This may or may not be an actual photo of me
taken some time in the last month.
It's official - my brain has turned to oatmeal and I need to sleep 'til, like, January.
How did I come up with this incisive self-diagnosis? Well, for one, I misspelled my own last name twice one day this week and it wasn't even 10:00am yet.
It's been that kind of week.
Weeks.
Ok, couple of months.
If you work in higher ed, you know what I'm talking about. THEY'RE BAAAAACK!
Don't get me wrong. I love my job, and I love the students. But holy cow, the relentless Category 5 crap storm from about mid-July to early October does a body in.
Getting them sorted out before, their arrival during, getting them settled in after, fixing the 824 things they were supposed to do before they got here but didn't quite get to...
I start feeling like the melty-face guy at the end of "Raiders of the Lost Ark", but without the fascism.
We had a staff meeting where we discussed how we each deal with burn out. I was going to offer my own solution, which was drinking and crying - usually at the same time! - but thought better of it, as it might dim my professional polish.*
"Άντε μωρή* - You're not the only one with problems! Tell me something interesting before I click outta here!"
Er...yes.
So today we have a couple of new posts. In our ongoing series Song Crushes, we're featuring the dazzling Eleftheria Arvanitaki. Most of you will know who she is, and if you do, you're likely already a fan. She is a goddess.
If you don't know her, are you ever in for a treat! Please go check out this versatile and glorious artist. She effortlessly does so many different styles, there's sure to be something you like!
There's also a new recipe for ground lamb (or beef, if you prefer) flatbreads. In keeping with our true Greekish style around here, it's a quick, easy and delicious, because the last thing I want to face after a long day at work is anything that challenges my already limited bandwidth. Make it easy or I order take-out. Don't test me.
But for real, it's one of those dishes where seemingly unrelated things come together to make something so much greater than the sum of their parts. I love this simple and satisfying light meal, and hopefully you will, too.
Hey, is it wine o'clock yet? Why yes it is!
Talk soon,
Barbara
* Hyperbole alert! No actual intervention required, but thanks.
* Άντε μωρή (anteh mori) - A hard-to-translate exclamation of exasperation and impatience. Roughly "come on, you!" As a generally impatient Greek woman and Boston driver, this may be my most-used Greek phrase.