Finishing up my quest for time during the week. The latter half of the week was unusual due to my birthday, a broken car, and a trip to Buffalo.

Thursday

6:00-8:30 feed cat, make/eat breakfast and coffee, grading, email, get ready for the day

8:30-10:00 walk to school, meet with Derek and Joe

10:00-10:30 make copies, work on unit two plans

10:30-11:00 gather/organize stuff, walk to library

11:00-1:00 tutor in the APC

1:00-1:30 walk back to office, eat lunch

1:30-2:00 prepare for lab

2:00-3:30 lead lab guided study, gather stuff for home

3:30-5:30 eat snack, call/text/send messages thanking people for birthday cards/wishes/gifts

5:30-6:30 back and forth calls with mom about dinner plans, find out dad’s car broke down getting me a pastry, revise evening plans

6:30-7:30 drive home to be with family for birthday dinner

7:30-8:00 email, online shopping

8:00-8:30 pick up dad from dealership

8:30-10:00 birthday dinner and presents with family

10:00-11:00 dad prepares car for trip to Buffalo

11:00-11:30 drive back

11:30-12:30 begin packing, get cat care stuff ready for my parents

12:30-6:00 sleep

Friday

6:00-9:30 feed cat, make coffee/breakfast, grade, pack, get ready

9:30-10:00 walk to library

10:00-11:00 UWC meeting

11:00-11:30 walk back, give mom cat care directions

11:30-12:00 eat lunch, finish packing

12:00-1:00 grade, enter grades

1:00-8:00 drive to Buffalo

8:00-12:00 order pizza, hang out, watch movies

12:00-9:00 sleep

Saturday

9:00-10:30 lazing about, getting ready for the day

10:30-5:00 trip to the Cider Mill and neighboring graveyard for fall delights and pumpkin purchasing, exploration of Allentown by foot (book store and antique shops), lunch, venturing to downtown Buffalo a la pie

5:00-6:30 attempted to watch a story from “fright classic” DVD, checked email

6:30-8:30 walk/wait for dinner

8:30-9:00 walk back

9:00-12:00 watch horror movies

12:00-8:00 sleep

Sunday

8:00-11:00 get ready, pack, search/walk for breakfast places in the area, general lazing

11:00-12:00 causal breakfast

12:00-12:30 walk back

12:30-1:00 prepare the car for travel

1:00-7:30 drive back to Michigan

7:30-9:00 unpack, put away laundry and groceries, prepare living space for the upcoming week

9:00-12:00 grading, lesson planning, homework, catching up on email, development of conference presentations for WIDE-EMU

12:00-5:00 sleep

Despite moments of near insanity in which I counted minutes in between obligations/doings that I could have filled with work, I found myself searching for “free” time during which my attention could be divided. The biggest waste of time is certainly during periods of transit; these times are almost torturous as you have the time/space/silence to think, but not the ability to record this work. Something I think I may want to try is more structured note taking on the go or in between to prevent idea evaporation. Another take-away, more blogging. It leaves a trace of work, can be short, can give the illusion of accountability. I think daily blogging may be an integral piece of working through my MA project (and developing myself as an active scholar).