Holy Pre-Registration, Batman

Holy Week is not getting off to the best of starts, largely because it's a semi-official occasion/recognized calendar event, and these always add pressure that makes Learner feel like he should be doing something different in his life as a result. Unfortunately, Learner doesn't really feel like he's doing anything different (fasting, praying, etc.) than he wouldn't do any other week, so he's frustrated with himself. This compulsion, he says, is why he hates holidays - the sense of expectation he places on himself just eats his lunch.

On another front, today is when Learner is due to pre-register for his next year of classes. Several anxieties are playing havoc with his head, primarily who he's going to get for Hebrew (the word on campus is that one prof is great; the other, well, not so great). As Learner is poor at languages, who the teacher is could make an enormous difference in his success/failure, and he's envisioning going in today at 5 p.m. for his scheduled appointment and being told that the guy before him got the last slot with the good prof.

Other scheduling complications include trying to set a schedule that incorporates the hours from a possible local teaching opportunity that he hasn't even applied for (The Renaissance Man is the link on this one). In addition, the other school to which Learner has applied to teach next year won't return his email or voicemail, so he's unclear as to even what the schedule might be there, let alone whether or not he'll even get an interview at all.

To top it off, Learner is due to get his Gospels exam back sometime today, and this is not helping his patience today. Whether he did well or not, he just wants to know; it's the waiting that kills him.

Finally, he and Mrs. Learner had a discussion/disagreement last night about the topic that always sets him off - money - and he's in a bit of a funk over that. When Mrs. Learner asked him why he was so upset, Learner tried to explain his mentality that, if things are so tough for them, how much worse it must be for so many millions/billions of others who are so worse off. This, he said, is why money bothers him so much - he feels so helpless to do anything of significance in his own situation, let alone for those who need it more than he does (i.e. those who won't eat this week), that he just wants to give up.

I told him that wouldn't be a good idea as he would then leave me with no new material to blog.

"Great, Tychicus" he said. "Another opportunity to let someone down."

Whups.