Snow Day #5 - and I AM Going In!

I am thankful that I was able to stay at home safe and sound yesterday for our fourth snow day. I am also going to go to work today during our fifth snow day because staying at home reminded me how much I do not like surprise days off without plans. I have no idea what I will be doing during the 30 minutes that I have scheduled for each class - I may just chuck it all in and open the store for that time - each class can come in and shop during their music therapy time. I may figure something else out, but I am going in!

I have many co-workers who do not understand my preference for working on inclement weather days to staying at home. I'm not exactly sure myself why I would rather be doing things than getting under the covers and hibernating on bad weather days. I've never been off the inclement weather staff list. My biggest motivation is the promise of scheduled time off when I want it later on. Right now, though, I am starting to have some difficulty finding time to schedule off. I think I'll try the whole "half-day" Friday thing again this year. That didn't work very well for me last year, but we'll see. I could work from 9-2 and take some time in the morning and the afternoon for my inclement weather time. The opportunities are endless, but it means that I get to plan some time away from work because I have already worked!

Today should be pretty easy. The sun came out yesterday afternoon, so much of the ice that landed here is already scraped off of surfaces. The road conditions seem to be pretty typical for this time of year, so I'll go in carefully and slowly. My cell phone is fully charged, and I have extra blankets, clothing, and medications in my car - just in case.

Once at work, I'll start my day by figuring out if a shop day would be a good option for my students. We could open the store, do a bit of shopping, lounge in the music therapy room until time was up, and then send everyone back to their inclement weather schedule. I really need some time talking to my interns for their supervision times, but I'm not sure how that will work as part of the schedule that I will have this morning.

I just really want a regular week at this point.

Oh, a regular week. That would be a novelty at this point. We've had three weeks in a row now where we've had some sort of inclement weather schedule interruption. This is the first time we've had two snow days in a row for this winter season, and we cannot have another day tomorrow since it is Saturday.

My main problem with this entire process is that I like my schedule and my routine. I enjoy knowing who I am going to see each day, and inclement weather just messes with that predictability! I now know what my schedule is going to be for today, and it will probably mean more client interaction than usual for a Friday. Ten sessions, back to back, and full of kids who also do not do well with changes in schedules and routines. This will be the second day in a row of changes, and that usually means more short tempers and crankiness - from us all! I see my job as a person to help navigate through those cranky moments and then keep those bad moods in the music therapy room, sending others off into the snow day with better attitudes. Sometimes I can get that accomplished, other times - not so much.

For now, though, I am going to go through my morning routine, try my best to stay here as long as possible, and then go carefully to work. I will start off a bit earlier than I've been trying to lately because of the ice, but I will not start off too early. I will see what this day brings, and I will start to plan my time off. I now have 32 hours to play with and 13 weeks to plan things in...hmm...