long nothing week

 For a week where I was mostly home and didn't really do much, this week felt interminable. I do think it gave me bad flashbacks to 2020. (And it doesn't help that the H5N1 "bird flu" is in the news as a "likely new pandemic if it becomes easily transmissible among humans" and guys, I don't know if I HAVE the emotional stamina for another span of totally isolating for months and teaching from home. For one thing I need to get a new computer sooner rather than later if this is coming....)

I did get out today even though campus was still closed. I went to Pruett's and got milk (AMAZINGLY they had the kind I use in stock - in normal times they often don't) and eggs that were less than $6 a dozen and some ground beef that I made into chili. 

And tomorrow I might go to Mart of Wal, because they have some things that Pruett's does not, and also, I need to be out of the house a bit more. (Also the quilt shop is, I think, supposed to be open? They normally aren't on Saturdays. I might go just to look even if I'm not needing anything). 

I had PT this afternoon again. At first I thought I'd cancel; I woke up with a rattly cough still. But I decided to wait and try a workout midmorning and see. I was able to do a half hour without coughing so I decided I was OK to do the PT, which is a bit less strenuous (mostly stretching though there is a 10 minute warmup on an elliptical trainer). I'm glad I went. Partly just to be out of the house - I really can't stay home for extended periods any more. I don't know if that is just pandemic hangover or if I'm changed forever, I know I'm a lot more restless now. But partly yes, doing something active and being around people where it's not just talking shop.

And I met the brother (possibly, twin?) of my former student - there was another guy there working today working along with him. This guy was the one who helped me with some of the stuff (getting the equipment out and all) and I noticed he looked a LOT like my former student. And then I saw his last name on his name tag and I was like "OH! You're Landon's brother!" and he laughed and said he was, and from across the room, Landon called out "but he doesn't really acknowledge me" and laughed. 

He also told me, when he asked me how long I'd been teaching and I said almost 24 years, he said I didn't look old enough to have taught that long. There's no tip jar there and no kind of quid pro quo system (I assume, based on the cost of the sessions, these guys get paid well enough) so I figure it was genuine rather than flattery. (But I can tell I've aged in the past few years).

I'm taking the weekend off, I think. Tomorrow is Zoom knitting group and I'm ahead in my classes and I mostly wrote the sermon for next week (yes, I am filling the pulpit again, this was planned. I'm using the bit from the very first part of I Corinthians 3 (it was in the lectionary for that week), mainly focusing on the "Paul vs. Apollos" bit - I've been in too many congregations where people got really attached to one leader and it became problematic when that person decided to leave, or when they had conflict with other leaders in the church. I'll re-read it on Sunday or early next week and make edits. It's probably not my best effort but it was harder to find inspiration this go-round.