Tuesday evening things

 * Working more on the dragon's breath socks tonight. I really want to start something new but I also want to get a couple projects finished up first, I have too many half-finished things. 

* The abdominal thing was almost certainly a virus; I woke up this morning feeling totally better. I was still having a little pain in my side yesterday and a little indigestion, and I was really afraid it was gallbladder but I kept telling myself it would be getting progressively worse if it was, and I have none of the other symptoms. I think also just muscles being out of whack from walking funny contributed.

Alternatively: it could be an ongoing menopause thing; I know that can take years. I did have some brain fog (didn't realize it) while I was hurting, and that has lifted. 

* Got my first stats test written today. I do multiple forms for the take home one so that takes considerable work. 

* I need to decide to schedule my COVID booster. Part of me rebels against doing it this Friday; this is the first Saturday in a while I would have time to go do something fun, or even just to go to a larger, nicer grocery store than what we have locally. 

Oh, I'll probably still do it; but if I do feel okay Saturday (I did after the last booster), I might still go

One of the frustrating things about being a too-responsible adult is that you have to schedule stuff like this for over your weekend - I don't want to miss work (even though I never take a sick day). 

The one thing though - I'm scheduled to elder this Sunday; I could beg off and have someone substitute if I feel unwell, but that might tip me over into going "meh, I'll do it NEXT weekend."

I also have to get the flu shot. I'm on the fence about getting them together; I know they recommend that (largely because they don't think people will come back for a second shot) but I don't like the possibility of a double-dose of immune response to deal with. (I normally only ever get a sore arm with the flu shot, though). 

In mid October I have to get my second shingles shot; I'm going to schedule THAT for the Thursday afternoon after my Friday mid-fall break - assuming I will feel unwell and yes, giving up YET ANOTHER day off I might do something fun. Which yes, I do kind of resent, but it's probably better than missing class time. 

I might resent it less if I had someone to take care of me, so I didn't have to drag my own self to the kitchen and try to figure out something I have the energy to fix to eat. But oh well.

* It's still very hot and dry here; I have to remember later this week to start watering my leaf pile so I can do the soil invertebrates lab with my students next week. It's frustrating because it's SUPPOSED to be cooler and rainier by now and it's a drag to have weather that never changes. 

* Slowly trying to get to the finish of "Death on the Cherwell" but a lot of nights by the time I get into bed to read I'm so tired I only get a few pages read before I decide I have to sleep. I do enjoy these vintage British mysteries; they're not as simplistically written as some of the modern potboilers or "airport books" but they are also less complicated than more literary novels. I do want to get back to Blackout but sometimes it makes me anxious or sad because it is characters I've come to like who are in at least mild peril. It will probably work out fine in the end based on some textual hints and a direct comment by a character. And the fact that there's a second book, called All Clear, that finishes the story. 

* Lots of dumb stuff going on, both in my state and nationally. You've doubtless heard of the bad stuff in Springfield Ohio, where Haitian immigrant families - who came here originally to escape bad conditions at home - are being harassed because of lies and rumors. 

Locally - following the shooting in Georgia - there were first cancellations of some schools for a day. This is because some fool posted on social media "threats" (apparently entirely false) against some schools in Georgia - and some of the town names are the same as town names here (or rather: our town names are the same as theirs) because many of the people who settled here in the early days were originally from Georgia and Alabama. But some folks thought these threats were for here, and a couple schools in the region shut down for a day. And now, parents are apparently scared, either from this or other stuff going on (???) that they're keeping their kids home (to be fair: I think there have been a couple local threats on social media). 

And it's frustrating. For one thing: I see how underprepared some of our incoming first-years are, after having their earlier education disrupted by the pandemic. And for another - well, some of my older students are parents themselves, and they sometimes have to scramble for childcare if the schools aren't open. And it's all so stupid and so silly and I would think of we could agree on ONE thing as a society, it's that kids should feel safe and should be able to go to school. It really does feel sometimes like everything is breaking and failing and I have to deal with some of the fallout and yet I have no power or skill or authority to do anything to fix it, and it's a very helpless feeling (and I also have to do things like try to catch up students who've had to stay home with kids home from school, or try to help bring the underprepared students up to level). And this kind of thing, constantly, burns a person out, especially after we all lived through a pandemic (and yes, for some, it's still going on. I am not immunocompromised nor do I live with someone who is, so I can pretty much go and do things without fearing I'll directly lead to someone's death if I happen to get exposed (and also, I am as vaccinated as I can be). 

I don't know. I just wish things would get better. I wish things would just work out for good.