The "Rest" Gene. The "Guilt" Gene.

I'm fighting off a cold.

My students gave me this cold. Of that, I'm certain. So I've been taking it easy, which is really hard for me. I don't like resting. I prefer waking up than going to sleep. I prefer moving rather than staying still. This is probably why going to a writing colony would be bad for me. I'd do everyone's laundry, cook all their meals, and chop their firewood . . . I don't have the "Rest" Gene. In fact, I'm very much like mother in this regard. She wakes up at 3AM (she goes to bed at 9PM), and does laundry, walks on her treadmill, and does any other household chore that needs doing. I'm the same way (though I don't get up at 3AM and I don't go to bed until 11ish). I like my mornings. I like go-go-going as soon as I wake up. And when I'm hit with a cold, the world ends.

I'm feeling guilty about resting, so I'm confessing to you, dear reader.

I am a self-proclaimed gym rat. I love going to the gym. I go five days a week. I have a very particular routine. And even when I know I'm supposed to take a rest day from the gym, I find some way to exercise, whether it's running the dog, doing some housework, or some other activity. This past week has been extremely hard for my psyche. My brain tells me that this coming week is going to be tough . . . my sister in-law visiting, two readings, teaching, an advisory commitee meeting, Aimee visiting, and a speaking engagement on campus for which I have not prepared. And none of this includes my usual grading and academic advising . . ..

So, take a week off from the gym, Oliver. Right? Well, my "Guilt" Gene is taking over. Most Catholics (lapsed or faithful) have this gene. Perhaps it's also a Filipino gene. Right now, I've got the tail-end of the sniffles and I'm thinking about lifting weights . . . I'm also thinking about how disappointed I'll be if I don't lift my normal weight with my normal reps. It's a seriously bad gene to have "turned on."

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Happy Birthday, Mom.

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Book trades are wonderful things. I traded Rebecca Seiferle a copy of my new book for Wild Tongue. Lovely book. And it's really big, so again, the guilt gene switched on and I immediately felt that to even the exchange I should've sent her two copies of my book.

I'm ill.

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Tis the rainy season. I re-seeded my lawn and I'm seeing little tiny bits of stubble poking out from the ground. This makes me extremely happy. Before, the lawn was mostly clover, dog poop, and moss. Now, it's clover, moss, dog poop, and grass.

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Mere n' I had our anniversary celebration a week ago, though our anniversary's actually much earlier in October. In honor of our marital bliss, we bought a new front-loading washer and dryer set. I'm so in love with them. I watched most of the very first load go round and round in the washer.

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Okay, I'm going to the gym . . . that's it.