Follow the NOGS

Some people think life is linear. Some think it’s circular. I think it’s a spiral, like one gigantic, infinite, quaking bedspring that vibrates you round & round till you’re spiraling off into the galaxy, all dreamy-eyed. Ray says I’m just procrastinating. I know I need to settle in and grade these 55 literary analysis research papers. But Ray doesn’t get that I’m wisely, intuitively, following the NOGS (Natural Order of the Great Spiral), so first…

I’ll make coffee. I can’t give students my most attentive, constructive comments, unless I’m fully caffeinated & alert. And because I make strong, dark, rich Italian roast in a slow-drip Chemex process (see 10/12/08 post), it could take a while. So while I’m waiting for the coffee…

I’ll clean my home office. My office is in one corner of a greenhouse on the south side of our house, and I can’t concentrate on the logic of students’ arguments amid chaos & clutter, so I’ll alphabetize my books, sort my blank paper by weight & color, shake out the lambskin on Yogi's doggy bed, clear and dust shelves, until I notice…

The windows need washing. Good light is essential for efficient grading and for the mood enhancement I’ll need to be a generous, objective grader. So I’ll mix up some ammonia water and just give the windows a quick rinse. While I’m in the kitchen putting the window-washing stuff away, I’ll pour some water over the coffee, and while the coffee’s brewing…

I’ll feed the peacocks. I’d never be able to concentrate knowing the peacocks are hungry, so I’ll just toss out some corn. But if I’m feeding the peas…

I may as well feed the cats. Snowball looks pregnant, so I’ll just leave some food out in the pyramid. And as long as I’m out here…

I should pull those weeds and mulch around the lavender. If I don’t do it now, the weeds will be harder to pull. Once I’ve got half that flower bed done…

I’ll check on the coffee. While it’s brewing, I’ll unload my backpack and bags, and sort my school stuff into piles—papers to grade, grade book and rosters, papers to return. Then, to make the grading go faster and more efficiently…

I’ll sort the research papers by class, alphabetize the pile for each class, and form three perfectly uniform piles of them on the office shelves I’ve cleared. I’m almost ready to start, so…

I’ll go back down to the kitchen and pour a cup of coffee. But I also need to put that chicken in the crockpot, and I should add sweet potatoes, parsnips, an onion, celery, and a red pepper, too, so I’ll just scrub & peel and get that going. Then…

I’ll top off my coffee, grab several colored pens & assorted highlighters from my backpack, and head back up to my office to settle in. But really…

It’s too late in the day to get a good start, so I think I’ll make a quick trip to Sioux City and check out those Keens on sale at Scheel’s. Because good arch support and heel shocks will help my posture, which I’ll need to prevent the “teacher’s neck” I could get from leaning over the desk as I grade. And you know…

Omaha’s not that far from Sioux City, and Mother’s Day’s coming, and I could just make a quick run down to the Souq in the Old Market, and then…