86 exams and 4 films

Yes., I really did mark 86 exams, virtually in one sitting. Well, it feels like an achievement to me. In fact the time spent on each was quite short (really, you're just looking for key phrases/concepts and they either get 'em or they don't - with a few exceptions, creative responses which you're also equipped to pick up) but there's a fast burnout when you start to get confused between each one - particularly because they're so often so similar. It's like reading drafts of the same thing, over and over again and being asked to pick out the good and bad bits and assess the whole of each. I find what works is to 'layer' groups of 5 with twenty or less minutes of something, be it the dishes, laundry, dog-walking, tea making, or in most cases over the last 24 hours, watching a bit of a film. I have watched: Remember the Titans, The Anchorman, Old School and Wimbledon. I picked things that would be easy to put down and pick up (except RTT, I didn't know what to expect from that - Philippa lent it to me with the promise that it would make me cry, which it however didn't).

I finally got through everything by 6 am, which is to say, about 4 hours ago. I then slept for three hours but residual coffee nerves and the bleeping of the mobile got me up. I think I will take the dogs out again.

I am haunted by the most horrible feeling that I have committed to meeting with someone, somewhere, today but there's nothing in my diary except 'Call Ch[annel] 10' and that's it. I do recall tentatively suggesting to Keir that we work on our journal article today, but then nixing that in favour of Friday. So... it's just going to haunt me, I guess, until someone calls me and says 'WTF?' - I hope they do just say the letters, as I am in a fragile condition.