Readjusting to Iowa

I’ve been so torn these past three weeks. I knew this transition back to Iowa would be hard, but I had no idea. I’m reforming my work habits and my lifestyle. In Ft. Worth, I was there for work. I arrived early in the morning (often before 8am) and was there late into the afternoon and evening (usually at least 6pm). It was my purpose for living there and it was a great schedule.

Now, however, I’m in Iowa and loving the weather (Low 70s and sunny with a cool breeze). I’m enjoying the daylight so much that I’d much rather drive around, run errands and savor the weather and work at nights when it’s dark and pointless to be outside. So here I am – almost 3am – and I’m working. AND I’M LOVING IT!!!!

I’m also stacking my time with tons of tasks. I’ll have my Macintosh computer running batch processes on images and then using my Windows computer for reading through and flagging sections for Dr. Gunn’s research. It’s great on one hand because I can get even more done without losing focus easily. It’s bad, though, because I’m taking on other projects — which I’ll be writing about in the next couple of days. Here’s a short sampling: I’m finally writing the Tech workshops and most are scheduled; I’m learning 5 new computer programs (well — really 2 if you count Final Cut Studio as 1); I’m preparing for my hike with friends on the Appalachian Trail in five weeks. (oh gosh — I’ve got to work harder at preparing for it!).

Perhaps the challenge in all of this is taking the time to breathe — and that’s where I’m torn. My lungs and my life are used to such an insane pace that now I’m having trouble readjusting. To make it less of a shock — or maybe more of one, depending on how you look at it — I’m doing down to Ft. Worth two more times (total of 6 or 7 days) between now and finals in the next month. Wow.