On the carpet

Having spent more time on the carpet playing with blocks than anywhere else this "break"--thank-you child unfriendly temperatures and a six week long cycle of relatively severe illnesses--the return to work, and public interaction feels like a concussion.

Comfortable discussing how static makes dog hair cling to small foam archways with my son?  ("Hmm. In-teresting." says Winton). Yes.

Comfortable in a crowded dining room, interacting with my immediate lunch companions (colleagues) and the students drifting by past their shoulders?  No.  Uh-uh.  Or standing up in front of 200 people?  Nope.  Or, fresh from walking across campus and on my way to hide in my office, engaging with the complications of course scheduling with a cluster of students in the hallway, while sweating in my heavy winter socks and coat?   Noooooo.

I want my track pants, the dog-hairy carpet, and the children with their foam blocks.  Now please.