It has been far too long since my previous post - I'm clearly falling behind on the blog as I have fallen behind on dissertation work what with the preparing to teach and all.

Wednesday, I can't for the life of me remember what I did. Isn't that terrible? I thought that was the day that I did all of that syllabus work, but nope. Hm. Well, there's another day of my life gone for good. Darned aging brain.

Thursday, I packed up a bunch of stuff to take to the new office into the trusty Subaru -- which holds so much - but not quite enough, apparently, since I wound up cracking the front windshield when I closed the back hatch on the 10' long shelves for the office wall that I had painted. I was pretty upset. They all fit the first time when I brought them home.
:( And, who would have thought that in the contest between the carpeted glorified cardboard covering the back inside hatch and the safety glass of a front windshield designed to resist rocks, other cars, skulls, etc, that the glorified cardboard would win. Sigh. (Or maybe it isn't so strange, maybe the windshield is actually designed to crack from the inside-out to take some of the force off of any object that is hitting it from that direction which is not usually a pine board. Hm.) Fortunately, Spousal Unit was really lovely when I called him to tell him that I was wretched because I had broken our car.

Despite the cracks in the windshield, I drove on in to the new office and moved a bunch of stuff in. And, I did the last coat of paint on the inside door. It looks fabulous, if I do say so myself. I'm about halfway to finishing the space - I still have a ton of books to move in, a few more chairs, a couch to purchase, another desk to track down. (And, the couch I want just dropped in price 100$ today!) But it's getting there. I think it will be a really great space. The one thing I did that I'm really psyched about is arranged stuff on the mantle of the fireplace (yes, I have a fireplace in my office ... life's rough. Don't get all jealous, though, at the thought of me toasting marshmallows with the students in February, it doesn't work.) Anyway, on the mantle I laid out my collection of antique women's photographs, and then on either end stacked my collection of antique books. It looks fabulous - perfect for my discipline.

Today, I cleaned the house in the morning, and finally finished the study (except for one small pile of filing to be done). We've got a guest coming to stay this evening, and I wanted things to look good. But, before I finished, the headache I had woken up with turned itself into a full-fledged cold. My throat REALLY hurts, my head hurts, I have zero energy, and I just generally feel crappy and like crying (I do that when I get sick. Spousal Unit used to think I was being manipulative, but after years of it, he has finally realized that I just get weepy when I feel awful.) I've been on the couch now all afternoon and I don't plan to leave it. Although, I did promise a friend I'd help pack tonight for her move tomorrow -- but maybe she'd prefer me not to bring my germs to pack up nice and neatly with her sweaters and silverware and bath towels. I'm feeling really guilty at the thought of letting her down. But, I'm also feeling really icky. Sigh.

My physical state is not being helped by the outdoor entertainment that is being provided for me. I've got the windows open because it is so hot and someone outside has been playing the seven notes of the same song on a damned electric guitar over and over again, not quite hitting the sharp or flat that is the last note. I don't know the song but I always think of it as "back to life, back to duh duh-...." 'cause it sounds like that dippy song from the 80s that the lyrics of the chorus were: "Back to life, back to re-a-lity." Anyway, it's those notes, but without that last syllable. I'm sure it's some famous Led Zepplin tune that I just don't know because the lack of skill of the player means that they're going to master this progression, move on to Stairway to Heaven, and then let their expensive electric guitar gather dust in the corner of their room once they leave adolescence. Today's musical stylings are making me wish I was up in the Cage listening to the Big Damn Bells.

Tomorrow, I'm off to help the friend move who I'm supposed to help pack tonight. I MAY be able to squeeze in some dissertation work on Sunday. I'm really hoping.

[Update: the friend just called, told me to stay home and rest -- which is fabulous. Hopefully, I'll be in the helped-by-tylenol-cold stage of the cold tomorrow and can help pack and move in a happily drugged-up state.]