Oh, Internet. How I’ve missed you.
Let me tell you, I’ve had quite a week. The first week of May is always a terrible one for me, at least for the last few years. It is actually the busiest week of my entire year. Those of you who know me in the “Real World” (I’m in Season 27, how about you?) know that by day, I masquerade as my alter-ego, the instructional technology consultant. Or the academic technologist. Or the learning consultant. Or whatever version of that title I happen to respond to on any given day. Anyway, I work for a university and during the first week of May, myself and dozens of others like me (we are legion), put on a campus-wide conference and offer workshops on various technological and pedagogical issues and solutions to faculty and staff. It’s fun. It’s enlightening. And it is tiring as hell.
I have so much respect for classroom teachers, such as the delightful Patti from Palate of Patti. It’s exhausting to be up in front of 30 people, trying to teach something most of them consider to be completely alien to them while simultaneously trying to engage both the quick learner and the slightly slower to catch up, whilst still minding your time limits. And doing it for hours. During a normal week, my voice is strained.
But this week was even better. Because I got the flu the Saturday before. So that’s great, y’know. Losing my voice, being exhausted. Having to do all the regular duties of my job on top of giving 4 workshops, assisting 2 others and helping to host several large social events and on top of that, the cherry to my sundae of doom, as it were, feeling like complete an utter crap despite sleeping ten to twelve hours a night because I could not stay awake.
Good times. Continue reading →