My day really really really really sucked.

And I can't even point to any one thing. There was nothing explosive in there, nothing to explain the crying spell as soon as I started to drive home. There were only the usual things, and I complain so often that I feel the telling has been worn smooth by use. Here's the list anyway:

There's the ongoing avoid-the-crazed-harpy rhumba that's been going on for a month and siphons off my sleep, relaxation & peace of mind. There's the oh-my-God-I'm-nearly-hatched anxiety that comes from being 8 months pregnant and lacking everything I need (and I'm not talking about a cream-coloured BabyGap ensemble with little lace-up Doc Martens, I'm talking about a cradle, a car seat, diapers & a safe place to live). There's the why-am-I-wasting-my-time-at-my-job concern, which is the same thing that nagged me the month before I got married. There's the physical grind of being very pregnant (heartburn, sciatica, back pain, hurrah!) There's the looming fact of the provincial Literacy Test taking place tomorrow & Thursday, which at least 1/3 of my students are going to fail. There's the car, which is starting to require massive transfusions of cash and put me in doubt as to whether or not I'll reach my destination alive. There's the fact that no one listens to me in the English office. There's the stress of keeping my files up-to-date for the next person.

Is it any wonder that I'm getting a head cold? Or that I experienced little starbursts at the edge of my vision as I taught a lesson this afternoon?

I can easily tell what's the worst thing, though. I have to live my life like a mouse. We creep around, avoiding all noise, and still the aggressive screaming & banging continues. I'm starting to feel like a squashed hat.

One good thing: I've gone up two professional categories which means that I'll get paid more (as well as a fat little chunk of back pay). Solvency, here I...oh, never mind. I'll be on the pogey in a month. The mamapogey, which is not necessarily any more grand than the regular kind.