wandering around the outskirts

I've been effectively away from the project for a while, and I spent today all around the edges of it, not really getting into the heart of it at all. I sent off some e-mails related to the thing, and I spent some time reviewing the proposals (one-page version and the "long form" proposal)--and had a "yikes!" moment when I realized that the proposals said I was going to do something (several somethings) that I am not, in fact, doing. I know that process very well from writing my dissertation, though in that case I was reassured that it was completely expected that the actual dissertation might resemble the proposal only in the most general and ball-parkish sort of ways. In the case of a proposal for a publisher, I rather feel there needs to be a closer relationship between what is proposed and what the actual product.

I've printed out the proposals, in fact. I hope that the next day I have to dive deeply into the work will be spent doing exactly that: I finished the glossary and pronunciation guide, so I really do have to get to the thematic stuff (which I admit I was avoiding today). But next time I hit a day when I don't have the intestinal fortitude to do the heavy lifting, I want to more carefully compare the proposals to what I've got--and start making notes for revision (whether of the proposal or of the sections themselves will be determined on a case-by-case basis).

In fact, today didn't shape up at all the way I intended when I got out of bed: I didn't head downtown to work (stayed home); I kept forgetting to set the timer so I'd get up and move (though I did actually go outside to walk--and the first time, was out longer than I normally would be); I didn't finish going through the "Welcome to Students," having gotten distracted by the proposals.

Yet it feels like a reasonably productive day. So, yay for that.

Tomorrow, however, I already know I will not get any work done at all. I have a riding lesson, then a meeting with a former student who wants some advice about her next academic steps, then dinner with Paul (maybe a steak blowout, though that may be put on hold, if either of us isn't feeling up to the impact on our digestive systems). So, Wednesday will be my next work day--and I'm feeling that clock ticking down to when the "end of sabbatical" alarm goes off. But not yet. Not yet....

And now, it's time to punch out for the day, work-wise, and tend to things like feeding myself, feeding the cats, looking through the stack of popcorn reads from the library to decide which one I want to devour next. Man, life is good.

And I'm a full professor, or will be come September. I'm still having a hard time taking that in, but man it is sweet.