Looking forward to the middle

So, today is one of those days where I kind of know what I want to blog about and I've thought about it some... but then I realize that I should be going to bed soon, so I should put my thoughts down and turn in. It is nice that it's okay for a blog entry to be the embodiment of the words that spill out of my brain. Yes, I want to write about interesting thoughts and things, but if I ramble, I ramble. It's not like I'm writing for a newspaper.

This past week was definitely a long one. Even though RA training was only half-days on Tues-Thurs & full days Fri-Sat, there was an abundance of things to do. Preparing spaces for new transfer students, finishing conduct letters, and of course coordinating all the logistics with training - it's a lot to have on our plate. Fortunately, there was nothing scheduled today, so it was definitely a day to rest and recoup.

I kind of think of the semester in three parts: the beginning, the middle, and the end. The beginning is, of course, helping everyone (RAs & residents alike) learn the ropes of the building and of campus. RAs go through their first incidents and we start planning out things for the semester. On the flip side, the end is celebratory as well as wrapping up all loose ends before everyone disperses for a while. In the fall semester, the end included some closing banquets, some students moving out, and going through rooms to make sure none of the pipes would burst from an unattended open window. Of course, the end of the spring semester will feel like a more momentous end period because basically everyone is moving out and taking a much longer break.

Then there's the middle. Unlike the beginning or the end, there's not a clear event to highlight the middle - it just is. People know what they are doing, they deal with new challenges but have experiences to refer to, and ideally, they hit their stride. Switching over to a video game analogy, the middle is when I would get sucked into side quests. I would know the ropes with controls and how to best the challenges, but I wouldn't feel compelled to wrap up the main story or face the big ol' meanie of a final boss. There are moments when my brain goes on auto-pilot, but there's still variety in what I can do.

You can't really say that one time of the semester is better than the others. The beginning is exciting but stressful, the middle can be more relaxed but also more tedious, and the end can be celebratory but really busy. However, as I was sitting in my apartment today, I found myself looking forward to the middle of the semester. Two of my new RAs are busy with a theatre production and so I'm looking forward to all of my new people knowing the ropes of the position and not have weeks where every evening is already completely spoken for. I'm also looking forward to seeing the new residents connect with the guys that have been here since August rather than feeling like an outsider. I'd like to hope that some of that is already happening from this past weekend.

Today's holiday was A Room of One's Own Day, which was very fitting, since I spent the whole day in my apartment. I just had the thought that roommates could make for a good future blog topic. It would have been nice if I could have gotten more done, but I still have a few nights to really kick things into gear. Here's hoping things go that way.

DFTBA.