UPCOMING APPEARANCES: None!

It's about that time.

Time to shift into PARK and put the car in the driveway for a while. Time to quit worrying about what I've done with my itinerary, or whether the cell phone is charged, or which route to take to get to the next stop. Time to eat dinner with my family. Time to look at the familiar birds of Virginia, not the strange birds of other states. Time to stop punching the "seek" button on the radio in a desperate attempt to get something that's not a six-song block of Rush or the latest quavery Whitney-wanna-be or someone using Liberal as an expletive. Time to cut back on caffeinated sugar-free fizzy water. Time to quit depending on the cruise control button. Time to set my alarm for the same time every morning. Time to talk about someone's book other than my own.

Time to teach.

I've been in schools practically my whole life. I entered the classroom for first grade in 1969 and didn't come out for more than a summer at a time until 1985. The next year was so bewildering that I rushed right back to school in 1987 and stayed there, first as student and then as teacher. It's very strange to go six months without a class.

I've had a great six months. During the spring and summer, I saw people, places, and things that I'll never forget. My career prospects have been enhanced, my writing goals have been brought closer and closer, my palate has been delighted by sensations it's never known before, and my life list has grown by dozens of species. I've been absorbing experiences for half a year now, and I feel as though I'm pushing back from a mighty repast; now it's time to unbuckle my belt and quit swallowing for a while. Maybe I'll sit on the sofa and catch some football...

But no, I know what I'll do. Come Wednesday, I'll be here at my desk, and one by one a few juniors will straggle in, wondering why they have to know anything about American drama. And for the next eight months, I'll tell them. The leaves will turn, the snow will fall, the mud will be tracked all over my floor, and my students will write and argue and read and mispronounce words and laugh and write some more. And I'll teach.

It's about that time.
2:06 PM

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