Have I mentioned that I rarely wear pants lately? Or, rather, I rarely wear “real” pants, preferring to lounge around the house in alternate pairs of yoga pants, usually matched with a (not at all) stylish hoodie. As I’ve intimated, I’ve been working from home lately, and maaaaaaaaaaan, have I gotten cozy. I’ve got a couch, a giant coffee table on which to spread out my crap, a fabulous red kettle that is the constant provider of tea, and a million kittens to purr in my lap as I stare at my computer screen, willing intelligent words to appear out of thin air.

This is my office.
It turns out I kind of like being a hermit. It’s hard, and I get cabin fever, which I combat by taking my walks and running errands and going to the gym and talking on the phone with my favourite colleagues like a teenage girl. But I kind of love it. Yesterday, I went in to the university I’m affiliated with to hear a talk by a colleague who is kind of a mentor to me, and saw all my old buds and co-workers and colleagues and everyone that I haven’t seen since the summer. I got there a little bit late, and tried to sneak into the room, unnoticed (I haaaaaaate being that girl), when a dozen hands started waving hello at me, including the speaker in question. I sheepishly waved back, secretly flattered that I had been missed. The talk was interesting, I threw my hat into the discussion ring a few times, kibbitzed with folks for a while afterwards, had tea with two friends, and then wandered home. And nice as it was to see everyone, MAN was I happy to be back home in my quiet house with the couch and the kittens. And I will admit, I was exhausted. I’m out of practice. I am this close to moving to the mountains of Montana, I think.

This is my secretary (chillin' on my leg).
Today is the start of a big conference at which I’m playing several roles, so I am going to be couch/cat-less until Sunday night. And surrounded by people. Talking about big brain smart things. This fills me with a little bit of terror. Which is likely a problem, considering that my academic work is very social by nature. So wish me luck in my terrifying encounters with the outside world, friends, and I’ll see you on the other side, when I am gloriously back on my coveted spot on the couch.
(Tell me that some of you are reading this in yoga pants, too. Please.)








