Au revoir, August (and not a minute too soon!)

God, August was an awful, awful month. Things were incredibly stressful for all kinds of reasons at work, which I won't get into. Suffice to say, I am actually looking FORWARD to classes starting, so that I won't have to deal with portfolio review and registration issues. I am sad that the month is over because summer didn't start until the third week of June (literally, not just theoretically or chronologically), and now...it's pretty much done with. OTOH, I can hope that September is more pleasant. In August, I stopped seeing my therapist of four years, wasn't able to begin seeing my new therapist except for two intake/informational sessions, suffered through my first OB/GYN appointment in four years, had my first mammogram and discovered that I have the beginning of cataracts (does the fun ever stop?!), endured the wrath of a particularly difficult (and ungrateful) student and his parents at work, saw my favorite yoga teacher leave and another arrive who is...er...not so good (and the lack of participants in the class indicate this), had a terribly stressful three-hour appointment with a financial planner (very nice, but the news was no good), learned that my play would NOT be put on in September, due to a lack of cast and crew members (though March 06 is the new scheduled date), and went to an audition on Tuesday night that I had high hopes for that will probably result in ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. And these are just personal items. What about the out-of-control gas prices ($3.19 a gallon? I may never be able to fill my lowly Kia gas tank again!), increasing numbers of dead troops in Iraq and Hurricane Katrina's ravaging of Louisiana and Mississippi? I'm trying to see the light in the August tunnel, and aside from the fact that, thankfully, my appointments didn't turn up anything terrible, there ain't much to rejoice over. Or, frankly, anything.

Maybe this month will bring some much-needed good news. Maybe all the relief efforts will help the hurricane-ravished south and no more soldiers will die in Iraq. (I can't see the latter happening, but one can dream) Maybe my sister in Florida's move into her new home will go more smoothly than it has to date (closing is tomorrow and they can't move in for at least another two weeks). Maybe her husband will finally feel better (he's been sick for two months) and my other brother-in-law's medical issues will end. Maybe my parents will find lots of substitute teaching positions, and I'll get the five percent raise I asked for. Maybe I will feel motivated to write a new play and someone, somewhere, will take one of the plays I've already submitted it and accept it into a festival. Maybe I will even get cast in one of the November SlamBoston plays. Maybe my new therapist and I will have some productive CBT time and I'll feel as if I've made good progress on my anger management issues and anxiety. Maybe I won't feel compelled to spend money as often as I do, and I'll continue to make positive strides on the eating front. Maybe I'll even get a date...naah, I've asked for enough already. It's clear that August was full of pain for far too many people; please let September bring some comfort, contentment, and success. And just maybe the Red Sox will clinch the pennant (they are currently 3 1/2 games ahead of the Yankees) and Red Sox nation will rejoice.

I'll keep you posted...