On Monday I excused myself from a class so I could go to the ladies' room and cough vigorously without alarming anyone, and today I had to figure out how to handle a nosebleed in front of a class while wearing a mask. I know what caused the nosebleed--the nasal spray that I generally use only during the height of spring allergy season but that I've reached for far too many times in the past week. No more! Today I feel nearly normal so I'm putting away all the over-the-counter remedies and sticking to hot tea to get me through the day.
And what a lovely day it is: warm and sunny, with a chance of gorgeousness this afternoon. It was a sudden shift to unseasonably warm weather that precipitated my allergy attack a week ago, so here's hoping that this week is different.
On the too-many-meetings front, things are going well. I've been reminded of how much fun search committees can be when they allow me to spend time with really interesting people who are passionate about their work, and the real advantage of Zoom interviews has become clear: I'm not stuck trying to eat a meal in a nice restaurant with a pedant who won't shut up about Foucault.
Most of my classes are having writing workdays this week, so I'm spending a lot of time wandering around classrooms checking on progress and answering questions. With little to prep, I'm working ahead on next semester's syllabi, which ought to be really easy since I'm teaching three repeat courses that require only minor adjustments. The fourth course is a new prep, but I had to produce a full syllabus to submit with the course proposal in August, so it just needs a little tweaking.
On Friday I'll be inundated with drafts requiring swift feedback, and then over the next two weeks I'll be collecting piles of papers, exams, and other assignments to grade. Right now, though, I'm taking it easy, trying to be helpful, and celebrating every class period that passes without the need to cough.
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