by ravelingoutko

Stolen Moments

The past two weeks have been the busiest of the semester by far. As midterm approaches, I am always so busy I’m on fire, but this semester it’s worse than usual. I’ve planned things rather poorly and (it’s way too boring to get into) I seem to have found myself in an endless string of ten- or twelve-hour days, writing, grading, and doing regular classwork. Even typing that short version of life lately was exhausting, you know.

Let me take a deep breath.

Moving on!

I’m stealing a moment or two right now to write this blog post, and I’ve managed a few other stolen moments here and there, too: a night out to celebrate a friend’s birthday, an hour here or there to catch up on my hulu TV (Parks and Recreation, I am telling you, is the best comedy on right now), and a morning spent running a 10K race with a few friends.

There’s been a little of this:

[50/365] Gonzo Lit Crit

A LOT of this:

[45/365] Taking it Home

A few tiny glimpses of this:

[43/365] Laughing Friends

And more still of this:

[52/365] Working Late

That last photograph is me, reflected in the darkened window of my office, long after almost everyone else has gone home for the night. Usually, I don’t like to stay too late at work and I never like to take work home with me. I am usually pretty successful at keeping most of my work to within my normal hours (7:00-4:00 or so), but lately it’s been either stay late, or take work home, or both. Usually both.

Being in the office so late can feel a bit creepy: the halls echo; the elevator groans; footsteps sound sinister. It’s also a bit nostalgic, though. It reminds me of those long hours working late at night in graduate school, when I stayed in my campus office with the door locked until as late as two or three in the morning, studying for exams or writing my dissertation; the only sounds in the building were my typing fingers and the occasional ka-pshhh of my cracking open a can of Red Bull. Oh, youth.

On Wednesday, I leave town with three good friends to drive up to Kentucky for our annual conference trip. I’ll be gone all weekend, and my goal is not to have to take any work with me. I plan to spend my time looking at the beautiful countryside, visiting with my friends, and sippin’ on Bourbon. And oh yeah, I suppose I have to present my paper and whatnot. Right. Public speaking. Well then.

I’ve stolen my moment for the day. If I am going to make this (semi-) leisurely trip a reality, I still have to write the conclusion to my paper and grade a massive pile of student essays. Back to the books, then!

I hope life finds you in fine fettle today, friends.

10 Comments

  1. Whenever I stay late in my office, the security guard INVARIABLY throws open my door without knocking, which he INVARIABLY explains is because he thought someone (I) must have forgotten to turn off their (my) light (and apparently lock their (my) door). Because it is dark and I have imagined myself alone and safely cocooned with 30589 ungraded essays and because a strange dude with a two-way radio has just barged into my own personal nerdspace impersonating an evildoer, my heart does some serious pit-a-pat, my karate muscles twitch into place, my mallow – such as it is when working late – is way marshed.

    You sound like you’ve been productive as all get out, though. Hope there’s a chance to regather yourself soon. Meanwhile, have fun a-travelin’ to the ‘Tucky, and happy conferencing.

    Reply

  3. So glad you’re making time for you now and again even though things are crazy. I always find that, when I can manage that, I seem to deal with the tougher stuff with a bit more grace.

    I took today entirely off of work since the offices were closed. I’d planned to do some writing, or at least some cleaning, but instead, I went on a long bike ride and got lunch with my husband, and capped it off with a swim workout and a little necessary shopping. And I’m THRILLED. Let the week begin!

    Reply

    1. That sounds like a LOVELY day! I have tomorrow “off” (from teaching, anyway), and I plan to walk downtown and do my grading at the coffee shop and reward myself with a manicure if I make it happen. If I am a true superstar, also yoga.

      Reply

  4. Oh, goodness! You sound squished between work and work. But hurray for a 10K! A race of that distance is on my list of want-do-to’s.

    Best of luck and time management to you this week. Hopefully you are focused and getting sh*t done. I’m such a space cadet that I sort of welcome the crunch times because they bring me some much-needed focus! 🙂

    Reply

    1. I had never run a 10K race before (though done plenty of 6-mile training runs), so it was a new experience! Kinda tough to try to be “fast” for that long.

      Reply

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