Norfolk Terrace, Norwich, Day 107. Breakdown
of a Day from Peace to Stress
I decided to keep an hourly sense of
awareness to how my day progressed. For the purposes of writing this post
quickly, I will not mention all that occurred but here are the highlights:
9-9:30 cleaned the flat kitchen, helped bring
in groceries for Laura (LOw-ra)
--worked on my short story, showered, ate
breakfast, ate lunch, got ready
2:20-6:40 30-minute bus to the city centre,
new running shoes (New Balance again), four bags of groceries (for two weeks
plus rice and spices), 30-minute bus back to UEA
 |
| Cheese-Ham-Mushroom-Veggie Stir-fry |
9-10:20 preparing, cooking, eating,
cleaning—I realize that I definitely take my time in this activity
10:30-12:40am online: emailing, IM-ing Katya,
and buying train tickets for the UCEAP (Univ. of California Educations Abroad
Program) event starting in London and taking a coach to Stratford-upon-Avon for
a daytrip. This last thing caused me really considerable stress: the last
‘cheap’ (barely worthwhile) ticket for 6am and 5:30am ran out. I got stuck with
a 5am ticket from Norwich to London Liverpool Street Station. I was pissed. I
have to be at King’s Cross by 8am, though. I’ll just sleep.
 |
| Oh yeah, this happened too. Yes, that is a strainer and that is a fork. |
Second
thing: looking through the requirements and expectations for the short story
due this Thursday. I think the rhetoric of school assignments has always given
me stress just reading them, but coupled with the train anxiety, it was worse
this time. I don’t know how much I have to rewrite to fit certain conventions.
As
I got into my bed (by 12:46), I realized I had begun today with a calm mindset
and I ended the day in the turmoil and boiling cesspool of traveling and school
stress.
But
one thing lightened my heart, and this day: I received Katya’s anniversary
parcel in the mail. She sent my favourite candy (Reese’s buttercups) and a
collage of ridiculous and wonderful photos of us. In this sea of stress, in the
fear of being sucked into whirlpools of chaos, I found a life buoy to hold onto
and calm me down.
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