Walking on sunshine
This week's Friday Five are entitled "Perambulating," and all involve literal or metaphorical walking. Ready?
1. What routine have you recently altered merely as a change of pace?
This doesn't qualify as acting merely for a change of pace, but the most recent deliberate adjustment to my routine has surrounded bedtime. Taking advantage of my idle summer schedule, I had been hitting the hay WAY too late (2-3 a.m.!) on weeknights in June and July. Then at the beginning of August, I realized that I was setting myself up for some literal rude awakenings at the start of the school year, so I vowed to start gradually changing my ways. And...
... it's been tough going! Why does TV seem to be so much more enjoyable when streamed in the wee hours? Still, with ten days to go till the semester begins, I have now managed on several weeknights in a row to turn in by midnight(-ish), arising a little before 7 a.m. the next day. Not quite the schedule I'll need come September, but getting there.
P.S. As to why TV's more fun late at night, I actually think I know. Like most people, I have many ongoing projects to which I could turn my attention whenever I'm at home for a decent stretch of time during the day. Watching TV during those hours instead is, therefore, accompanied by guilt over what I'm not accomplishing. However, no one expects a person to work on house projects (or any projects!) in the middle of the night, so watching TV then is A-OK.
2. What unexpected occurrence did you recently take in stride?
I am running an online conference. It happens tomorrow. One of my speakers JUST told me he had COVID and might not be able to go on. Another informed me last night that his talk is coming up quite short.
Am I panicking? No! I'm actually pretty cool here on my end (it goes without saying, I hope, that I was gracious to them when they dropped their respective news bombs; but what's surprising me is that my "chill" façade didn't fall away as soon as those conversations ended). This sanguine attitude may possibly be related to Question #5 below.
3. Where do you go for a casual stroll?
Ha! Nowhere. I should go for walks in my safe suburban neighborhood, and I used to do so. But these days I'm older and fatter, have worse knees, and am more easily exhausted, so I don't. Hmmm.
4. Through how many gates did you pass this week?
Literal gates? Just the one separating the dormitory area from the academic buildings on the campus of College #1, my longtime workplace and Number Three Son's current place of study. He moved into college housing this week (earlier than most students, because he's in the band), and I drove over a couple times to help him set up his place (this year, he's in an on-campus apartment that he'll be sharing with three others). I guess I crossed that gate six times.
5. Around whom (or what) have you been tiptoeing?
There's a person whom I promised to help with a project this summer and whom I let down when my stupid health concerns turned me into a chair-sitting zombie who ignored the calendar and didn't do what she promised. It's amazing there was only one such person this summer.
1. What routine have you recently altered merely as a change of pace?
This doesn't qualify as acting merely for a change of pace, but the most recent deliberate adjustment to my routine has surrounded bedtime. Taking advantage of my idle summer schedule, I had been hitting the hay WAY too late (2-3 a.m.!) on weeknights in June and July. Then at the beginning of August, I realized that I was setting myself up for some literal rude awakenings at the start of the school year, so I vowed to start gradually changing my ways. And...
... it's been tough going! Why does TV seem to be so much more enjoyable when streamed in the wee hours? Still, with ten days to go till the semester begins, I have now managed on several weeknights in a row to turn in by midnight(-ish), arising a little before 7 a.m. the next day. Not quite the schedule I'll need come September, but getting there.
P.S. As to why TV's more fun late at night, I actually think I know. Like most people, I have many ongoing projects to which I could turn my attention whenever I'm at home for a decent stretch of time during the day. Watching TV during those hours instead is, therefore, accompanied by guilt over what I'm not accomplishing. However, no one expects a person to work on house projects (or any projects!) in the middle of the night, so watching TV then is A-OK.
2. What unexpected occurrence did you recently take in stride?
I am running an online conference. It happens tomorrow. One of my speakers JUST told me he had COVID and might not be able to go on. Another informed me last night that his talk is coming up quite short.
Am I panicking? No! I'm actually pretty cool here on my end (it goes without saying, I hope, that I was gracious to them when they dropped their respective news bombs; but what's surprising me is that my "chill" façade didn't fall away as soon as those conversations ended). This sanguine attitude may possibly be related to Question #5 below.
3. Where do you go for a casual stroll?
Ha! Nowhere. I should go for walks in my safe suburban neighborhood, and I used to do so. But these days I'm older and fatter, have worse knees, and am more easily exhausted, so I don't. Hmmm.
4. Through how many gates did you pass this week?
Literal gates? Just the one separating the dormitory area from the academic buildings on the campus of College #1, my longtime workplace and Number Three Son's current place of study. He moved into college housing this week (earlier than most students, because he's in the band), and I drove over a couple times to help him set up his place (this year, he's in an on-campus apartment that he'll be sharing with three others). I guess I crossed that gate six times.
5. Around whom (or what) have you been tiptoeing?
There's a person whom I promised to help with a project this summer and whom I let down when my stupid health concerns turned me into a chair-sitting zombie who ignored the calendar and didn't do what she promised. It's amazing there was only one such person this summer.