Getting Back on the Horse

Term is over and the transition period is up, or ought to be, in any case.  I'm spending far too much time playing solitaire, a good sign that I'm avoiding thinking about what I need to do next, which is switch into research and writing mode.  Part of me doesn't care, wants to slack off, claiming both a tough year and the priviledges of pregnancy, but the truth is that the year was no tougher than most and pregnancy should be a motivator, not an excuse, since I'll almost certainly be unable to be productive in the last couple of weeks before labour and the few months after it.  Moreover, one never knows the future, and I could end up delivering early or experiencing complications.  I should get my work done while I can.  As much as I would like life to give me special consideration for any number of reasons, doesn't mean I get it (or merit it, even).  We all want special treatment; we all have to work anyway.

So, case in point, I just played solitaire for 20 minutes, accepted a breakfast invite, and wept over the election results.  OK, fair, I'm going to lack a bit of focus - it's summer, major events are taking place, and my body is filled with people making chemicals - but I also have a career to uphold here.  First on the roster are two conference papers.  The first, for Kalamazoo is a short (10-12 minute) pedagogical discussion of connections between Margery Kempe and the York plays.  I've been reading both texts for examples, but not with a lot of effort, so I'm only picking away at both.  I have let this one go on longer than necessary, given that its a round table paper, although I don't want to beat myself up, either, since I've been taking care of a lot of other important business, too.  But yeah, I need to get it written this week, since I leave town next week for Kal.  The other paper is a class lecture that I want to adapt to conference level.  Again, probably straightforward, but it needxs to get done sooner than later.  Other than that, I have a revision and some reviews lingering, none of which will get done if I keep waiting for focus to descend on me.  So, it's time to get back on the horse, and to schedule (and stick to) writing and research time.  Doable.  Just need to commit.