Chalking It Up to the Leaves, Lack of Rain, Dryness, and (Perhaps) the Inevitably of a Time-Demanding Lifestyle in Teaching.

And he sneezes again. Tis the season of dry, clogged nostrils and slow, post-nasal drip to the back of the throat. The ears are clogged, the forehead pounds, and it makes me want to sleep. I have a difficult time napping, but I'm growing comfortable with retiring my mind early with no computer, just a few phone-games (I've back-played Wordle to August, 2023), and a decision to go mindless (in the work sense, not the active brain sense). Down time. Unwinding. 

Blow my nose. Drink tea. Have a glass of ginger-ale.

I always measure such episodes against the years of living in the Ohio Valley, where such allergies were crippling. How many times did I have to heat towels in the microwave to place over my head? How many times did Alice get rushed to the hospital because she couldn't breathe. I don't miss those kind of allergies.

But I get them in Connecticut, too. Tissues are a friend.

I hate brain grog because I've made a career of brain use. When it doesn't work as quick as I want it to, I need to find an alternative (and I can hear Kirsten from high school and college saying You don't know how to relax). I do relax...when I walk or run. That's my downtime and a location for rejuvenation. 

Mom has been hounding me for years to watch Soap from the early 80s. In fact, she bought me the complete DVD collection back when we used DVDs. I never opened it. I do have memories of her laughing around 10 p.m. on Thursday nights when it came on. Perhaps it was earlier. I don't remember. She called to say she found all the episodes on YouTube, so last night I decided to binge watch to catch up on 40 years of her harassing me. So, last night that's what I did...analyzing it, however, will come from another day. 

I've got to get ready for the 14-hour days ahead, and I need to take it all slowly .

Ha-choo.