Losing Weight

Off my shoulders, that is.

I'm the only paid professional that I know who doesn't have to go to work when the roads are bad. I made the best use of my time by heading in to work to collect a few things to do this weekend, then heading out on foot from the school for a flat six-mile loop. It's been almost a year since I've done that loop, and it was the jolt of freshness I needed to get excited about running again. Running yesterday afternoon meant I got to take Saturday morning off, which was an unexpected blessing: Our water heater was streaming (hot) water at a scarily fast rate. The lesson: if you have time to run, do it. Later, you might feel sick. It might be rainy/icy. You might need to take care of a major home emergency.

Yesterday would have been the day of the hooding ceremony at UT, if I had made plans to go. After much consideration, I decided the time investment was not worth it. If I had requested a personal day and geared up to make the drive on Friday morning, I would have been met with sloppy roads and a hellish traffic situation. It appears I chose wisely.

I called Friday to make sure I was at least on the list of students who received a degree. The woman in the registrar's office was the most doggedly unhelpful person I've ever had a conversation with. I won't be able to get final confirmation until Monday. The last of the weight will be lifted, and I can move on to other things.