This is a legitimate question. What are you all doing to stay sane? I would love to have a room with just puppies and kittens running all over the place. We do that here at the university during finals week but this needs to be a reality. I think it would really help alleviate some stress. I’d volunteer at the shelter but I would want to take them all home. So, no.

I avoid the news and bury myself in Bible study. It helps, a lot. I still think puppies would help. The Otter Pup gives me a lot of side eye these days because of her general health maintenance, that falls on me to do. She is not a fan!

Right Now:

About to hang with the students at church.

The morning is looking pretty normal for me. Church and then a very brief visit with the in-laws. As brief as possible. They’ve hit the “not so nice, sometimes nasty” stage and still mostly refuse to do anything to improve their living situation. They refuse help in the house. Still aren’t eating great but a tad better. So there’s some improvement.

This Week:

Not too much happening. I have book club on Wednesday night. We are discussing Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips. It was quite good but brutal at times.

Unfortunately, my blood work showed some wonky stuff with my liver so I have to go in for more tests. I supposed the 23 meds that I was given last year after the tumor journey affected something. I would think it would be better now because I am not even on Advil. Not too worried since I hardly drink. One glass of wine at book club. That’s it!

Reading:

I finished Night Watch and my review will post this week.  I also finished Evenings & Weekends by Oisín McKenna. This was very good. I will write up my thoughts, hopefully this week as well.

So what am I reading now?

• The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (April club pick)
• Red Dog Farm by Nathanial Ian Miller
• Pinch Me by Barbara Boyle

Watching:

• Harlan Coben’s new Netflix show, Just One Look.
• The Bob Newhart show. I pulled out some DVD’s that were gifted to us.

Grateful for:

• Erasable pens. It’s dorky but I liked to take notes with my pen but I tend to correct a lot so erasable works great. Just don’t leave your notes out in the sun because all the ink will disappear! Ask me how I know. It eventually comes back, after…many…hours.
• Warm, cushy throw blankets. It has been so cold for us. A nice throw is lovely.
• That my hair is really growing like a Chia pet. I mean, it’s really taking off. A but out of control and requires weekly trims but I am so down for it.

That’s all I have. I hope everyone has a good week and tell me what you are doing to keep your mind off of this circus we are all forced to participate in.

Well, hello! This week was pretty good. Very busy at work but learning some new things which can be fun. I am working on a micro-certification for Artificial Intelligence. It’s really interesting. It’s geared towards faculty but since I support it in IT, I am adapting the content for my own use. Very interesting stuff to consider in regards to data privacy and sustainability. Every time you ask an AI chatbot a question, like… Siri, the data stored in the cloud needs at least 16 ounces of water to cool the data center? Isn’t that fascinating and horrifying at the same time?

Right Now:

About to hang with the students at church.

An update on my MRI. The neuro team gave me the findings and it looks good. Everything is stable. No growth on the two smaller tumors. I was so relieved but then the surgeon called me the other day and told me he wants to follow-up with me on 3/22. Hmmm. This worries me. I asked if there were new findings and he said it’s a one year follow-up type of thing so maybe it’s nothing?

This Week:

In addition to my normal church service on Thursday there is a special worship night on Tuesday. I do enjoy these nights but we’ll see if I am up to going. Last week was busy. I may choose to watch from home.

Later this week I have a coffee-date with one of my graduated students just to catch-up. I love seeing past students out in the wild! Many of them have their own families now. So sweet.

Working on a  new project at work. Gotta get those creative juices flowing. It’s a marketing thing for the students.

Speaking of marketing. I am on social media a lot for work but man, it is impossible to avoid the train wreck of a country we have become. I used filters to weed out stuff I don’t want to see but it still comes up because of course, a certain someone controls what you see on X. I’d like to move work stuff to a different platform but X is still the most viewed.

Reading:

I finished Butter and my review posts on Monday.

So what am I reading now?

• Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips (March club pick)
• Evenings & Weekends by Oisín McKenna (very good)

My friend recommended Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? to me. It came out long ago but it sounds pretty interesting. Maybe that will be my third book. Hard to find a copy at the moment.

Watching:

Trying out Harlan Coben’s new Netflix show, Just One Look.

Grateful for:

• Our new Trader Joe’s. It’s big and has great parking. In and out. Makes it easy to pick up some stuff for work lunches.
• The pup. She is still here!
• Multiple platforms to read on. I was never a “read on my phone” kind of person but it has come in very handy, and with adjustable fonts, quite usable.

That’s all I have. I hope everyone has a good week.