2008
this is the day
maura @ 11:24 pm
Why I Am Tired, by Maura
6:30am – Everyone gets up. Usually Gus + I sleep in until 6:45am, but this morning I had an early class so we all got up. J makes coffee, I feed the cats + scoop the litter, Gus plays video games until we make him eat breakfast. Everyone eats, Jonathan + I shower, Gus brushes teeth, everyone dresses. Minimal nagging today, which was nice.
7:40am – Gus + Jonathan head to the city bus stop to go to school. I head to the subway.
8:05am – At my desk, turn on computer, check email, nothing urgent. Set up the classroom (turn on computers, fill my water bottle).
8:30am – Meet the students and prof at the library entrance and start teaching! Short library tour, head to the classroom, experience students’ shock + awe when they learn that the internet is neither 1) always reliable nor 2) a repository of all information in the universe, demonstrate finding books and articles in the library, discuss why plagiarism is bad and how to avoid it, distribute handouts.
10:00am – Repeat above w/different students + prof.
11:15am – Grab my stuff and rush to the subway for my noon dermatologist appt. Realize that I should have bought an all-day unlimited pass for today, since I’ll be riding the subway 5 times. Eat my sandwich on the subway. Get there a bit early, copay, catch up on twitter, skin check, all-clear, head back to the subway and the library.
12:45pm – 15 bonus minutes, woo hoo! Buy coffee, check email.
1:00pm – Reference desk, medium-busy. One student is writing a paper on Hobbes, Rousseau and Plato. Another student is looking for As I Lay Dying (which is not in, unfortunately). Also, review student evaluations from this morning’s classes.
2:00pm – I was supposed to have a meeting but it was cancelled, which is just as well since I’m pretty tired at this point (dang late night election returns). Snack, answer email, photocopy handouts for classroom (supplies are getting low).
3:00pm – Meeting. Good + productive, yay!
4:00pm – Dinner, tea, more email, chat a bit w/colleagues.
5:10pm – Head to the subway to go into Manhattan.
5:45pm – Get to Pratt — I’m tonight’s guest speaker in my former professor’s class. Chat with my former professor. Decline offers of coffee, in case it comes back to haunt me later.
6:30pm – Have a few pieces of chocolate (to celebrate the guest speaker! very flattering). Talk about my job in my former professor’s class. The students ask lots of questions — as you all know I love my job so I could go on and on (and I do).
7:30pm – Class breaks, time for me to be quiet. Get gifts! (including a Pratt mug, very nice!)
8:30pm – Home. Gus is getting ready for bed, wicked tired + pissy (he had swimming this afternoon). Hugs + they’re off. I take some advil, grab an ice pack and sit on the sofa with my phone (my stupid leg is still sore for no apparent reason — I think I’m going to need to see someone about this, bah). Catch up on interwebs, ice leg.
9:00pm – Have a bowl of cereal, do the dishes.
9:30pm – Download email to big computer. Open a beer. Leg up. Have some more chocolate (Jonathan is a Halloween thief, but at least he shares).
9:55pm – Stupid wifi has been crapping out lately. Start writing this blag post in a text file.
10:19pm – Post this blag! Bed to follow (as soon as I finish my beer).
3 comments on “this is the day”
Happy to hear you’re studying the food chain, with daily demonstrations from cats!
[…] 4. The Pratt mug is nice + deep + good for tea (11/5’s post). […]
I’m an alarmist and probably a co-dependent hypochondriac but you should have your leg checked.