Tomorrow I start back to work after 73 days off. Where did all the time go? After 20 years of going to work at the same place I am not particularly anxious or overly excited about going back to work but once I am in the classroom the adrenalin does start to pump and my body goes into a rock and roll mode. Up to this point I haven't given any thought to what I may or may not do regarding my teaching assignment but I do hope to change a few things and be more flexible and spontaneous this year. After doing this gig for all these years I have concluded that teaching is an art form more than a science and creativity, flexibility, and spontaneity have, by default, become undervalued and passe. Tomorrow is a teacher duty day and I don't start actually start teaching until Wednesday. Our district starts much earlier than other districts because we take a week off at Thanksgiving and three weeks at Christmas.....My summer plans didn't turn out the way I had planned due to my back issues which plagued me all summer but I can't complain because most folks are lucky to get two to three weeks off a year. This was the first summer in a long time that I didn't go on a big camping trip so I kind of feel like I haven't been on vacation yet. Kind of weird how that is. Today is my last day of vacation and I don't have any big plans except to go to see my physical therapist and the dentist and maybe see a movie this afternoon. Thinking about seeing Stardust. I am a sucker for fantasy flics and the reviews on Rottentomatoes were favorable for the most part. Congratulations to Barry Bonds and Tiger Woods, the two greatest athletes of times... Looking forward to football season. I don't expect much from the St. Louis Rams but my USC Trojans are primed and pumped to make a run at the National Championship again. Not making any predictions because they have some tough road games this years but their defense is scary looking and they are loaded with talent. Coach Pete Carroll will have them ready to go but am concerned that since they are the front runner they might get too overconfident at some point in the season and college football is tricky because all it takes is losing one game at the wrong time of the season and your chance to win it all go out the window...Getting philosophical....Life is good...short...strange at times...up and down...cyclical rather than linear...and always unpredictable...It's the nature of the beast...