I feel like I'm back in college

I am wiped out.

"You had a really rough week, Tim," a co-worker told me.

I didn't even consider that, but it's true. Some people are really good at declaring if something is the worst day/month/year ever. They do it all the time on Facebook. I usually ignore those assertions, because they are, at best/worst, hyperbolic.

But it was a rough week. My worst ever? It's hard to tell, and I don't like claiming those kind of final stamps on anything.

At the same time, it's been a good week tempered with some pretty horrible bits:

I had food poisoning, which put everything in my life on hold for a good 2 1/2 days. It was awful. Truly awful.

Then, on my way to the Andrew Bird concert at First Ave in Minneapolis, I was rear-ended on the interstate. The catch is that I was driving my parents' new car. I won't explain all the details of the circumstance, but it was a trying time.

The next day, I drove throughout the Twin Cities in the cruddy winter storm. One of those storms where it takes people triple the amount of time it would normally take to get anywhere. I drove back to Lanesboro the following morning, and that was tricky to navigate the roads (they weren't too bad, but it was tougher than usual).

Great thing though: meeting up with some college friends and professors at the Christmas Concert. Oh boy, that was a wonderfully meditative concert.

On top of that I've been scurrying to learn the songs "Baby, It's Cold Outside" and "I'd Give It All For You" that I sang with another co-worker for a holiday dinner dance. That was stressful to juggle for more reasons than I care to admit.

All that's over now. Whew. I can rest, right?

Don't think so.

Here's what I've got going on next:

• Lead two sessions on Facebook:
• Facebook for beginners (tomorrow)
• Facebook pages for businesses (Tuesday)
• Have an "artistic evaluation/check-in" with the artistic director (tomorrow)
• We'll be discussing my work in the past year and the continued work for 2011
• Attend the final class for "Power Auditions" (tomorrow night)
• I can't believe I haven't been blogging about this. Perhaps I will summarize it one of these days. But we all know that's a likely empty promise. You never know though.
•  Business as usual
• Continue marketing work and normal duties at the theatre (it's a busy, busy season; we're selling season passes and large crowds are coming to see Little Women)
• Grad School Preparation
• I've got to arrange for some more private auditions. I've gotten a bit behind on this work, but it has been steady through the fall so far, so I'm not too concerned about it.

I made a to do list last week and it freaked me out how all over the place it had become. I usually make lists for work and that keeps me on track (mostly), but this particular one was reminiscent of college. Not only were there the regular coursework lists, but I had extra-curricular duties among other odds and ends that appeared. For the first time since graduating (in May 2009), I feel like I'm back there.

So what am I doing instead of this work and prep? Writing on this silly thing.

I just came across an interesting project called Reverb 10. This is a website project devoted to the month of December that gives voice to the reverberations a person has felt during this year. It also calls forth to the possible reverberations one may continue to have in 2011. I want to participate. I may use this blog as a platform (we shall see).

I've had a dearth of writing lately all year, and this seems like an excellent project. But if I don't start now, I'll never catch up. Here is a list of the prompts so far. They get you thinking. I hope to do at least one entry tonight amidst all the chaos. But I also want to lie on the couch and watch Elf.

Wish me luck.