New semester

I love the start of a new semester, all the energy and hope from the students. That normally lasts about 2 weeks then they start skipping classes and putting off their work. This semester is really good becuase I just received my new apple ibook! I smile everytime I look at it. No longer will I have to lug an old departmental laptop with me to conferences. I will have freedom. No longer will I be a slave to whatever programs the conference computers have on them. I will be able to create presentations in what ever format i want and have the confindence I will be able to use them at conferences.
We actually don't start classes until Jan 17th, but the weeks leading up to the start of the semester are so full of hope, not only for the students but for the faculty. I organize my files and prepare for the sememster with such plans, then I get busy and that article I was working on gets put on the back burner and the proposal I was going to submit gets forgotten in my inbox. Yet I have hope!