I went camping with some friends from my old job this weekend.  It was only about 24 hours (I came back early because I'm supposed to be writing a paper), but it was great.  It was the usual magic of camping--lots of good conversation, gorgeous views, away from everything but the elemental stuff--preparing food, figuring out shelter.  I'm not the world's more outdoors-y person, but I make exceptions for stuff like this.  And the weather cooperated, which doesn't always happen.  It couldn't have been a prettier fall weekend.

We worked together for four years in the special ed department at a public school.  I didn't work directly with the kids, I was just the administrative assistant, but it was an amazing experience.  I learned so much about being "differently abled."  And if you want to meet some dedicated people, that's a good place to look.  The job itself ended up not being the right thing for me, but the people and the experience were solid gold.  I love getting together with them (has it really been three years since I quit?), and just sitting and listening to them tell stories about the kids and the hassles and the red tape and the joys.  And, true friends that they are, they seemed to be genuinely interested in trials and tribulations of graduate school, too.  It was a much needed break. 

So why am I sitting here instead of working on my paper?  Excellent question.  Off I go.  Send whatever paper-writing vibes you can muster this way. (topic? why, the ever-fascinating deconstructionist reading of Kafka's Metamorphosis.  Bet you're jealous.)  Hope you're having a nice weekend.  (It has occurred to me that maybe I should do shorter posts more often, so here is one.)