That deer-in-the-headlights look

Back to school today! Only a few students missed my 9:00 class, but many wandered in a little late and sat looking like lumps on a log. I know how they feel: I've had a nagging headache all morning that I choose to blame on the weather. The rain started late last night and has not stopped yet, nor does the sky look particularly promising. Cold, wet, gray, icky: this weather makes me want to put my head down on the desk and close my eyes for a long, long time.

Yesterday was better--blue sky, mid-fifties, bracing breeze. I went for a walk away from the woods and I wore my bright red wool coat even though it was warmer than necessary because I wanted to look as un-deerlike as possible. Gun season starts today, but for weeks the hills have been alive with the sound of gunshots, which makes this a good time to work out at the rec center, where the chance of being mistaken for a deer is significantly reduced. Some public schools in the area cancel classes today because who would show up on the first day of deer gun season? Of course, these are the same schools noted for their annual gun raffles, when impressionable students learn that the best way to support education is Gambling for Guns.

So even if it's a lousy day to be an English professor, I'll just stay inside my warm, dry office and be glad I'm not a deer. Come to think of it, some of my students this morning had that familiar deer-in-the-headlights look, as if something really bright and scary were about to slam right into them. Look out! Finals week is on the way!