Monday, July 27, 2020

Online it is and random bullets of other news

  • What is happening in the fall? It's official: our undergrad courses are online in the fall unless there's some really pressing need (like lab science courses) to be in person. That's a huge relief. Grad courses: about the same, although I still have an assigned room.
  • Writing inspiration: lately I've been time-tracking rigidly, as in "9:40-9:43 stood up & got a snack." It seems to have helped productivity. 
  • Chasing that writing feeling: But nothing has been as good as when I sat down last night at around 9:45 p.m. and the writing just flowed, for the first time in forever. No anxiety, no fidgeting, just writing. It felt good. At 12:30 a.m., Spouse came down and asked what was wrong. Nothing is wrong, I told him. I'm writing. It was lovely.
  • Enough is enough. Doing about two official things in a day--two Zoom calls or whatever--is apparently about enough, for my body shuts down and I fall asleep sitting up after that. It's never for very long, but it happens. Residual stress, maybe? 
  • Absence from social media is good for the soul. If FB is to be believed, I am literally the last person in this part of the U.S. not to have gone on or be planning to go on vacation--a car trip, a camping trip, a hiking trip, renting a house at the beach. These are all COVID-conscious academics and relatives, yet everyone is going away. So the strategy here is twofold: (1) stay off FB and (2) have fun planning a really passive-aggressive autoreply for when they all get back from their vacations and start bombarding me with emails. (I won't do it, but I want to.)
  • A post about a secret to share. COVID news is fine, but it feels as though between the political hellscape and COVID, we could all use a break to talk about something else. I would really like to share a secret with all of you blog friends: I have a little writing house and want to tell you about it, if you are interested.

5 comments:

xykademiqz said...

Btw, we're not going anywhere. We're at home, no vacation, and these days little time outside because it's punishingly hot. It does seem like everyone is going somewhere and it both blows my mind and angers me. I feel stupid for staying at home all these months, and I feel rage that I cannot protect myself or my family from the callousness of others.

But I am also sick of corona and I want to talk about something else. It's so great writing has been going well for you! I notice I struggle in the morning but mid-afternoon and evening, fiction just flows. (Also, there's a pretty silly song on Spotify that I play on repeat and I get into the zone *snaps fingers* just like that!)

Last but not least, I really want to hear about your secret!

Anonymath said...

We’re also not going anywhere. Just staying home watching days blend into one another while trying to entertain/educate DS and also prep for fall, which the university could change at any minute. Someone posted on Twitter that it felt like the ultimate in gaslighting, watching everyone else post about going about their regular life with shopping and parties and vacations while we were all sheltering in place and trying to avoid getting sick. Makes you question your sanity, is this pandemic actually happening?

I’m highly envious of folks with writing cottages/sheds, so I’d love a post with a tour!

gwinne said...

Tell about your house!

nicoleandmaggie said...

I'm not going anywhere either, but we do know multiple people who have gone to Colorado and to the Oregon coast. My state's license plates out of state are a meme.

Dame Eleanor Hull said...

Writing house pictures and discussion! Please!