Numb Butt

So, today was the first of four days of faculty workshops before the semester begins next Monday. What does that mean? Mostly it means sitting on my butt for eight hours listening and watching PowerPoint presentation after PowerPoint presentation on how to be a good (no, wait, great!) college professor.

I don't sit well for that length of time.

As an instructor, I spend most days standing (and pacing) in front of a classroom while students sit (this experience certainly gave me some perspective about their point of view). I also walk back and forth between buildings on campus, and up and down stairs to the various classrooms I teach in. Yes, some days are spent locked away in my office sitting and reading papers, but I can never do that for an extended period; I always give myself breaks where I get up, walk around, and do something else. I don't know how people in an office can do it; my butt is literally uncomfortable and sore (even sitting and typing this now is trying for my butt and low back).

To stay awake for a full day of lectures and workshops, I fueled up on about five cups of coffee (don't be too worried, I interspersed coffee guzzling with bottles of water -- which means I made many trips to the bathroom, and that helped break up the day some), so now I feel like I could wallpaper a bathroom (except my efforts over the past year have been to de-wallpaper my house)! And for once, I'm looking forward to my run this evening: I need to burn off the excessive caffeine and I need the physical exertion; my legs are killing me -- they are begging for some exercise!