Well, it was worth a shot...

In an attempt to address the "I gotta get outta here" factor I was talking about yesterday, today I decided to try out a different coffee place, even if it meant I got less work done. Which it did: it seemed to take forever to get there, and once I did, I very quickly realized this wasn't going to be a go-to option for me. I will confess that the GF cheesecake was spectacular, but the last thing on this earth I need is to eat cheesecake--and the coffee was the sadly typical, Starbucks-influenced burned/bitter brew that seems virtually inescapable these days. Plus, the place smelled faintly of patchouli incense, which is a smell I find nauseating, so all in all, I'd say I'm glad I tried it, because now I know I never have to go back.

I did get a little work done, but when I got home, I found myself scrounging around to find alternative places to work in Manhattan: I've developed this wild fantasy that I'm going to go into the city, settle in to work somewhere, and then go to a dance class--maybe tomorrow, maybe Friday... Thursday, I have an actual appointment in the City, then am meeting friend and office-mate William for convivializing--and yes, there's another dance option that evening as well.

I know heading into the City is unlikely to become a part of the regular routine, but I would like to find a class that I like well enough that I think I can commit to it even when I am back in the classroom. It's good for me to be a student as often as possible, so I can feel stupid and frustrated and keep my empathy tanks topped up.

Whatever I end up doing tomorrow, I do want to put the work foremost, so I'll only head into the city if I can get up and out of here early enough. (I also realize I have to stop having coffee in the afternoon: gee, Prof. P, ever wonder why you have a hard time getting to bed early?) I find I'm highly tempted to embark on more work now, but if I do, I'll have to overcome my own wound-upness in addition to caffeine in order to get to bed, so I'm signing off for now. It's time to start letting the turbines stop spinning--and that takes a long, long time.