Happenings and Adjustments

I think about blogging a lot more than I actually do... I should fix that.

Hank is adjusting rather well, considering he was shuffled around who knows how many times. We've got a little separation anxiety, but it consists more of mournful howling/braying when I am gone. My neighbors thus far are understanding, and/or uncaring as most of them are gone during the day as well. One neighbor informed me that the howling is a little less every day, so that's good to know. I am often wondering on my way home what I will need to clean up, but that seems to be more due to Simone engaging Hank in a game of chase... The cats haven't really warmed up to him yet, probably because he's just so big. That, and I'm sure they are a bit horrified by the noises coming out of his mouth. Simone got to the point that she will play a bit with Holden, but I think it will take longer with Hank. Baxter is pretty much completely freaked out and as far as I can tell, isn't eating as much as he should be. Then again, it is Bax, so I'm really not worried. He'll get over it. Having a dog also requires me to get more exercise than I usually would, and our morning and evening walks have already resulted in me losing 7 lbs. Funny how quickly it comes off when I'm not just sitting on the couch. HA!

Classes start after Labor Day, but I've been busy with my part of Welcome Week. I have apparently trained and encouraged my volunteers too much, since my usual stand-bys when I need assistance are busy as welcome-week ambassadors or working on the city ordinance campaign which has resulted in me doing a lot more manual labor and tedious tasks than I generally like. However, I'm used to be a one-woman-show, so picking up and doing it all isn't that unexpected. I've got a nice long weekend, which will be rather helpful in me really getting some rest and getting caught up on housework and such. It's a whole lot easier to get "Hank-ready" when I have learned what "Hank-ready" actually means.* I'm looking forward to getting my spare bedroom cleaned up and unpacked and organized a bit.

Tonight I guess I am doing a bit of work, as I've got a couple students coming over for dinner and a Sarah-lecture. By "Sarah-lecture" I really mean a discussion, as they've received ample leadership & activist training, but have yet to really understand concepts like "burn-out" and "self-care." Funny, national organizations don't really talk about that and if they do, they seem to talk about it in a not-so-helpful way. They do that sort of thing when you get to my level and we're talking more about professional development, but apparently not when you are in your early 20s and just starting out. So annoying.

*Really it just means that I need to eliminate items that Simone can knock off of things in the event of a chase...