Resting

Sunday morning, just after 9 am. I am back from a morning jog, now waiting for my second cup of coffee to be ready. There is something immensely satisfying about jogging along the river early on a Sunday, listening to Dolly Parton and assorted other random tunes from my “running” playlist and having the mental space to listen to the lyrics. Today I was pondering about Dolly Parton’s Jolene. The modern woman might not plead with Jolene the temptress but give her man a bit a of bollocking instead.

I took Friday off. I hit a wall on Thursday, pushed over the edge after reading an MSc dissertation draft that was entirely AI generated. While we (the institution) don’t prohibit the use of AI, our policy is to “support students in learning how to use AI tools effectively, ethically, critically, and transparently.” Neither applied to this draft. I gently questioned the authenticity of the draft and now hold my breath waiting for the fallout. Because there is always a fallout. 

I spent a large part of Friday listening to books and podcasts, staring into the middle distance, alternating this with sellotaping a pinafore pattern together from A4 pieces of paper. I much needed that rest.

I had three books on the go but I decided to give up on two. Life is too short to persevere with a story that does not bring joy. The first is “Butter” by Asako Yusuki. The second was “Death at the Sanatorium” by Ragnar Jónasson. The characters in both books are unlikeable and/or boring, I could not continue. I didn’t even want to know who committed the murder in the second book (a crime novel). I am only persevering with the third book,  “Cleopatra and Frankenstein” by Coco Mellors because it is our book group read. In this book, too, I find the cast unbearable. Maybe it is me? Maybe creating unlikeable character is a new trend in modern fiction? I think I now listened to enough of the book group book to contribute to the conversation. I allowed myself to download a new book, “Fundamentally” by Nussaibah Younis. I really enjoy it, although the topic is challenging, set in Iraq in the context of a  “rehabilitation program for women caught in the crosshairs of harmful ideology” (quote from blurb). 

The rest of my weekend was not dissimilar to Friday, restful. I know next week is a short week and I think work will be bearable. Wish me luck!

Thanks for visiting 😊