1. Walks
I try to go for a walk in the park every weekday morning, before I start work. I found that unless I get myself out of the door right after breakfast (and before I log into my work computer), I just loose track of time and it neve happens. I just stay at my desk all day long, barely moving.
Work has been busy, so some mornings, it is very tempting to "get a head start" on things, because there is a never-ending list of tasks that I must get through (posters, papers, projects to review from other writers, meetings, meeting notes to send out... ). That's what I did on Monday - I had a couple of projects that I wanted to finish up that day, so I figured, I'd start early, get things done while my brain is still fresh, and then go for a walk during lunch break or in the afternoon... Guess what happenned? I never went for that walk. And I didn't manage to finish the projects - I had a hard time focusing, and kept getting interrupted, and my head was just not in the right place (brain not braining, I believe some would say).
So... the moral of the story... I should just get out and go on that pre-work walk! Even if it means starting work at 9 instead of first-thing-in-the-morning (which ended up being 8:45, anyway, because somehow I end up doing dishes, or get distracted by the news, or just wonder around in circles...)
2. Tea.
My husband stopped drinking coffee last spring, so he stopped making coffee. I don't love coffee enough to make my own. I'll drink it if someone else makes it - and I enjoy it - but I don't miss it. I do love having a warm mug of flavorful tea, especially now that the weather is starting to get cool. I've been alternating black and green loose-leaf tea. And, occasionally, chai tea or some berry flavor that my kids like. I should try some new teas. Recommendations?
3. PBS
Their shows are well-made and don't stress me out. I watched the first episode of Marble Hall Murders, but I'm going to save the rest of it for later... I didn't love that last book as much as the first two, but I have a feeling I'm going to have a blast watching this season.
NOVA documentaries are great. I should probably try some of their historic documentaries, too.
4. Free lectures on youtube.
I've been watching MIT lectures on immunology. I haven't taken an immunology class since 1999. I remember some stuff, especially on innate immunity, because I did some work on monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells when I was in grad school. I also did a bit of cell staining and flow cytometry... But I remember almost nothing on adaptive immunity, T cells, B cells... I'm doing quite a bit of writing on mRNA-based therapies, including cancer immunotherapies, and the field of immunoogy has developed so much in the recent decades. I need to go back to the basics before I can hope to understand the background and methodologies I need for writing papers.
5. Community
I was sitting in my synagogue on Yom Kippur, and I kept thinking - I need more of this. I don't necessary need to actively participate, but I do need this spiritual component to keep me grounded and provide nourishment for the parts of me that usually get ignored. Concerts do the same thing for me - they feed my soul and make me feel like part of something.
Dear Reader: what's keeping you sane these days?
