Above the Smog

This is my first night back at work since December 19th, and after my time away I find that the air smells especially clean and the stars shine especially bright up here in the hills. We're above the nasty layer of particulate matter that forms during long periods of no rain, and the light pollution mostly only hinders my stargazing when I look to the north and northeast.

I wish it would rain though. This has been one of the driest years in memory, so much so that sometimes I expect the air itself to crumble to the earth in an avalanche of dust. That said, I'm sure most of the country would disagree, with their blizzards and lethal windchill. Everything is milder in California.

We have more kids at camp this week than ever before, with not one but two extra cabin rooms added. That's 13 cabins full of fifth graders. They're sweet kids, exhibiting the usual sort of charming helplessness expected from modern 10 and 11 year olds. One girl got stuck in her jacket, while a boy ended up having no idea which cabin he'd moved into earlier in the day (although he is a special day class kid, and seems to operate at the level of a 4 or 5 year old). I only have to wake up two kids for middle of the night bathroom breaks though. Sometimes I have to wake up as many as five. One of the teachers opined that this increase in nocturnal incontinence is due to a societal increase in babying our offspring. Could be. These kids would have had trouble if they'd grown up as part of an earlier generation.

It's good to be back, although as usual for the first night of the work week, I'm spending around 24 hours awake as I adjust back to my nocturnal schedule for the majority of January. Starting at the end of the month, I'll be back in the field for most of the rest of the school year, hiking and teaching kids. That will mean a more human sleep schedule.

Currently listening to: Current 93 "A Little Menstrual Night Music"