Not Much to Say

 

Not feeling very verbose today.  Feeling edgy and aggravated.  So, just some bullets:

• Ran only 8.2 miles (~13 km) this morning.  I did this distance because then depending upon IF I decide to enter the road-race on Saturday, my 5K race (3.1 miles) will complete my 55-56 miles per week goal.   If I do not enter the road-race, I will just run 3.1 miles (5km) at home.
• I have all but the 3.1 miles done for the week and it is Thursday.  I figure IF I decide to enter the road-race, having taken Friday off from running should make me potentially a bit stronger IF I do enter the road-race on Saturday.  
• I am not sure if I want to go through the rigamarole of the race or not at the moment.  Driving to the race site seems a bit superfluous at the moment.  With the challenges with my MIL at the moment, some vehicle issues one of my kids is having, and other additional pressures, I might just say to hell with it. It saddens me, though, because I *think* I would have a potentially good possibility of being able to receive a medal for my "old duffer" age group if my recent test of my 5K running ability would hold true at the race.  They award medals in the respective age categories for the top three in each age range.  
• My wife and her siblings are going to go visit a few assisted living homes today and a few more tomorrow.  It will be a very emotional time for my wife and therefore for us also as a couple.  With my MIL's dementia, it will be a difficult time for her and for us, no matter what ultimately is decided.  
• All these situations, including frustrations with mechanics (see above about kid's car) have me feeling really out-of-sorts, because I feel pulled in about 50 different directions, with no control over deciding when or what I can do from moment to moment.  Added to this, the U's custodial folks informed me that they have MOVED UP to THIS WEEKEND, the annual intense cleaning and polishing of floors in the laboratories (including mine) so I have to figure out how to get all sorts of equipment (both fragile equipment and bulky, heavy equipment) up off the floor and away into some classroom or other, so that they can come in and do their work.  The U custodial folks will move and reposition FURNITURE (tables, chairs, etc), but they do not move equipment because they may not know how to move it properly/safely.  This annual polishing usually has occurred in early October, and unfortunately, this new timing caught me by surprise.  It will be nice to have it done, but the timing is not really helpful for me at the moment.
• PCS - 7... when I get into harried situations where my time is not really my own, so-to-speak, and I am at the beck-and-call of the whims of countless others.... I had typically sought the calming pleasures of my pipes.  And, the "harried" times are not really quelled in any appreciable sense by just fussing with an empty pipe or a lighter.  During these "pulled-in-every-direction" times, I am more desiring of the actual pipe tobacco itself, for its nicotinic comfort.  
• Responding to Pat's comments from yesterday.... 1.  The suggestion of having my MIL visit the assisted living facilities for a few hours sounds like a good idea.  I have mentioned it to my wife.  She and her siblings are going to investigate if that is allowed and if so, how it works.  2.  In regards to whether my PCS elevates when deep in thought/concentration..... I think it "depends" on the situation.  I think most work-related "deep thought" situations are typically associated with a rise in desire to smoke my pipes.  For a potentially different reason, home related tasks and chores requiring focus typically also are associated with a PCS rise.  Reading at night, at the end of the day, however.... sees no rise in PCS, and perhaps even sometimes a slight decline.  So, it seems there is considerable variability.

The image I used on this blog post is an example of "hard edge" painting, and I picked it to represent the edginess I am feeling.

PipeTobacco