The Back to Work Dream

I was walking my dog this morning when I met a school custodian. He told me he dreaded going back to work. He had to go to a meeting a few days ago and had an awful dream about being back at work. It's not hard for me to imagine that a lot of teachers are having the same dream and/ or feelings.

I don't dread going back to work. I don't know what's wrong with me. I used to dread it when I first started. It was like when I was a kid. Oh my gosh the summer can't possible be over. Where has it gone? I mean, it was right there, but I woke up this morning and here I was at school. There must be some form of appeal.

Nonetheless, I'm not quite in the mode principals always seem to think we should be in. "It's great to see you all back and re-energized! I can't wait to get back to work, and I know you can't either!" I have heard so many variations of that speech. I wonder if they learn that in administrator school. Pro tip--it's unpersuasive. It just provokes groans and cynicism. I'm not sure what I'd say. Probably welcome back, and please let me know if I can do anything to support you. My door is always open. That's a better approach, even though we all know the door is frequently closed.

I suppose I am philosophical. This is my job so I'd better go do it. Man, am I lucky to have a substantial break, unlike most working Americans. I hope working Americans start to see if would be good if they were to have a break too. That's much better than having them lobby to take mine away. What with Trump in the White House, that's not likely. I mean, it's OK for him to spend 163 days playing golf, but not us. Funny times indeed.

My job keeps me incredibly busy. When I'm working, I sometimes think about what I'd be doing if I were off. Because I've grown so incredibly unambitious and unimaginative, that often entails walking my dog. This summer, I've walked him so much that he's starting to get sick of me. He tells me I'm taking this walking stuff way too far. He's been especially strong on that point when it's hot and humid. He keeps looking at me with eyes that say, "Jeez, when are you gonna go back to work? Things were fine until you started hanging out here every day." It's hard suffering through that sort of criticism from your best pal, but he seems to know what's best for both of us.

I have a summer project I'm working on. I bought a new Macbook a week ago to replace the one I've had for ten years that works some times but not others. It came with a professional recording program called Logic Pro X. I listened to Union Maid, Woody Guthrie's anthem about joining the ladies' auxiliary to support your union man and decided it needed an update for Janus. I wrote new words and recorded it. I played and sang harmony vocals with myself. It turns out my voice is very compatible with my voice so we harmonized well. Then I tried to add reverb to the vocals and fiddles. There are half a dozen different ones and they all sound like you're stuck on the bottom of the Grand Canyon. I can't figure out how to turn it down. That's odd because whenever I've used reverb on an amplifier, the only adjustment there was was up or down.

I've checked books and videos. I bought Logic Pro X for Dummies, and it turns out I'm too far-gone a dummy to follow it. I watched a guy name Composer Dad sit with his two kids constantly interrupting him and he managed to make the adjustment I'm looking for. But he has an older version of the software and the knob he used to do it doesn't appear on my newer version. I called a music teacher from my school who knows the program. It turns out he's in Spain, but rather than eat tapas, he took a few minutes and made me do a screenshot. Turns out he has the older version too. Another friend had me send him the file, and says he'll get to it when he gets to it.

I will be relieved to go back to work. It's really tough for me to be stuck in one place and unable to find a way out. I know there's a simple solution to this. When my music teacher friend comes back from Spain I'm pretty sure he'll look at it and solve the problem in one minute. Meanwhile I'm in way over my head.

I hope you are having a great summer and I want to remind you it's still not over! Enjoy yourself. I'm going to reclassify my problem. I had previously deemed it serious but not impossible. Until further notice, I'm calling it impossible but not serious. That's more accurate anyway.

Hope you are avoiding nightmares and doing something fun. If and when I finish this recording I'll post it here with lyrics.