Day 2 - 278 -- Backed up Day from the Beginning

After a full day at the office, as I drove home I came upon a traffic jam -- well the local variety of a jam. I sat at an intersection for some time waiting to join the traffic headed over the bridge and through downtown. There was a constant stream of traffic. As the light at the end of the bridge turned red, traffic stopped back up the hill. When this happened, drivers did leave a space for those turning left to head out of town. I was in the lane to turn right. It lasted a full 5 minutes <smile> during which time I laughed out loud a couple of times, since I'd just spoken about this very thing with a friend from a larger city. So -- it does happen even in little towns like this. <grin>

At work, the spaces between meetings were consumed by extended meetings. This meant a late lunch after a lecture. I was tired all day -- slept through the alarm for the first time this term. It seems a bit early for this to occur, but there you have it. I woke long after the alarm --35 minutes before I was to be in the classroom. Interestingly, everyone I saw today seemed to be yawning and looking very weary. As I noted yesterday, the pace and stress level amped up this week and the effects go far beyond my little office. Meetings, lectures, grading, course prep -- it is all backing up. We are officially at the time when there is more to do than there are hours in the day -- as well as the time when meals, breathing breaks and such disappear in a puff of smoke.

The song chosen for today deals with the stress of backups. The singer/songwriter is a classic and his voice is liquid honey. I've chosen a fun live version of the song to share here. Enjoy!

Traffic Jam -- James Taylor