Hammering my way through my last big batch of grading for the semester. There’s a final project coming up as well, due during finals week, but since I don’t need to write comments for those — I offer, but in 29 years, not one single student has taken me up on that — they take much less time and energy to grade.
All the student requests for letters of recommendation and independent study / senior thesis supervision are flooding in now too, and I want to say no to everything because I’m just so tired. I say yes to all of them, though. I don’t have to actually do the work quite yet, just promise that I WILL do the work.
This has been a rough week in various ways — some interpersonal stuff, plus lots of due and overdue work I’m trying to catch up on because it’s stressing me out having it hanging over my head, plus my cold is lingering into its third week now (not COVID, just a cold) — I’m having a tough time keeping myself motivated.
But I’ve already called in sick two days this semester, and I don’t want to miss any more in-person teaching if I can help it. Only three more weeks to go. College teaching is a sprint. So I’m dragging my no-longer-contagious-but-still-exhausted body into work today, yay.
At least I’ve made plenty of stock for the store, so I’m not feeling pressure to make lots of stuff this week too. (Although I’m starting to run low on wine bottle stoppers, serving boards, trays, light-up flower worlds and hanging lights…)
Arya thinks I should be sleeping instead.
And it’s dark so early. The animal in me wants to just curl up and hibernate for a few months. I’m lighting a lot of candles these days. I read an article that said in Norway / Finland, they light way more candles than Americans do. I figure they know a little bit about getting through the dark.
Also, I miss Kavi SO MUCH. She’s coming home for Thanksgiving, arriving Saturday. I CAN’T WAIT.
