Rain Rain, Don't Go Away!

The New Year is awash in rain, which I suppose will wash all the remnants of the old one away into the Pacific Ocean. This is a good thing, as long as it isn't so heavy that the roads and streets and houses flood and slip from their foundation into the canyons. It is good too because when the inspector comes to the new house on Weds., he will find leaks, if they are there. And if he finds no leaks, we will feel more secure, given the big windows in the place, the major part of its charm, but also, potentially, its weak point, structurally speaking.
I am gearing myself up to return to work. Once I am in the classroom, all doubts will disappear, but for some reason, probably because I am starting my new position later this month at CSU, I feel apprehensive this time. The beginning of each new semester is a little like dating a new person, though in real life it has been forever since I had to do such a thing in real life, and even then, I didn't really date much, per se. But I am comfortable enough talking to new people that I quickly catch my bearings, and the semester is off with a lurch, a roller coaster that speeds and drops and slows at the very end of a long semester.
I resolve (again, since this is my second New Year of the year, after Rosh Ha Shanah in the fall) to give less homework and to ease up on the students, doing more in class exercises and keeping things in perspective.