Day 28 - Starting to Panic

It's that time of the semester again.  You can feel the building anxiety and panic from the instant you walk in the front doors of the school.  In legal research and writing, I started to experience the crippling fear of running out of time associated with the month of November.  I've got an appellate brief due in two short weeks and I will need every last moment of free time to complete it.  The only times that do not count as "free" out side of school are a daily hour for exercise and a weekly episode of Glee.  So if I'm not in class or doing one of those two things, make sure I am writing my appellate brief!  Please!

My stress level stayed around a 9 (of 10) through my Tots tap and Jazz class.  I REALLY try to not let them know that today isn't the best day of my whole entire life.  I want them to learn to love dancing as much as I did at their age.  They deserve to have a teacher who is enthusiastic and supportive of their efforts, even if my mind is concurrently working out the elements of Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress as they do leaps across the floor.

I have to say, though, by the time I was done teaching my advanced tap class, I was downright jolly.  I really have a fun group of girls in that class and they don't seem to mind a little bit of teasing.  I am really going to push them hard in terms of technique so they can be ready to compete by next year, but I also want to keep things light-hearted enough that they don't burn out before the year is over.

After gobbling down a plate of spaghetti (with whole wheat noodles), I headed to the gym.  I have got to stop going right at 7PM.  I had really wanted to just run tonight, but EVERY treadmill was taken!  There were a few elliptical machines open, but I tend to think of the elliptical as the last resort.  I could be VERY mistaken, but the people who frequently use the elliptical don't seem to make much progress towards their fitness goals.  I like to pattern myself after people who get results.

Instead of just leaving (as I may have done a month ago), I decided to give the rowing machine a try.  The dudes who use it are always RIPPED, so I figured it must do something right.  After about 10 minutes, a treadmill became available and I decided to switch.  I think I'll need someone to show me proper rowing machine technique because it felt like it was really straining my knees.

I had only 30 minutes to finish whatever remaining exercise I was going to do.  I had to make it home in time for Glee!  I decided to put in three miles on the treadmill and call it good for the day.  Note to self: allow at least 20 more minutes for digestion on spaghetti night.  A belly full of noodles and bouncing on a treadmill do not and should not mix.  I missed the first few minutes of Glee, but thankfully it didn't affect my viewing experience too terribly.  For those Gleeks out there, did any one else LOVE that Teenage Dream number?!

I'm heading to bed early tonight with the goal of waking up at 5 tomorrow, doing both my Employment and Constitutional law reading before Pilates (with weights), doing Pilates (with weights), and then spending the rest of the morning researching for my appellate brief until class starts.  If all goes as planned, I will deserve some sort of chocolate.