On Friday when we met returning students, they told us about The Wall. During the first semester, they said on a certain day you will hit this wall. They called this day Tuesday.

I wasn’t sure what they meant. I thought it was a nervous breakdown, a sense that you can’t handle it and you don’t belong, and you just want to go home. I’ve been feeling calmer as the week went on, so I thought I would be fine, I’d jump right over the wall. But now I find I’m too damn tired to jump.

And that’s what The Wall is.

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We finished Reading as a Writer today, and then had a meeting with our mentors to figure out the study plan for this semester. Chris and I barely came up with any reading ideas, but we both got a good sense of what I want to accomplish, where I want to be, with my writing when the semester ends. There’s plenty of other free time over the rest of the week, so we can figure out what I’m doing as far as craft annotations later.

This afternoon we had a pick of seminars, and I went to the panel on working in the book business. It wasn’t a quick and easy guide to getting published, but an overview of how the book business works and how an author has to exist within it – basically, play nice, and expect to market yourself.

Barbara Baig, the woman running the seminar, is also in charge of the Independent Study course I signed up for this semester, Art of the English Sentence. Another woman and I asked her about it, and it just sounds so fantastic: very informal, but also like I’ll have a chance to learn a lot about how to craft my sentences. I’m looking forward to doing her assignments.

It was an early end to the day today (I think the faculty is aware of The Wall) so now I plan to relax until Pat comes to visit. We’re apparently due for a monster of a storm tonight, so whatever remains of my energy will be put towards hoping Lesley doesn’t decide to close up tomorrow.

I wish, I wish, I wish…

Now I’m out.