Caveat: I am not putting times on this post, as my sleep schedule is completely wonky right now. I get up very early. I hope to shift things back closer to normal – at least, normal for me – soon.

Stephany asked about my morning routine, which kind of made me laugh. It’s very boring, as you will soon see, and is likely very different from the morning routines of those of you who have kids and spouses/partners and long(er) commutes. I’m only responsible for myself – no one else to prod awake, no one who needs a lunch or a backpack check. So it’s pretty streamlined and very routine.

I’ve had the same basic routine for the last, oh, 15 years or so.

Wake up, pull up the covers, and get dressed in my workout clothes. For the next 60-80 minutes, depending on the day, I walk on the treadmill in the little exercise room across the hall, ride my stationary bike (THE best pandemic purchase ever, seriously… it folds up! Perfect for a small apartment.), and do a series of PT exercises + lifting light weights.

While exercising, I listen to 1) ESPN radio (SportsCenter All Night), which gives me an overview of things that have happened in sports in the last day or so, and/or 2) sports podcasts (most frequently one hosted by a father-and-son, both of whom went to Notre Dame, which I know will resonate with Ernie :>).

I also – yes, I multitask – read through the stories on the Washington Post and NY Times apps that I missed the previous day, to catch up on non-sports news. This usually helps keep my heart rate, and blood pressure, up pretty well. 🙂

Then, I wipe down the kitchen counter and my desk (a COVID WFH habit that I really like), get my bag together for school, and get out what I’m wearing for the day.

Next up is a quick shower, and since I know someone will ask, yes, I wash my hair first, then put in conditioner and leave it in for the remainder of my shower (even though, according to the blogosphere [I thought it was Engie who posted about this but I can’t find it on your blog, Engie, if it was?], this is not necessary, which goes against every fiber of my being…). I also wash my hair every day, because otherwise it is a disaster. Wash, rinse everything, and be done. This is not an elaborate shower routine. 🙂

Hop out, dry off, do my mini-ablutions (face sunscreen and cream is the extent of my “makeup”, and honestly I could use any suggestions to help me look less like the Ghost of Wisconsin Winters?), brush hair and teeth, and get dressed. Note that I get dressed for the climate of my office (which is, in a word, arctic), not the weather outside. This is working well, TBH. I may be overdressed but I’d rather be warm, thank you, than blue.

I make the bed nicely, gather up my bag and lunch bag, and head on in to the office. I thank my lucky stars that I am an early morning person and don’t need to deal with much traffic in the endless construction zone that is one of the main roads in town (sigh), pull into the parking lot, and thank my lucky stars again that I paid through the nose for a parking spot close to my building. No more slogging up the hill from the parking ramp to my building, fighting the wind that never seems to stop.

I land in my office, make some tea, and settle in to read/comment on blogs, and (this week, at least!) post my own.

And that, in its boring entirety, is that. Aren’t you sorry you asked, Stephany? 🙂

I’ve mentioned Holstee on here before, but I’m not sure if I have mentioned the associated app (Reflection.app). I use it every night as a kind of “download” of the day. They have prompts – quotes, which of course I love – and allow you to tag entries with things like “Highlight”, and other tags you create.

Anyway, I don’t use the prompts often, but yesterday’s really spoke to me:

Joy in the universe, and keen curiosity about it all – that has been my religion. – John Burroughs

This reminded me of the wonderful word from A Swiftly Tilting Planet (one of my absolute favorites of all time), Ananda, that joy without which the universe will fall apart and collapse.

While the prompt spoke to me – because I do not ascribe to any kind of organized religion – it prompted more deep thinking at bedtime than I probably needed. The key question, for me, is what “joy in the universe” means in my life. How do I show that I find joy in the universe? I don’t think that can be answered in the 24 seconds that I am able to stay awake once I get in bed, but it’s something that I need to ponder, and consider, and explore.

I know, deep thoughts for a Tuesday morning. But I’m curious, of course. What brings you joy? How do you find joy, in the world, the universe, your life…? What lifts your heart and your soul and your mind? If you don’t mind sharing, I’d love to know.

