My brain is officially fried.
I’m not sure exactly when it happened. I think it began in December, when I was teaching four English preps, editing one book, revising another, laying flooring in our living room and completing the grad course from hell. The brain melt continued into January and February as I started teaching research projects in both my eleventh and ninth grade classes. Once we got into March, I thought, “Hey, my brain will have a chance to recuperate.”
No such luck.
Add in high school students experiencing spring fever, my mom’s health issues and what has to be the scariest event I’ve ever handled as a parent, and it’s official: the gray matter between my ears is sizzle-city, baby.
Want to know how bad it is?
While teaching The Scarlet Letter one day, I misspelled “sin” on the board. Sin, people! I misspelled “sin.”
I walk into rooms . . . and yes, I forget why I’m there.
I stop talking in the middle of a sentence because I…
Wait. What was I saying?
Oh, yes. That’s right. My brain is fried. I’m thinking a nice long vacation, maybe somewhere like Bermuda or Jamaica would be a great antidote. Alas, I’ll probably settle for along soak in the tub and a night off from grad school or grading papers.
What are your strategies for recuperating from a fried brain?
Oh the bubble bath thing definitely helps but just getting away from my normal routine makes all the difference. Sometimes I’ll go to the bookstore and just wander. Or I make my husband put our son to bed so I can do something out of the ordinary – like go downstairs and watch a chick flick that I haven’t seen in a while.
Although I think your Jamaica idea sounds REALLY good too!
Romance novels, baby. That’s my escape. Usually a classic like Amanda Quick’s Ravished or Loretta Chase’s Lord Of Scoundrels. A dependable great read. It, as my tech hubby says, formats C (i.e. resets the brain to zero).