shouldn't have to

After taking two days away from work, I notice it is difficult to go back.  This year I have felt my enthusiasm waning for work, which is funny because so far it has been comparatively better.  With C on mat leave there is less conflict, and some of my most difficult and time consuming students have either moved away or gotten healthier.  (I hope this lasts.)  And yet, for whatever reason, I'm wanting to stay home and avoid everything.  Today I am meant to return after two days of lieu time, and I'm wishing I didn't have to.

Today will be wholly dedicated to administrative garbage (course selection for next year) which keeps kids who need counselling out of the office.  This enormous waste of resources leaves me frustrated every year at this time.  I wonder why the hell this is a counsellor's job rather than a clerk's job.  It isn't that I particularly mind the work - it's easy and mindless - but it prevents me from doing what I consider to be my actual job, counselling kids with mental health concerns.


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P's doctor called me yesterday afternoon and told me the surgery has gone well.  There are important results to come from a prognostic point of view, so that part remains uncertain.  But from the perspective of the surgical department, they are done and have done their job well.  This is good news.  P is in ICU until tomorrow, and then should be discharged if everything goes according to plan.

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Yesterday (with my second day off) I went to visit my chiropractor about my sore knee.  It has been improving lately, but I have no way to know if that's because of the things he is doing or if it's just because time has passed and I have adjusted the things I do at the gym to put less stress on it.  There are parts of these appointments I enjoy, mostly the stretching/pulling/twisting/adjusting parts. Although it is almost always uncomfortable, there is something very satisfying about having the chiropractor pull my leg in weird directions and coo to himself about how wonderful that is.  The part I don't like is the exercises he gives me, which are often so complex that I am halfway convinced when I try to do them at home I will end up injuring myself further.

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