Still working on the rhythm...

31 August 2021: Got more done today than last Thursday, but still working on getting my TR rhythm down. Today's list had so many different things on it that it was hard to feel like I made good progress on any one area or project. But I'll take it.

"Right on Time," version 2

30 August 2021: Been humming this song since Saturday and also enjoying this version (as much as the first one). It's a good song for clearing your head a bit and feeling centered--and much needed today.

  

French toast...

29 August 2021: Started the day off with delicious French toast with caramelized apples prepared by Krista (with help from Erin, of course). The little visit with Erin and her family--not even 24 hours--was a lovely little break from so much of what has been on my mind and a reminder how blessed I am to have them so close. 

Brandi!

28 August 2021: 

[Catch-up post]

Erin and I saw Brandi at Wolf Trap last night. Amazing. And this, along with seeing Erin, Eric, and the girls (and meeting their new puppy), put a lovely end on a very tough week.

One week down...

27 August 2021: Made it through week one and--no surprise--the best parts were all that time in the classroom. What a gift it continues to be!

Met my parents and Olivia after classes. She took a tour of the campus and I think it went really well. Lucked out by having a current student who likes me do the tour. Having someone say "I love Dr. Hanrahan!" works really well on my mom. Ha. 

Finding the TR rhythm...

26 August 2021: Lots of irons in the fire today, trying to work on too many projects, I guess. Got some stuff done, but need to figure out my TR focus strategy for the semester. I did have an unanticipated long break, talking with Vogel on the phone for over two hours. That felt indulgent but 100% necessary.

Absent presence

25 August 2021: It's almost stunning how noticeable it is that Bing isn't here. I keep looking at his window seat or wishing he would jump up and sit with me. It's strange to set out only two food bowls. Wes and Veronica seem to be okay (thank God), but they must notice that absence, too. 

Bing

24 August 2021: Said goodbye to Bing today. In the end, it was very peaceful. Kind of marveling at the timing--a day with no classes and no meetings. But then again, this cat did grow up in academia, so maybe this was his final gift to me. It is impossible to feel slighted after having him in my life for 19.5 years. Rather, I am profoundly grateful that all but one of those days were good ones for him. But I will miss him so much. He was a very good boy. That's all I can muster right now. 

First day...

23 August 2021: Taught three good classes today. Held office hours. Attended a college meeting. Went to an event on campus tonight and heard the amazing Silas House read. All of that was good. 

The hallways were noticeably louder and more crowded than the last two semesters and it's clear that there are so many more people on campus. That's great. And that's unsettling. 

I came home to find Bing struggling with some congestion and not really eating. There isn't too much to say/write about it. I feel quiet about it, if that makes any sense. Just want to watch and see and do right by him. We'll see what tomorrow brings, but I am ready to bring him to the emergency vet if/when I need to. (Got an appointment at the regular vet for Friday, the soonest they can see him.)

Almost here...

22 August 2021: I just spent some time going through the past five years or so of "day before classes start" posts. That isn't always the subject of the post, but it is for a few. I sure would like to feel this way, like in 2016. And maybe especially this way, from 2018. But really, these vibes, from last year, best sum it up, with some added layers. I didn't expect there to be more COVID anxiety this year. And because there is, the sadness and frustration are amped up. And where the heck did the time go? I got a lot done work-wise, but still feel a longing for something more. I've got some other things on my mind, too, so...it's a lot. 

But here's hoping for the best and that the rhythms of the semester will feel natural and invigorating. Until then, filling the time with good reading, happy TV, and a video chat with my college buds later tonight. 

Reservation Dogs

 21 August 2021: Continuing to use TV as a distraction from thinking about other stuff. Started The Chair today and it's pretty good, but I needed something funnier, so I started Reservation Dogs. It's hitting the spot. 

Tearing up in the mail room...

20 August 2021: Legit got emotional when I saw these in every faculty mailbox. I'll say it again: I work with the best people! 

I Think You Should Leave as anxiety relief?

19 August 2021: Not sure what it means, but these days nothing relaxes me more at night (esp. right before I go to bed) than re-watching I Think You Should Leave. Currently cracking up again at the Dan Flashes sketch. 

Evvie Drake Starts Over

18 August 2021: Finally listened to Linda Holmes' book and man, did I enjoy it. It's not my usual genre, but it really was a delight and made my drive back from New York a lot more enjoyable. Between a few hours on that drive and my walks this week, I got through it quickly enough that I felt a bit sad when I finished it today. 

Free Guy

17 August 2021: Sadly, I've been feeling increasingly squirrelly about going to the movies lately, thanks to these COVID numbers. But Amy and I decided to try a Tuesday evening show (masks on in the lobby, trying to sit far from others) and it wasn't too bad. We saw Free Guy which was actually really good. It might be my favorite movie I've seen in the theater since the pandemic. Really funny and smart and just a blast. 

