Cavewoman

What has happened is that I have taken to indoor life. I have been working remotely the whole time, and it suits me. I like that I don't have to "manage" the students in the classroom. I post my lectures and they can take it or leave it. Mind you, I have taken great pains to make the lectures as enlightening and interesting as possible, and it should work splendidly for the self-motivated learner, but they are the one-percenters of higher education.

Other highlights include not having to wear a bra (unless I am in a live meeting). I also don't have to kill time between classes, or between classes and meetings. I can get down to things I actually want to do, instead of browsing about non-controversial items on the school network to look busy. I can take a dump, shower and brush my teeth when it suits me, rather than rushing before I head out for school. 

I go for walks, long walks with Mike and sometimes on my own. I know the ins and outs of Salem. I have closely watched it transition from Summer to Winter (I read we are going to get 18 inches of snow over the weekend). Back when it was warmer, one of the main delights during our night walks was spotting skunks- they scurry along like hefty-bummed aunties (am I one now?) and are startled easily. Now it is more about Christmas lights- the lampposts in front of our building are wound with rainbow light-strings that slowly change shades. We have gotten into the habit of walking over to neighboring towns- especially Beverly and Peabody. And today, we took a loop covering all three.

On the downside, I haven't painted at all. We bought a condo over summer and when we shifted, I slashed the paintings I didn't care for. It felt good to destroy them. Until the house is fully set up, I can't make up my mind about what I should paint next. I have gained a lot of weight, so beyond work and sleep, managing my diet and exercising has become the biggest priority (which is really dull stuff). I have ran out of shows to watch on tv, and I am now scraping the bottom of the barrel with Crimson Rivers and a youtube channel called Daisy Mason with old BBC productions. But on the flip side I have been reading more, and even reread one author- Barbara Pym. I love and fully relate to her petty but dignified heroines, who inhabit an independent yet mostly domestic world. The other book I have really enjoyed is Impossible Owls (I looked into the writer after reading an irreverent British Bake Off critique), of which the first chapter on the Iditarod race is probably the most invigorating and amusing essay I have read in a long time.