Today, mimi flies home after two full weeks on the road. The days have been a blur of essay reading and presentation, first as a reader for the AP English Language and Comp exam, then as a trainer for AVID. Now, 1,981 essays (yes, you read that right) and four days of workshops later, I am packing my trusty sapphire Lands’ End lighthouse rolly suitcase for the last time.

At first, the travel was quite the adventure. Teachers rarely go anywhere–even less so these days, with school budgets in the shape they are–so initially, all this travel seemed like it would be fun. And it was. Don’t get me wrong; it was fun to visit Louisville and Atlanta and do things I never do that often, like watch the movies I want to watch without any flak from the fams. But the blessed solitude wears off after a while. Cabin fever sets in when you’re the only one in the hotel room and you don’t know a huge number of people. Downtown Atlanta seems downright creepy after dark since no one’s on the streets (guess Orlando’s not the only city with an invisible curfew).

But that’s all in the past. My packed suitcase and I are looking forward to a burrito at Moe’s in the Hartsfield Airport before I board the plane, a quick hop home to OIA, and a smiling family waiting for me at the other end.

But RWA National is next week, so I’ll just have to wash everything, repack, and fly out on Tuesday. How do these corporate road warriors do it?