Things Are Better

I felt somewhat ashamed of my whining and whingeing on Monday when I discovered later that day that someone I know is going through much worse things, and is, indeed suffering (it's no one any of you except one knows, so don't fret). I feel sad thinking about how this person's life has been turned upside down almost overnight, and recognize that my own blueness was nothing in comparison.

Also - a few nice things have happened.

I had the results of my "course survey," which is a kind of evaluation that isn't supposed to be an evaluation but for all intents and purposes is. Anyway, my feedback was excellent, nearly all above the school average, which makes me feel good. And the students said some really nice things (except one WTF comment - but there's always one of those, and I have learned to focus on the positive).

I had lunch with the dept chair today, and it was really nice, and we had a good talk. Yay.

I've been taking advantage of some TIME to go and get medical check-ups and tests and things. I saw my doctor this afternoon about the results of all my blood etc work, and I'm HEALTHY! In fact my "lipids" (cholesterol levels) are, apparently, phenomenal!! (this is a relief to someone whose maternal grandfather died fairly young of a heart-attack, and whose mother had heart problems in her later life on top of everything else).

As of Friday, all the *&%# meetings that everyone seems to want to schedule now we're not teaching will be mostly finished and I'll have some time to really focus on my DWJ paper. Countdown to trip...

Tomorrow, I'm giving a presentation on BLOGGING for colleagues across the school. I had been afraid (genuinely) that no one would come, or that none of my English fellows would and that I would feel very hurt if they didn't. I know that at least a few of my English colleagues are coming, and I'm all prepared, and I think it'll be good, and if some of them don't come... well it's their loss, right?

Another Hurdle Cleared

So I think my blogging presentation for my school went well this morning. It was much better attended than I expected, with my audience including the Dean as well as some loyal friends (including my dear lidocafe, who laughed at all the right places and gave me confidence) and quite a lot of people from other departments, which was great. Of course, afterwards, I thought of all the things that I should have said, and that I should have been better organized and blah, blah, blah, but overall I think it was okay.

The Dean's keynote speech was very good, and I also went to a presentation on teaching in Dubai which was interesting and incited my travel and adventure envy... (swift slap on the side of the head).

It is a lovely spring day, and I was tired and needed to de-stress, so I played hooky from everything this afternoon and took Robinson for a walk in the woods. Although the sun is bright, it's still not terribly warm. My garden seems to have leapt into bloom almost over-night, as if it was wearing its woollies during the grey cold days and now the sun's shining it's suddenly thrown on a t-shirt and shorts, just like we do. My icelandic poppies are suddenly out, and the wigelia is blooming (it's the one with variegated leaves and pink flowers) and the first cornflower is blooming in the perennial bed. I still have an awful lot of weeding and planting to do - well, it's a long weekend, so perhaps I'll have some time.

Just now I was watching two hummingbirds whizzing up and down in the sky, and a while ago I took some photographs of one and a Mysterious Yellow Bird that was lurking in my pear tree. I haven't downloaded and processed them yet, but will post anything interesting perhaps later.

Tomorrow there's a department meeting, and a contract management committee meeting, and then finally I'll have some time to myself for my own work (except that I now have agreed to meet with one of my audience members to talk about blogging, but not until the week after next).