Mush

Unfortunately, my title is NOT about my very favorite breakfast foods (oatmeal, or similarly "mushy" cereals like Cream of Wheat, Cream of Rice, Malt-O-Meal, Coco-Wheats, Creamed Bran, or simply ANY cereal allowed to sit long enough in milk to get pleasantly soggy).  Soggy cereals are SO delicious and mouth-watering to me.  

What my title IS about, instead, is the feeling of my old mind and my old body at the moment.  Although I had no teaching responsibilities today, I still did a helluva lot of work:

1)  I ran a second 1/2 Marathon for the week, this morning.  I actually ran 13.5 miles (just shy of 22 km) this morning.  I hoofed out the door at 6:03am.  But, as I may have mentioned (not sure), I am transitioning back to outside running.  I use muscles differently running outside in the fresh air than on the track.  So, I am rather stiff and sore from the altered style of running.  I probably will be sore all week.  My legs feel like mush.

2)  I am mushy in the brain as well.  I have spent about 4.5 hours very carefully editing and critiquing the thesis for one of my research students.  It is a mind-numbing process that I am (unfortunately?) pretty damn good at..... even though my horrendous grammar and syntax here likely makes you a non-believer.  But.... it is true.  I am rather good at editing, good at smoothing language, good at converting sentences into more meaningful "scientific" statements, and good at grammar.  Please know... I am NOT that way here.  Sometimes I become quite chagrined at the atrocious way I write here sometimes.... but I consider this a place to write "off the cuff" sorts of ideas.... limited to no editing needed.  But... EDITING IS EXHAUSTING!  IT IS MIND NUMBING!  IT MAKES MY EYES TIRED TOO!

So... the above two items make me feel very oozy and mushy MENTALLY and PHYSICALLY.   I am trying to convince my wife to go swimming later this afternoon so I can (not swim, but) walk backwards in a lane of the pool for quite a while.  The coolness of the pool water is immensely refreshing, and purposefully walking backwards lets me use my leg muscles in the opposite way I do when running.... which helps them to relax and become more limber.  It also works well with my wife.... when I can convince her to go, she will walk (forward) with me and we can easily talk and chat while we share a lane..... walking back and forth, back and forth. 

PCS = 7.  In many ways, editing itself kept reminding me of my beloved pipes and array of pleasantly potent and flavorful pipe tobaccos.  Until I made the fateful decision to set aside my beautiful pipes, having a pipe, or two, or three while editing was truly a tool that helped me with focus, helped me nourish my neurons, and relaxed my spirit during this intensive activity.  

PipeTobacco