. As usual, I have accepted to work a few too many hours than are comfortable but the job offers never come in the right order to make the "perfect" schedule. Such are the hazards of freelance work!

The new year brings new challenges and requires brushing up on old material. There are new colleagues, old spaces, a mixture of more-or-less enthusiastic students and my annual confrontation with language: how does it make sense to others and how can I make it interesting.

I am burning the midnight oil to get ready with lesson plans, syllabus and a bunch of books and photocopies in several different folders, all under the light of my glowing computer screen.