The Inhale Thread !

[ergative]

I've gotten my inbox to below 900 emails! This is not a high priority on my list, but it affords such a tangible sense of progress that I feel inspired to tackle the bigger tasks.

[apl68]

This is the first time anybody has inhaled around here in over a month?  Deep breaths folks, deep breaths!

[nonsensical]

I got a gift box in the mail that I was not expecting that had all kinds of delicious snacks inside. Yum!

[ergative]

• I have no more new teaching materials to prepare this semester
• I have all afternoon free to finish a review that's a week and a half overdue
• Absolutive has finished quarantining after contact with a covid-positive student, and so I no longer need to sleep on the couch and wear a mask when we're in the same room together. (That was a grim Thanksgiving: we zoomed from different rooms while having dinner.)
• I'm down to 145 emails in my inbox!

[apl68]

We broke over 400 preschoolers signed up for our local Dollie Parton's Imagination Library program.  A new high enrollment!

[Harlow2]

2 family members just tested negative.

[arcturus]

My time-consuming service activity involves working closely with nice, supportive people. Earlier this year, I was also recognized (awarded something) in part due to my work on this service task. I enjoy working with these people, our work is important, and I am being recognized for my efforts. This is a win, win, win, win.

[mamselle]

Silly-happy stuff just happens....

One of my students just now had to wait online for her lesson--the previous student is a mommy with three kids, one of whom, a toddler in toilet training, suddenly had to employ the facilities just as we were about to finish, delaying the end her lesson...

So while this student--one of my cool middle-schoolers--was in the Zoom "waiting room", she decided she wanted to write a holiday song and started a composition. She asked if we could to that for her lesson today, I agreed, so she played it for me and we worked on it for most of the time, instead of scales.

She had four measures of melody and a start on the left hand when I got to her; we figured out another 4 measures, and more left hand; I transcribed it on MuseScore and sent it to her, so she can do the rest on her own.

And we still had time to do quick run-throughs of her two pieces, which were fine--still in need of more work, but progressing--before we did a final "victory play-through" of the new piece.

Win-win as far as I was concerned.

i love my students.

M.

[ab_grp]

Just got a text from eldest that she just wanted to tell me she loves me.  Now that she is a nurse, and her previously unrelated floor has become completely COVID patients, I had a little panic attack.  It turns out that on her brief time off she has been watching some murder show where people lost their parents, and she realized how little time we really have.  Still, holy inhale.  Happy to have a daughter who loves me, and very happy as well that this was not some other message!! Sorry if this sounds like a ridiculous inhale, but my worries are through the roof a lot of the time these days between her situation and others in my family/friends (and the world).

[apl68]

Just got a text from eldest that she just wanted to tell me she loves me.  Now that she is a nurse, and her previously unrelated floor has become completely COVID patients, I had a little panic attack.  It turns out that on her brief time off she has been watching some murder show where people lost their parents, and she realized how little time we really have.  Still, holy inhale.  Happy to have a daughter who loves me, and very happy as well that this was not some other message!! Sorry if this sounds like a ridiculous inhale, but my worries are through the roof a lot of the time these days between her situation and others in my family/friends (and the world).

Sometimes a good, slow inhale can help you to avoid some hyperventilation.

[nonsensical]

A student in my lab won an award!

[mamselle]

Yea for both of you!

M.

[AmLitHist]

Just got a text from eldest that she just wanted to tell me she loves me.  Now that she is a nurse, and her previously unrelated floor has become completely COVID patients, I had a little panic attack.  It turns out that on her brief time off she has been watching some murder show where people lost their parents, and she realized how little time we really have.  Still, holy inhale.  Happy to have a daughter who loves me, and very happy as well that this was not some other message!! Sorry if this sounds like a ridiculous inhale, but my worries are through the roof a lot of the time these days between her situation and others in my family/friends (and the world).

As a mom--not of a nurse, but of a bipolar kid with CTE who sat at this very desk less than a year ago with a knife to her throat--I completely understand. I've gotten a lot of "I love you" texts this year, more than in the past 30 years put together, and every time I still have to shake off the momentary "OMG, is she OK?" attacks.

I'm glad yours was a happy moment, and it's not ridiculous at all, having been there, done that.

[ab_grp]

Just got a text from eldest that she just wanted to tell me she loves me.  Now that she is a nurse, and her previously unrelated floor has become completely COVID patients, I had a little panic attack.  It turns out that on her brief time off she has been watching some murder show where people lost their parents, and she realized how little time we really have.  Still, holy inhale.  Happy to have a daughter who loves me, and very happy as well that this was not some other message!! Sorry if this sounds like a ridiculous inhale, but my worries are through the roof a lot of the time these days between her situation and others in my family/friends (and the world).

As a mom--not of a nurse, but of a bipolar kid with CTE who sat at this very desk less than a year ago with a knife to her throat--I completely understand. I've gotten a lot of "I love you" texts this year, more than in the past 30 years put together, and every time I still have to shake off the momentary "OMG, is she OK?" attacks.

I'm glad yours was a happy moment, and it's not ridiculous at all, having been there, done that.

Thanks! I hadn't realized I was basically holding my breath until the relief flooded over me.  Thus, the inhale.  I'm so sorry that you have been in such a position to have to worry about your kid.  May we always get the I love yous, and hopefully they won't always cause those worries.   

[smallcleanrat]

Just got a text from eldest that she just wanted to tell me she loves me.  Now that she is a nurse, and her previously unrelated floor has become completely COVID patients, I had a little panic attack.  It turns out that on her brief time off she has been watching some murder show where people lost their parents, and she realized how little time we really have.  Still, holy inhale.  Happy to have a daughter who loves me, and very happy as well that this was not some other message!! Sorry if this sounds like a ridiculous inhale, but my worries are through the roof a lot of the time these days between her situation and others in my family/friends (and the world).

As a mom--not of a nurse, but of a bipolar kid with CTE who sat at this very desk less than a year ago with a knife to her throat--I completely understand. I've gotten a lot of "I love you" texts this year, more than in the past 30 years put together, and every time I still have to shake off the momentary "OMG, is she OK?" attacks.

I'm glad yours was a happy moment, and it's not ridiculous at all, having been there, done that.

Thanks! I hadn't realized I was basically holding my breath until the relief flooded over me.  Thus, the inhale.  I'm so sorry that you have been in such a position to have to worry about your kid.  May we always get the I love yous, and hopefully they won't always cause those worries.

Just messaged my mom to tell her I love her...