Back in the saddle

My colleague (and next door neighbor) took a spill two weeks ago on the ice that crusts the campus, and his fall produced a broken rib and a superficially punctured lung. He's recovering well and should be back soon. In the meantime, I am covering some of his FRESHMEN classes. Last week, I challenged them to make him cards. I left their messages and designs to their creative ceilings. In the process, I ended up explaining what "Back in the saddle again," means. It wasn't something I promoted, just something worth teaching as a phrase of future reference. As it turned out, about 80% of the cards have that ridiculous sentiment written somewhere on them. And speaking of ridiculous...

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It's 14 degrees outside...

...and I'm not bothered by it.

I'm back in Harbin and have been for a month.

The summer was long but difficult. Two deaths in the family. Road trips. A slump in support. A lost passport and visa.

So, with those memories still refusing to go away, 14 degrees doesn't make me flinch.

I'm glad to be here in my socks. In my apartment. In my dorm. In my campus.

And I'm hoping to blog once again. When I don't write, part of me retreats.