"if Sunday was a month"

16 August 2021: Saw a tweet today that said "August is like if Sunday was a month," and boy, am I feeling that this year. Today was a particularly listless day for me--a lot to do--like so much, in fact, but nothing immediately pressing. So I just sort of puttered away and didn't get much done and felt weird and bad about it. But tomorrow should be better. 

I did meet our four new faculty members today (in my role as Senate President) and that was pretty cool. 

Home again...

15 August 2021: Back in WV, happy to see my cat crew again. Feels like the summer is really wrapping up. Meeting new faculty tomorrow and classes start in just over a week. 

75!

14 August 2021:

[Catch-up post]

Celebrated 75 years of my favorite guy yesterday.

Up to NY...

13 August 2021: 

[Catch-up post]

Headed up to NY for my dad's 75th birthday party. So many podcasts got listened to, as you might imagine. Special shout-out to Anything for Selena, which I enjoyed more than I could have imagined. 

44

12 August 2021: A pretty good way to celebrate #44. Lunch with Hannah. Dinner, ice cream, and a game with Amy. Messages from friends near and far. Feeling very blessed. 

Some relief...

11 August 2021: Very relieved that we are going back to a mask mandate on campus (indoors). I've been pushing for this and doing my best to convince folks (with what little power I have), so it's rewarding. 

At the same time, it's also a bummer that this is where we are. Glass half full/glass half empty. 

"Sunset"

10 August 2021: Today was a tough day, but on a drive back from Martinsburg today, I saw a really lovely sunset in my rearview mirror. Reminded me of this poem-of-the-day from Sunday.

"Sunset"

Effie Lee Newsome

Since Poets have told of sunset, 

What is left for me to tell?

I can only say that I saw the day

Press crimson lips to the horizon gray, 

And kiss the earth farewell.

The Road to Middlemarch

9 August 2021: "A book may not tell us exactly how to live our own lives, but our own lives can teach us how to read a book." --Rebecca Mead, The Road to Middlemarch

Still really digging this book, a wonderful mix of genres--biography, literary criticism, memoir, and just lovely insights on how a great book shapes us. 

Sunday reading...

8 August 2021: "Middlemarch demands that we enter into the perspective of the other struggling, erring humans--and recognize that we, too, will sometimes be struggling, and may sometimes be erring, even when we are at our most arrogant and confident. And this is why every time I go back to the novel I feel that--while I might live in a century without knowing as much as just a handful of its pages suggest--I may hope to be enlarged by each revisiting. Only a child believes a grown-up has stopped growing." --Rebecca Mead, The Road to Middlemarch

Lots of time for eclectic reading today: three issues of Entertainment Weekly, today's Washington Post, a big chunk of Her Body and Other Parties, and another big chunk of The Road to Middlemarch. I think Mead's book is the text that has soothed me most on a kind of anxious day. And what she says above sums up what makes me love the novel, too.  

Looks very natural...

7 August 2021: She was sleeping on the couch, but then decided to move to this spot and pretend to be asleep. Looks so comfy! Someone likes being looked at.

Even more backsliding...

6 August 2021: Today felt like an intensification of yesterday. Virtually all of the time I spent on campus was occupied by COVID matters...so much for a "normal" semester. Holding onto some hope, though, that even this won't be forever. 

Backsliding

5 August 2021: Fully back to wearing a mask in the grocery store and getting so anxious about everything else. Trying to tell myself that even if things get bad again, at least I can still gather with vaccinated people. But I cannot believe we are back here again. So sad and disgusted with it all. 

Contract coming...

4 August 2021: A bit of everything today, which I tend to like in a summer day--got some good work done this morning, then joined Amy to bring Luther back to Baltimore. After that, we walked through Ikea (in masks because we are back to that) and didn't buy a single thing. It was still fun, though. Then we stopped in Frederick and went to Lucky Corner for dinner. Delicious. 

On the drive back, I saw an email from my editor. I can expect a book contract in the next couple of weeks. Yay! 

Gulp. 

But yay!

"I Still Miss Someone"

3 August 2021: Just a bit angsty today, but can't complain too much, I guess...

Another submission...

2 August 2021: Turned in a book review for Studies in American Humor today. Felt good to check it off my big summer "to do" list. Overall, a good day capped off by a wonderful dinner with Tim, Hannah, and Cory. Things seem bleak on the COVID front, but feeling very lucky to have had a chance to gather with them. 

The Sunday Special?

1 August 2021: What is it about Sundays that they make me get in my head so much--and not in a good way? On the other hand, most of the day has been kind of nice: stayed in bed until 8, took a long walk, did some light cleaning, read the paper, and watched feel-good TV the rest of the day. Got to focus on the good stuff.