Long week over

 I didn't get a lot of home-time this week. Monday and Wednesday were meetings at church; last night I stayed over at work until 6 pm, grading.

I'm worn out but resisting going to bed because I had so little free time. I know, that's counterproductive, but I'm grumpy about it.

I did run out and get my second set of litter bags - this time we'd had rain, so maybe I'll get something this time. I also heard a bird I didn't know, so I recorded it in the hopes the ornithologist was still in - he was, it was a white-eyed vireo (So not one I would have known; I don't think I ever saw one before).

We also talked a little bit - about students, and about how conferences have changed since COVID (and like me, he's of the opinion that (a) things like organization board-meetings could just as well be done over Zoom and (b) it's probably valuable - if possible - to allow people to register as "offsite" for a lower price but then watch the talks over Zoom, for the people who don't want to congregate with lots of other people. He and I may be the only two of the faculty in the department who have managed to continue to avoid COVID; we are both very careful and I'm a virtual hermit at this point.

But yeah. It was nice to just talk to someone about things not related to me teaching a class. One thing I really miss post-pandemic is how fragmented everyone has become. A couple people aren't spending much time on campus (one has a spouse undergoing cancer treatment, another has kids at home, a third is close to retirement). I get lonesome for those little casual human contacts, and it also makes it all the more obvious to me that I really don't have *close* friends, but rather acquaintances, and I worry that that's bad. But when you're working 10 hours some days, how do you go out and FIND friends? (And no, not "volunteer work," that never worked in the past and I don't need more work)

But yeah, just worn out tonight. I should either pick up some knitting or just go to bed and read for a while.