Sobriquet 48.19

The following post was originally published on 11/27/08.

I spent most of Thanksgiving in bed, though I did manage to get up and walk around the house a bit. So far, the pain from the injuries I got in last night's accident has been quite a bit less severe than the doctors had implied it would be. I did not feel the need to take the Vicodin that the trauma center doctor prescribed for me so, despite having taken a bit of a knock to the noggin, I was clear-headed enough this afternoon and evening to attempt to work a little bit. Although sitting in the office chair at my desk was not the most comfortable of situations, I did transcribe a few more pages of notes on Disgrace, which was nice. If anything, showing myself that I can get a modicum of work done even under circumstances as unpleasant as those with which I am currently dealing is something of a morale booster. I mean, I don't think that I have fully processed the incident, but it is nice to know that I do have the ability to move on and persevere despite the rather strong urge to wallow in self-pity. As an added bonus, I suppose, the next time a student asks for an extension, citing some frivolous excuse or another, I can pull one of those "Well, I really can't sympathize with your plight because I once worked on a paper while strapped to a stretcher in between CAT scans!" Of course, that'd be stupid, but I do find that having a sense of humor helps one readjust to life in a time like this. Seriously, I find it funny that I worked on the dissertation when I may very well have narrowly escaped death. In fact, the humor in the situation was probably the major motivating factor. I can caricaturize myself now as some sort of zealously-dedicated workaholic, which is kind of amusing. (To me, at the very least). I mean, how utterly absurd. And that's really the truth of dissertation-writing: it is the absurd task par excellance. But you do it anyway because, really, you have to push the rock up the mountain lest it roll back on you, you know?

For tomorrow: Try to get a bit of reading or transcription done.