Join the Circus?

Sometimes, I get the urge to run away. Just for a day or so, somewhere where no one knows me. Go out to eat, lie on a beach, go out dancing - really anything. Just somewhere new, somewhere unknown or different. The urge strikes and there's not much I can do about it. But it comes on strong a few times a year. I don't think it indicates anything other than a restlessness that I've always had. Maybe one day when I'm in a position to travel more that will abate. But in the meantime, it's there, ready to strike when I least expect it. I've actually done it a few times, mostly when I was in language school and didn't have anyone to check in with until formation on Monday morning. I could go wherever I wanted and just disappear for a couple of days. Oh, the days before cell phones! Now I'm constantly reachable and people worry when they don't get a response. I suppose that complaining about having meaningful connections with people that means that they are concerned about my well being is silly and in truth, that's not what I'm talking about. It's mostly just a desire for anonymity and new experience, and the freedom that comes with it.

New Drugs, New Outlook

On Saturday I started some new medication that, we hoped, would help with the sleepiness from the muscle relaxers as well as the continuing fibro pain. The biggest concern was nausea, which is a problem I've had with medications in the past. Thankfully, after a couple of days, the nausea has passed. And for the first time this semester, I feel like I have it together and things aren't completely out of control. Maybe it's the result of feeling physically better or maybe it's purely mental. But either way, I'm feeling like this semester won't entirely overwhelm me for the first time. And I'm really happy about that.

Mandatory Fun

Today was mandatory fun with the Honors College. Thankfully, parts of it were actually fun. We traveled into the city in vans that had no air conditioning, which was misery. The traffic was a mess so we got out and walked, which at least had air. We had lunch at the Mars Restaurant, which is cheesy and silly but was a lot of fun. The food was pre-ordered and the pasta I got was average. The worst part was that, as we're walking, we're instructed to keep in groups of four. How old are we?

I got a drink with lunch (the Dean assured me that since it was off campus and I was legal, it was fine) and boy did I need it. The director of the Honors College makes me want to scream. She's unorganized and I don't think she's as smart as she thinks her PhD makes her. Blissfully, we were released to get to the show at our leisure. Thank god.

One of my classmates, Dav, and I walked over to the theater. We saw the Lion King, which was amazing. I hadn't seen it and this was free, so it was well worth dealing with being treated like a child. The man playing Scar was stellar and the entire production was fantastic. I dozed on the return trip listening to Michael Jackson, so despite sweating the entire way, it was a decent return.

A Professor Above Others

There's a professor at my school of whom I am fond. She's brilliant in her field (she's a social psychologist who has been treating first responders from 9/11 for the last decade) and loves to teach (she's been a professor at my school for 36 years). She did my independent study over the summer and allowed me to do another one this semester on trauma since the school isn't currently offering any classes. She then changed our senior seminar to incorporate aspects of trauma...and she did that for me. She asked me to TA for her as well.

Today, this professor sat me down and told me she had breast cancer. Prognosis is good - it's stage 1. No other students know and only 2 faculty. She is taking a month of medical leave at some point for radiation and surgery and wants me to keep the class moving along at the correct pace while she's gone. 


A few hours ago, she sent an email thanking me for being available to her and reminding me to slow down so I won't get sick and burn out. With everything she's dealing with today, she took the time out to do that.


I am honored by this woman's trust and attention. In class, she puts a lot of effort into truly preparing students for the aspects of this field they're interested in (social work, clinical, etc) and will help students out. She knows this is not a challenging curriculum for me and works to find other ways to make this engaging. There are teachers you never forget - this is one of them.

Such a nice day

Had lovely lunch today with Angel. It was so beautiful that we had our salads outside. She then took me shopping where we found some beautiful things for me and a few for Kyle. We then got an iced coffee from Starbucks. It was, in short, a wonderful afternoon.

Turkey is in the oven for dinner tonight. There will be dressing (at Kyle's request) and green beans - a mini Thanksgiving! I'm going to try to get the house cleaned up tonight so that I can spend all of tomorrow at the DMV if necessary. But, at the end of it, I should have Virginia plates and it will be one less thing to do when I move down.

Mom and Dad will get tomorrow night late and be here for the weekend. Sadly, Mom lost her dog Sasha, who they believe was eaten by a coyote. Heartbreaking. We're all sad but hopefully our dogs will do their part to cheer her up. We're looking forward to a fun weekend with them and introducing them to Va Beach and the family here. Very excited!