Closure

Sometime last week, I came to the realization that it was time to close out this past semester. I've been itching to get started on exciting new projects -- crafting a new syllabus, making headway on research -- and have had little enthusiasm for all the cleanup that needs to be done to put old projects to bed.

But it suddenly hit me: This is the last week of May. May is the beginning of the summer schedule for me, but it's also got one foot in the spring semester. We don't finish our official academic year's work until May 15. The last two weeks of the month could be thought of as a plunge into a new season. But they could also be a short respite before summer begins in earnest.

With that realization, I acquired an unexpected appetite for unfinished business. I picked up a knitting work-in-progress that had been dormant since late 2009. And I committed to bringing two large projects to completion at work -- editing a collection of essays I'd been putting off for months; and organizing my students' work on the parking project into a report that can be delivered to the administration. When June arrives next week, I'll have both of those tasks done and will be ready to enjoy the novelty of looking forward.