TGIF

This week was very special. I was on a week long and very productive business trip. I feel exhausted now but it sure was a success!

HIGH – Getting to know and spending this week with wonderful people in a relaxed atmosphere, with lots of time to think about and discuss new research ideas. On top of that came spending this week in a picturesque city and enjoying beautiful sunny fall weather.

LOW – My low of the week was being away from the husband. I still get nervous whenever I’m away. We talked every day on the phone. But one day I couldn’t reach him right away and I was worried sick.

BOOK – Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh. It’s a humorous approach to depression. Sadly, I’m not very far into the book yet. I just don’t read much when I travel.

WORKOUTS – Not much because of my busy schedule. I went on a quick bike trip on Sunday and plan to go on a long bike ride tomorrow.

MONEY – I didn’t spend much money at all this week. The best money I spent was probably on very tasty pizza and good wine last night during good conversations.

WEEKEND PLANS – A bike ride, coffee and cake with a friend, and we’ll see from there.

How was your week?

TGIF

I’m seeing this on quite some blogs that I read and I thought this would be a very nice habit to start.

HIGH – Where do I start? There were so many highs this week. On Monday morning I got some lab results back from my doctor, saying I was totally healthy. This is always good to hear but I was especially relieved as the doctor and I suspected a severe, chronic disease. On Tuesday I went to Brussels to attend a small conference where I met some of my favorite colleagues again. I only left Brussels the next afternoon and went on a free city tour of Brussels on Wednesday morning. Finally, this morning I was able to attend another of the husband’s therapy sessions. Those always make me feel good. Especially the way his therapist appreciates my role in this process.

LOW – The low of the week was being in the office yesterday. After being gone for two days and with being gone all of next week, I just didn’t have enough time to finish everything I wanted to get done. So that day was just really, really hectic.

BOOK – The Dark Road by Ma Jian. I’m half way through and think it’s a great book about a women’s struggle with China’s one-child policy.

WORKOUTS – This week was very busy but I managed to squeeze in a short bike round on Sunday morning and a short run tonight.

MONEY – The best money I spent this week was on a chubby, clumsy looking pinguin figure (that is actually a pencil sharpener) for the husband. He loved it.

WEEKEND PLANS – Walking through vineyards, breakfast at a super cute new little restaurant that we heard good things about, lazy mornings, reading, and packing for the next trip.

How was your week? I hope you all had a great week as well.

TGIF

My first workweek of the year is over. It was actually only half a week. Epiphany is a holiday where I work.

I ended my first workday on Wednesday with friends at our favorite bar. We had a tasty dinner, together with the husband, and it was good to catch up with everyone.

Thursday night was quiet. Nicely quiet. I called the husband at the clinic, took a bubble bath, watched some documentaries and went to bed super early. I felt very rested when I woke up this morning.

Today, I treated myself for a, workwise, very good start into the year with take-out Chinese food and a glass of wine. You cannot treat yourself often enough, right?

What leaves me a bit worried after week 1 is that I still feel quite stressed out. One would think that three and a half weeks off and a total of four weeks away from the office left me recharged and refreshed. I ended last year feeling tired, agitated, and nervous. I even had to stay at home for a week in the beginning of December. The last year was just too much, I guess. During the long vacation I felt better very quickly. However, coming closer to the first day at work made me feel nervous again. It’s not that I don’t like my job. I actually love it! LOVE IT! If you asked me what I do, I’d fill three pages with it. About a fascinating and complex study, about the topics that we research, what struggles we face and how rewarding it is when we overcome these struggles, about great people I frequently get to meet and how fruitful the discussions are that I have with them.

What I absolutely dislike, however, is its pace. This pace makes it hard to stick to one task at a time. Even thinking about it makes my stomach turn. Before the husband got sick I was able to manage it. But I knew I was on the edge. Once he got sick it became harder and harder for me to cope. Especially with all those business trips.

And then there was Paris…

Something that makes all these problems seem small. It was only tonight when I realized the extent of the terror! I heard about the attacks of course on the radio in the mornings and I read headlines in the newspaper. I didn’t get around to really read more than the headlines, though. Today there where flags at half-mast and news specials about the happenings of January 7th and today. My heart goes out to the families of the victims. And I pray that freedom of speech stays unharmed.