The Best Part of Out-of-Town Guests (or any Company) Are the Left-Overs that Carry Over for the Rest of the Week

Of course I'd be summoned for taker of the minutes on a Monday Academic Council meeting, because it is the book of Job. It's the same reason I'd be summon for jury duty over winter break, even after reluctantly agreeing to teach two session of a winter course when  no one else would step up. The students would lose out and I couldn't live with this. So, I postponed jury duty.

I did not, however, postpone my AC minutes, as I like to type notes like I was trained to do as a qualitative researcher. I like to capture time and conversation to the best of my ability. Censoring myself from speaking, however, is a little trickier, but I did my part. 

All of this is to say that it's all good, because I had leftover bagels with cream cheese for breakfast yesterday and I will have it again tomorrow, which is why I love entertaining and having people stop by. I end up winning with more food in my house. It's nice not to only eat cereal.

Today is a marathon for teaching and tomorrow is the travel day to NCTE in Denver (which I'm also excited about, as emails and text messages have begun to arrive). Last night, I was thinking about how impossible the level of work really is, but I see that National conferences are a spot to stop, reflect, reconvene, and rethink. If I wasn't heading out of town, it'd be more of the impossible same: empty that ocean with a fork, Crandall.

Nope. I didn't eat all these bagels, but I had three left over which I will pace this week before I depart...the fruit, too. All, with a cup of coffee, make for a much more enjoyable morning.

I like to choose joy, but there are times in the profession where you can't find a second without work to actually appreciate what the world has to offer. I'm hoping the Denver trip will restore some of the joy that has been lost this past year. If not, at least I got the bagels to appreciate.