April came early this year

Let me say that one more time.

April came early this year. Waaaaaay too early.

How'm I gonna make it through the real April?

Exhibit A: S.'s oldest and closest friend died last week.

Exhibit B: Insanity in the department. People fall apart in April, yes, I know, but March? Must we be early with this?

There's more, I know there is, but the April fog has me all kinds of confused. Thing is, Exhibit B covers so much, but of course I'm not gonna dooce myself. Heh. Dooce as a verb. I like it.

But the teaching these days is so damn good. In both classes. I can't really even say which one I like better. But the combination of the two of them in the same semester--one on the personal essay and one on life writing--is exhilarating. I have so many ideas for essays I want to write. I just need to find hours at a time to sit down and do it. On that last point, let me recommend to you my colleague's new memoir: Talking Out of School: Memoir of an Educated Woman by Kass Fleisher. I haven't finished it yet, but the first half has made me want to write in order to continue her project of challenging what we think of as traditional knowledge. What do we make of the stuff we know not from facts or record books but from acts of imagining?

Can't wait for her to come to class next week. Even though it will officially be April.