what a day

 It's been a day.

 And I'm sticking around waiting to be SURE the grad assistant gets back - if he doesn't, I need to teach his class. (He is supposed to be back; he spoke to me shortly before my section of the lab, but he's been under the weather - I think it's allergies but who knows). Originally I was slated to teach his lab because he had a doctor's appointment.

I will admit, and I'm trying not to be self-centered about it, but that displeased me. I mean, any other week, fine, yes, it's two unpaid extra hours of work for me, but today - when I have to go home and do laundry and pack and everything else, the thought of getting home late stresses me out. Especially since I had two stacks of partial exams to grade

 

(Partial, because I had MANY absences. Some will be making it up tomorrow). I got through the grading and managed to eat lunch and read over the lab).

And also, just, all that's going on in the world. It's a lot. And also, I have to leave extra early tomorrow; I have to get dinner like around 4 or 4:30 because I have to get on a BUS shortly after 5 to ride to Marshall instead of getting on the train like normal at Mineola. 

 

(I am going to run and check if his car is in the lot; almost time for his lab. If he's not here I will do it) 

 

Yeah, he made it back. He's not so very ill, it really does seem like when I have bad allergies. Maybe he never really experienced them before? (He did not grow up here, he is originally from India and has lived here a few years, it's possible he's hit the wall of "been here just long enough to get sensitized to the pollen")

But that's a relief. I can go home and stick my laundry in, and start accumulating what I need to take. I want to wind off one skein of yarn for socks; I have a couple little in-progress things to finish. And I have to figure out "what books." 

I do want to take "Between Two Rivers," even though it's hardback (fairly new) and is sort of heavy, but it's INTERESTING and I want to not lose the thread of where I am. And I have a new British Library reprint of short mystery stories set in academia, and one of ones set in the theater world, so I could take those - short stories are often good for on the train, less concentration required. 

I guess I really do need a break even though it's hectic to get ready for it when you have no time - I have been out every evening so far this week (CWF, the museum program - which was well worth the time invested - and then last night, the monthly board meetings at church). So laundry didn't get done, and yarn didn't get wound off, and I also am kind of tired and "peopled out" 

I'll be happier once I'm on the train proper; I don't love the bus bridges (it's trackwork, near Longview). Then again, it's not clear it's even happening for sure; someone else on the Amtrak online discussion board said they were slated to be bused and they were not. So I dislike the uncertainty and the extra fussing with the bus thing, but also it's a little anxiogenic to not know "bus or train from Mineola"

 

I really didn't get any "embargoed posts" written (other than one short one), if I have time tonight I might do one or two, or I might try to do some from the road even as posting pictures is a lot harder on my phone because of some strange new permissions quirk in Google...