busy but alive and well! :-)

[lobelia321]

Methinks I'm turning into badgermonkey. Now I know what it feels like to have a life! You only ever get a chance to zoom by LJ for a brief minute and then you're zooming off again to do things Away From A Computer (omg @£$ liek domlij %^&).

I would have a zillion things to report, muse and rant about had I the leisure, inclination and virtuality but ack (hah, I still remember some online expressions, at any rate!), it's my bedtime, and (shock) that is Before Midnight (also a scary indication of Real Lifeness! I remember times when I typed away at this computer until 2 or 3 a.m.).

In brief, though:

* parents' anniversary in Holland: absolutely fantastic and wonderful
* state of mind vis-à-vis my place of work: Buddhist numbness and mild detachment towards colleagues who are (still) foaming at the mouth
* children's returnedness to respective schools: very good, so far, both happy; eldest one ecstatic about his private school
* continuing warm glow from holidays in Provence, Herefordshire and Holland
* FlyLady: continues apace and I love her!
* planning to devote more time to teaching and preparing teaching
* hearing, thinking, talking and reading about New Orleans
* efforts to continue writing book: steady and dogged but not fun
* radical new plan (lightbulb moment that hit me on Monday a.m.): I will survive these next 12 weeks, then I will have a sabbatical for eight months (whee); I will endeavour to finish my book in that time; if after those months I have not found another and better-paid academic job in London, I will leave academe. We need the money, and my non-enthusiasm for my book over the past two years makes me think that maybe my time in academe may be over, just as my time in Lotrips is over.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Yay on the lifeness!

Lightbulb moment -- congrats!

And also, thank you. Your rant a couple months back about letting enjoyable events pass you by resulted in my making plans that came to fruition this past weekend. We had a darn good vacation, at a time when we all really needed to get away. Low stess, low cost, and a lovely extended weekend in the woods.

[giglet.livejournal.com]

Well heck. I don't know why it didn't include my username. That was me, giglet.

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Hey, Giglet! I'm so glad you had a nice vacation! Was that when I missed going to Jane Fonda?

[giglet.livejournal.com]

I think it was!

[msilverstar]

I'm really glad all is going well. Happy posts are very inspiring. I want to warn you that private business is just as dysfunctional and fucked-up as academe. It's amazing anything ever gets done! Just sayin'

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Thank you for saying the thing about happy posts being inspiring. You know, I have a problem with posting 'I am happy'. Maybe it's from having been depressed often; I distrust the happiness and think it can't be real. It's almost as if when I say 'I'm happy' I'm tempting fate and will be unhappy as a result of it. Also, I feel as if I'm imposing my happiness on others, as if it's better to post 'I'm unhappy' and then others can feel better about feeling happier than me or about posting 'hugs' kind of comments.

Isn't that weird? I had almost to push myself a little before posting this post. Perhaps it would be therapeutic to force myself to post a little 'happy' post without guilt every now and again!

*waves*

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

Wow! So what do you think you might do if you do leave academe?

Re: *waves*

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

I have no fucking idea! It terrifies me! Today I was reading some job ads and thought, mg, I am not qualified for anything, I can do nothing. Then I felt crabby. It makes my head feel dizzy but I can't stand my present job any longer and I don't want to keep waiting and waiting until another academic job comes through. I can't!