A Day in the Life

Day two of a new routine which I hope will be productive and lead to good things. Unfortunately, part of that new routine is being out the door by 7 AM. I have yet to make it, but I have high hopes for tomorrow. Seven-fifteen has been the best I could do so far.

I use my new monthly transit pass (yay!), get to my office (can I say how awesome it is to have an office, even a shared one!?), and work on my teaching preparation. Next week I'll also spend an hour teaching.

Before lunch I go to the gym. I love having a gym membership. A lot. This one has an indoor track, which reminds me of running with my dad back when I was working on my MA. My dad used to call it "wogging" (for "walking" and "jogging") and it's true that we didn't break any speed records, but I remember it very fondly. This new track is an eighth of a mile instead of a tenth, and has a view of the freeway and the skyline. It is really nice. I also enjoy an exercise bike they have, which has a monitor with 3D graphics of different courses that you "ride through"--you can even steer and shift, but you can't coast or crash. And of course, my old standby, stair-climbing with a suspenseful novel. The stair-climbers here have famous heights like the Great Pyramid, the Space Needle in Seattle, the Empire State Building, and the Sears Tower. So far, I've done the Space Needles several times (900+ steps) and am working up to the Sears Tower. ;) Lastly, there is a hot tub and a "play pool" with a current that sweeps you along a loop. It is really a fun way to unwind at the end.

After lunch it's back to the office for some dissertation work. I have made for myself a long-term plan (1 semester) which specifies what I need to get done every day. So far it's been a little hard to actually accomplish that (this is week two) but at least it gives me a task to focus on, so even if I fail to accomplish it completely, I still can't get too side-tracked.

When I get restless I go to a nearby coffee-shop, and when I get either done or too tired, I go home and relax with Pocket of Bolts. This is a good life, I think, a life I could get used to. But a lot depends on how things will be when the job actually starts next week!