I'm still crazy busy.

Last post I equated being a faculty member to getting kicked in the pants up a steep cliff. Still feeling that way. I have made significant progress to digging myself out of my teaching hole, and that's good, because it's just about time to start writing proposals again. There are just so many things to think about at once (student research, grant writing, forming new research partnerships, service and committees, teaching, teaching and more teaching) you have to have an amazingly short attention span and the ability to multitask supremely to survive.

And even though I have managed to find my way out of my teaching abyss, a new question has been raised for me. I normally work very limited hours ~ 8-5, no weekends, no evenings. In grad school and in my postdoc, I would only work more than that on very limited occasions. However, to get back on top of my teaching I have been putting a lot of time "off hours." In grad school, I would have resented this and bitterly complained. However, I haven't even batted an eye. I really *love* teaching, and it was a pleasure to put in the extra time. The problem is that if I spend all my time at my job even though I love it what kind of a person am I?

I went shopping with my husband last weekend, and we went to a mall about 20 minutes from out house. I realized that I had not been 5 miles outside of campus (we live close) for the last month. I almost forgot about the outside world. I hate to think about being englufed by the ivory tower, but I can see how easy it is. So my question is should I slow down so I have more time for other activities? or should I keep going full steam since I do enjoy it?