Hello again.

*acknowledgement of how exhausted, fractured, and difficult all thinking labor is right now that I have not brain capacity to write*

These last two weeks have been largely taken up with teaching and end-of-semester work, but I've finished a precise of my Introduction. It's been very helpful, so I'm excited to keep going with the rest of the book starting this week.

I'll work on this and some paperwork for my contract this week. As often as possible, I'll use some Zoom writing groups my friends in eighteenth-century studies have been arranging each morning (hi!!).

Also up this week are a number of meetings looking towards bringing the semester's work to a close, lots of grading, and our annual Philadelphia Theatre Research Symposium on Friday (online, of course)!

As we continue to face uncertainty in the unfolding COVID situation, the demands of short-term deadlines often leave little room for long-term planning. I'm struggling with this every day. I feel motivated and impassioned, yet am unable to satisfactorily complete even small tasks that aren't urgent. We're about six weeks in to quarantine, and there have been enough ups and downs that I'm fairly confident this will pass, but it's very hard not to feel anxious about it.

So here's hoping for a good week for everyone, with bright spots that leaven the burdens we face. One bright spot for us was the completion of an improved front garden bed with some lovely bushes that should offer nice texture and year-round greenery. We've wanted to do this for several years, and time at home in what is normally the most difficult part of the semester finally made it possible!