I am back in Maine and here to stay. I don't think I have any plans to travel until Thanksgiving. Doreen and I returned from Pennsylvania late Monday, a little less than a week ago. The trip was exhausting, but it was a good thing to have gone. I returned with a strange sinus cold or infection or something. Perhaps it's Pennsylvaniaitis. My sinus under my eye hurt, but only on the right side, and my right ear also hurt, and I generally felt sub-optimal. I was never super sick, but I was annoyingly not at full strength.
Anyway, I spent the week doing housework and errands and trying to deny that the school year is about to start and I have tons of work to do. In many ways it's been an excellent summer. But it ended quite abruptly. I was away from home and on the move from late June until around a week ago. It's been a bit of a whirlwind. All of a sudden it's over and it's time to unpack, settle in, and get ready for fall term.
So last week I was in a bit of a daze, not only because of Pennsylvaniaitis, but also because I just needed some time to readjust to life in Maine and get mentally ready for the new academic year. The weather has been absolutely beautiful, which hasn't made it any easier to focus on work. I did some work work, but mostly I did laundry andyardwork and cooked a lot. Friday Doreen and I went for a short kayak near our house, and I've also been on two short runs. It feels good to be getting exercise again. I hope I can keep it up during the school year.
Although classes don't start until Thursday, tomorrow is in many ways the first official day of school for me. I'm giving a welcome talk to entering students tomorrow at 1:00. It'll basically be the same talk I've given the last few years. Students seem to like it, so I figure there's no need to change it too much. I'll spend the rest of the day getting ready for classes, preparing handouts, and catching up oncorrespondence. I've done some prep for Linear Algebra, but there's still lots to do for my other classes.
4 years ago
4 comments:
Aw geez, not that same talk again... at least you don't have to deal with the crazy guy any more!
Hope the year kicks off well.
On beer: replied on our blog to your question about Dogfish Head. We do get it here, but think I had a better selection at Jonathan Edwards. My favorite of their IPAs is actually the 60minute rather than the 90minute IPA.
I know what you mean about the 60 minute vs. the 90 minute. The various Dogfish Head beers are great, but sometimes they're a little much. It's like they're an entire meal. Sometimes is good to have a beer that's just a beer, and not also trying to be an intense culinary experience. I feel the same way about the unibroue beers from Quebec. They're awesome, but they're so intense that I get a little burned out on them.
Yes, pennslvaniaitis is a very serious condition here in good ol PA. sounds like u actually have an ear infection though...stumbled upon your blog whilst looking at the coa site
-from a (hopefully) future student, eager to hear this well-liked welcome speech.
Fortunately, the Pennsylvaniaitis/sinus problem cleared up pretty quick, and it's been a fun and illness-free fall term. If you have any questions about COA, please let me or someone in the Admission Office know.
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