Monday midday things

 * Busy weekend. I came in here and worked nearly all day Saturday - grading, reading job applications (including one from someone who I presume was either told "you need to apply to x jobs to keep getting the financial support you're getting" or was given an ultimatum about applying to jobs by a significant other, because they had (a) applied for every open position on campus (b) been deemed "unqualified" already for several and (c) was in no way at all qualified for this one) and prepping some stuff for systematic botany

* Sunday, I filled the pulpit (the minister had to go be with one of his adult children who is apparently facing some medical stuff). I guess it went okay; people seemed to like the message (based on I Corinthians 3:1-9). Got invited out to lunch by the group of women who do this every week. I decided to go with them - one of them offered to buy me my lunch as a thank you - even though I admit I'm still a little anxious sitting in a restaurant these days.

* The other thing I was dreading on some level took place today so I guess I'm good for a while now, I hope: I got my PTR (post tenure review) letter. Proficient in all areas and apparently nothing I need to improve. (When they first started these, they were kind of savage - I remember a colleague getting very angry over some criticism of his teaching). I wonder if since the pandemic there's been an unwritten pact of "everyone is tired and is also doing their best." Because I fully expected to be dinged for not doing more research. Though they DID comment that they were "concerned" about the heavy teaching load I carry (that's out of my control, though) and maybe that's a backhanded "she might do more research if...." 

Or maybe I'm overthinking it and "we are concerned about her heavy teaching load" is really "we see this and acknowledge it and do not want to risk burning her out"

* Anyway. Essentially no knitting happened this weekend. I thought about doing some, or doing some sewing when I got home Sunday but then I started cleaning/putting things away and I did a bunch of laundry and changed the sheets on my bed (no small task given the volume of stuffies I have on there). But yes, I'm tired, and I am hoping tomorrow evening after PT I can just go home and sit in a chair and knit. 

* I am reading a new book. It's called Nomads - it's one of those sort-of-pop-history things (which I know real historians hate, but whatever, and I am smart enough to take things with a grain of salt.) This author seems to want to try to line up the various legends/religious texts with events or happenings that might in some way have inspired the legends (which is one thing I'm not entirely sure about, but it's an interesting take). Thinking about Göbleki Tepe in Turkey - supposedly the "first" temple, or the first one we have evidence of - and the fact that the name means Potbelly Hill. But also wondering if it was near where the earthquake hit - and even beyond the horrible human cost, what early evidence of human culture got obliterated in that quake?

* I indulged in one ridiculous purchase, but I am deciding it is a joint Valentine's Day/birthday present to myself - I often, these days, put lo-fi streaming music on YouTube when I'm at home - it covers up any distressing old-house sounds that I worry about, it's not distracting enough that I can't read or do other things while it's playing. I often use Dreamhop's channels on there. They have an odd/cute (in sort of an anime-character or faux-Ghibli style) mascot named Zekko. And then I saw they had a plushie of him (?her? Them?) and I thought about it a bit, but then ordered one. (You can pay by paypal, which seems slightly more secure than sending off my credit card number to an unknown). It's already shipped, apparently, from Belgium of all places. (I got the FedEx notification this morning. And yes, FedEx, womp womp, but at least this is not a perishable item, and maybe they're better now? I don't know). It was kind of expensive for a plushie but it's unusual and cute....and sometimes you just need the comfort of having something on its way to you to make you keep slogging through the days.