I’m having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week so far, and it’s only Tuesday. Students, an unannounced painter invasion, continual disruptions, last minute room changes, exams, marking, reporting… grump. I’ve cried about school for the first time this year. Twice in two days. I don’t think I cried about school in 2008. I was very in control and organised. I was wondering why I was struggling this year, until I realised that *this* year I have less time to do more things, like writing Year 12 units and all assessment, etc. And I’m visiting friends, reading more christian books and doing Illustration Friday, in an attempt to have a life outside of school. It’s brilliant, except the part where admin tells me It’s Not Good Enough Not To Meet Deadline And You Were Too Abrupt On The Phone, or I discover my classroom and staffroom is now fenced off and reeking of paint and dust and industrial noise, or I get kicked out of the new classroom they said was free, or every single student in year 8 decides today is the day to experiment with the games of Whinge Artist, I’m A Little Stirrer, Make Me, or Ganging Up On Teacher (which they’re not supposed to know until Year 10!), and I stay back at school for *two hours* writing referrals on them, and I cry at school.

On the up side, I have started listening to an unabridged audiobook of Pride and Prejudice, and the scene where Lizzy and Darcy first go head-to-head, making out each others’ characters, *finally* makes sense. It never did, you see, until I heard the whole discussion about Bingley’s character preceding it. *That’s* why Darcy says her fault is to willfully misunderstand people! Anyway, the bit where Darcy decides he’s far too attracted to her and must now ignore her was very amusing.