Well I’ve now been at my job for two months. I’m still truly loving it and still have 0 complaints. I’m learning a lot. And I wouldn’t say I’m overwhelmed but I constantly have a very large metaphorical pile on my desk.
My birthday came and went at the beginning of the month with little fanfare. Which is a bit unusual for me as I like to celebrate my birthday more. But it just kind of snuck up on me – I guess changing careers keeps you a bit distracted. I did bring cake into the office on my actual birthday since at the end of the day it was a Wednesday which is my normal in office day.
While my life is definitely much more leisurely, it is actually not feeling any less busy. The yoga studio I did my teacher training as is closing this Sunday so I’ve been attending a lot of their classes. And these classes have been more exhausting as there is this emotional undercurrent. Not to mention, many are in the evening which really eats into my typical resting time. I miss my 6:30am yoga classes – fortunately those are at a different studio so I will hopefully return to them soon. I also taught my first yoga class. It went well and felt fantastic! I was anxious about how exhausting teaching yoga would feel since sometimes teaching biology exhausts me but it is just completely different. I’m looking forward to teaching again in May and I’m in the process of potentially locking in a few more teaching opportunities.
I haven’t been running much because I haven’t been feeling 100%. I had a corn which I have no idea where it came from. And my GI and energy have been off since I was on prednisone for a clogged ear. I think I’ve also been really dehydrated. So I skipped the Love Half Marathon this past weekend. But I did finally run from my home for the first time since I have moved to Philly, a short little two-miler.
I’ve also attended book club, went up to Jersey for a night for my cousin’s St. Patty’s Day Block Party, had a few virtual game nights with my friends’ kids while they are on spring break, had a few dates with a few people. After one of which, I got a flat tired. Truly annoying as really any other day would have been fine but late Sunday night made it impossible for me to get it squared away before a Monday class so I had to cancel it. Then the following week was spring break so no class. So this past Monday I was stressed trying to get us back on track but guess what? The students did not care one bit. In fact, they appreciated the loss of a class and I really should have stressed less. But while it’s nice they don’t care, I do care about the lost contact hours and am working on some ways to try and supplement their lessons virtually as I want them to learn.
I also have a huge pile of grading I need to catch up on. The funny (well not really) thing is that the idea of grading is sooooooo much more exhausting now as an editor than it was a researcher. I think there are a few reasons behind this. One, I am less motivated as I’m not as cash strapped or desperate to avoid my postdoc duties as I did before. Two, I definitely am a bit burnt out from academia and now that I have been slowing down my body is really realizing that. Three, grading (assessing my students’ understanding) and reviewing manuscripts (assessing how authors are interpreting observations) is very similar mentally. And while I truly love these types of tasks, I do need breaks from it. And well, I’m getting that. I’m officially not teaching at Bucks County Community College next semester. It’s bittersweet. I initially didn’t want to not teach so I asked if they would consider my course being in the evening or fully online but it doesn’t match the current schedule needs. But I’m still an employee, I’m just on a list. I will be emailed about my availability each semester. But who knows if I will go back. They are a great institution to work for but I don’t know if our needs for each other aligns anymore. I guess time will tell. Until then I’m looking forward to the break and to able to focus on editing full time (I’m currently only 90%).
Anyway, that’s where I’m at. I’ll be heading up to Jersey again to spend Easter with my cousins. And the following weekend I’ll be in Austin, TX for my friend’s bachelorette.
Candid Cerebrations 