Happy Tuesday everyone. For those NaBloPoMo-ing, you’re almost halfway there!

Warning: Potential for whining ahead.

I feel like the number of things I am involved in at work has tripled in the past 1-1.5 years. In my personal life, of course, I’ve always been in charge of my own life, happiness, etc. Who else would or could be?

At work, though, all of a sudden it seems like I am working with more students than ever. Several of them are doing independent studies. I need detailed notes to remind myself of who is interested in what concepts and which populations, and what the next steps are. Thank goodness for my habit of taking those excessively detailed notes!

I’m on more committees and workgroups, too. People are asking for my feedback and participation. I’m running two pilot studies, mostly on my own. Anyone who thinks that researchers are rolling in money has not talked to a researcher who has pilot funding (or, um, no funding in one case), who doesn’t have the resources to hire a study team, and who, as a result, is doing everything. I love it – don’t get me wrong, data are always welcome! – but it’s a lot, particularly with everything else.

But – and it’s a big but – I love working with my students. They have such interesting ideas, and it gives me the opportunity to explore other topics (one of the best parts of teaching and mentoring, if you ask me). I actually like participating and giving feedback, when I’m engaged with the topic and know that my feedback can make a difference. (Although I’m still more likely than not to stay quiet in meetings…. I haven’t gone completely over the edge!) And I love that I am getting the chance to do research on a topic important to me, and that eventually (hopefully soon?) we’ll get to analyze the data and see what’s what.

So it goes. Another busy week on tap. Another week when I’ll think, do I really want all of this responsibility? Do I really want to take all of this on?

The answer is still yes. Thank goodness.

Life in an apartment complex can be interesting. Just checking the mail, or taking out the trash, can make me wonder, who are the people with whom I share this space?

Take, for example, the tires. I can’t tell you the number of times that I have gone into the tiny package room and found 3 or 4 full sized car (or truck?) tires taking up pretty much all of the floor space. This happens much more frequently than one would expect, even in a building that probably houses a few hundred people. And it raises a bunch of questions… Who is ordering these tires? How many people actually change their own tires? Who delivers car tires? Is this something on Amazon that I’ve managed to miss all these years?

Last night, I took some recycling down and was treated to the odd sight of three large helium balloons (partially but not fully deflated) floating above the dumpsters. Which made me wonder, why on earth did they not deflate the balloons? It just seems logical to me that if you’re throwing out a balloon, you’d, um, deflate it? (Just me?)

Pretty much every week, there’s something that makes me do a double take. It’s interesting to consider just how different people can be. I may not live with anyone right now, but I do live alongside some not-familiar-but-very-interesting fellow humans.

I’ve always been someone who likes looking around me, and wondering what leads people to make certain choices (e.g., why IS their front door bright green?). Is anyone else like this? Am I just weird? (Wait, maybe don’t answer that…)

I promise I am not trying to generate controversy, but inquiring minds want to know: Do you love holidays ? Do you like to decorate? (I know the answer for some people who wander by here when I put my blather on the internet…)

Because I really don’t. I don’t know when this shift happened. Was it when I was working shifts at the hospital and was working most holidays? Was it after I moved out here and was living alone and didn’t need to do anything – like decorate – for others?

But I am not into holidays, any of them.

I know. I’m a horrible Grinch.

I don’t decorate. I don’t collect anything holiday-ish. I do have a very nice candle that my mom got me – one that smells of cinnamon and spice and is better than anything I have found elsewhere. I get that out after Thanksgiving. But the rest of my apartment stays as-is.

The more I think about it, this tendency seems to be due to my desire to fade into the background. I am a happy wallflower. I don’t like to speak up too much in meetings, unless something is going completely off the rails. And of course I lead my class discussions. But those are (exhausting) performances for me. So, I withdraw in my personal life. I haven’t placed a personal stamp on my apartment in the years I’ve lived here, in contrast to other people who make every space their own.

What about you? Do you decorate for holidays? Do you love the chance to celebrate a special day?