Just keep swimming.

We are knee-deep in research and writing. In very few ways, this week has been lighter than usual because the next draft is not due until Friday 14 November. But we are all pressing on, and working hard. I am not really feeling discouraged, but I am learning about the intensity of independent research papers. I have to keep reminding myself to continue to work, even when I feel inclined to take a break. It is always better to stay ahead. Sometimes work is reading. Most times work is writing. Other times, work is thinking. My goal for the rest of the semester is to work for at least seven hours a day. I am going to just keep swimming.

In other news, after working on my paper and working at my job in Special Collections today, I am taking the evening off. I am going to see the Margaret Garner opera at the Auditorium Theatre. This will be my first big adventure alone, since I have been here. But with my excellent seat and this most heartrending of fugitive slave stories being performed, I will be more than OK. With the opera being centered around a fugitive slave, it will probably be hard for me to not think about my research. And so I will end up putting in a couple of "work" hours anyway. :)