Having 48 hours off from singing has allowed me to take a break from having a split personality assignment for the week. That assignment resumes tonight and continues until Saturday night. Knowing that the craziest won't stop for a while, I've been pushing myself to the extreme over the last two days.
On Tuesday, I read the whole bus ride to my office. Upon arriving at the office, I graded 20 or so student assignments and wrote an e-mail to my students in cyberspace reminding them that they had a homework deadline this week. Meanwhile I asked myself why I made the assignment due date during Holy Week. What was I thinking? I hate grading... was I secretly plotting to give myself an extra form of pennance before Easter? Apparently so. Thankfully no one responded to my e-mail with stupid questions, such as "what's the assignment?", saving me from typing smart alec responses of "read the syllabus."
Grading taken care of for the day, I then responded to a bizaar but flattering e-mail from China. It seems that my fame is spreading as a linguist and not because I bake snacks every week or provide entertainment. Nope. Someone in China read my work and knows that I exist and requested to become my doctoral student! At first, I thought that maybe I just had too many papers on a language of China that placed me on China's spy radar. But the e-mail seemed to specific to linguistics for it to be a form of espionage (unless there is a linguist spy that writes flattering e-mails about studying under my guidance). I wrote back and explained that I'm not a professor yet, thus I can't take on students at this time but to contact the following people and programs in the US that would be a better match. Then I wondered whether this is what happens when someone becomes a professor. Memories of writing to random people in other places about their classes, work,etc. filled my mind. The feeling was similar to my realization at my last major linguistics conference that someday soon, the names on books for sale in the vendor room will no longer be names to me, rather they will turn into: Oh, the person who has cool shoes, that weirdo with the funny twitch, and the obnoxious person who hits on me after. Ah..... the first glimpses of the ivory tower.... :)
And then? Daydream bursted, back to work, no time to be lazy, it's Holy Week and there's a lot to do... Ack!
I spent the afternoon printing my annotated bibliography, cutting out each paragraph/ citation and then organizing it into piles on the department conference table. This of course was met with numerous looks and comments from bystanders ranging from "what are you doing?" (innocent curiosity and comradery), "Now what are you doing?" (curiosity about the department's crazy person) and "um.........." (clearly we shouldn't have offered you a contract for next year because you appear to be wasting your time and department resources). Pride aside, I marched triumphantly back to my office with an organized pile of notes arranged in categories for section headings, and proceeded to write the first 3 pages of Geraldine's literature review.
Once I came home, I learned that Hubby had a rejection letter regarding studying in Berlin this summer. Bummer for Hubby, but at least now I know that we might see each other for more than 10 minutes more than two days in a row sometime soon. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that this doesn't mean he'll get another rejection letter informing him that he didn't get into his anticipated doctoral program. After all, Hubby doesn't think that I should be the only one in either of our families to have the title 'doctor.' Honestly, I think he just thinks our rabbit will pay more attention to me than him after I receive that title (You know... Bugs Bunny... What's up, doc?)
Wednesday was another productive day. I reread one of my research papers on the bus ride to the office and made an hourly to-do chart as soon as I got to my desk. Then I stuck to my to-do list like glue and managed to do everything as planned: revise slides and handout for this week's colloquium and next week's conference paper presentation, grade 50 assingments, take care of e-mails, have a break, write 5 more pages of lit review. Wow! I can't believe I did it, but once I did, I didn't feel like I had accomplished anything. I forced myself to go home and stop working.
At home, I learned that Hubby's written comprehensive exam for his MA was moved from this Friday to next Friday due to a scheduling flaw. Hmmm... Rather than criticize those that made the error (which, by the way, I have known existed for about two months now), I let Hubby tell me that this means he'll have time to do something for my birthday now (which is on Friday). Woopee! Maybe this means that I can stop anticipating the trend of "forget Kelsie's birthday even though it's the day after my brother's." Thinking that maybe Hubby would stop being stressed out that I don't have to tip toe for the next two days, I took off and went to a riding lesson, even though all I really wanted to do was work for the next three hours. Instead I ate chocolate and told myself that I am a bad Catholic for eating sweets before Easter... but at least no one will be able to tell because my voice will be okay tonight. ;0)
And today? Well, this morning I wrote another 3 pages and responded to e-mails about phonology, thinking that I would catch Indiana in his class today. During my lunch break, I learned that there is a test in that class today so there was no point in me sitting in on it, thus.... extra time to write a blog, take a break, and write another 3 pages before switching gears and going to mass tonight.
Today's pep talk to myself ends as follows: Kelsie, breath! Okay, now breath again. Now hold your breath for the next 48 hours while remembering to be prayerful and mournful tomorrow when you're not trying to be Wonder Woman, Betty Crocker, June Cleever or the linguistic department's Golden Child.
Crazy? Yes. But I'm enjoying it.
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