It takes a certain amount of mental energy to read a book, even a fun book, and recently that mental energy has been prioritized away from such things as reading for pleasure. When I had a minute to myself, I could muster just about enough energy to stare at a wall or watch silly TV shows. But this morning I woke up, rolled over, picked up my book, and read for 2 hours straight. Pippin came and slept like a baby in my arms for a full hour of that time, sighing and pressing his paw gently against my chin whenever I turned a page, before moving down to his tent at the other end of the couch.
It’s too bad this feels a little like the calm before the storm. This next week is the dreaded 10th week of our term. Half the week is filled with classes, followed by two reading days, followed by exams. During this time panicky students scramble for last minute research appointments, the tension on campus is suffocating, and we have several days full of candidate interviews. Consequently, while much of the U.S. takes time to honor veterans for their service to our country, my schedule is back-to-back jam packed from 8:15 to 5 on Monday.
But you know? The crazy part of me kind of looks forward to the week ahead. I couldn’t tell you why. I just wish I had a week off between now and Monday to sit here with my snoring cat and my book.