No Ordinary Exchange

by the pricking of my thumbs, new year's eve this way comes

1. With finals (and midterms) season approaching, I want to talk about burnout. Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. Burnout occurs when a person feels overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands. Signs of burnout include one's performance suffering, constantly feeling drained, feeling disconnected and cynical towards one's work, struggling to concentrate, becoming irritable and short-tempered, feeling anxious, sleeping less, changing eating habits, being physically ill, and feeling like one has to drag themself through the day. 7 of 10 Americans reported experiencing burnout in 2019. This is (unfortunately) unsurprising, as many Americans are overworked and underpaid (only 18% of Americans report feeling satisfied with their salaries; 52% of office workers report that they are stressed on a day-to-day basis). Some ways to heal from burnout include: setting firm boundaries (e.g. avoid taking work home when possible), using every minute of paid time off, unplugging from productivity culture, seeking support, prioritizing physical health (e.g. healthy meals and exercise), and considering a change (variety is the spice of life!). (Information condensed from @ soyouwanttotalkabout on Instagram and @ missmentelle on Tumblr.)

Bonjour vous-autres! Can you believe it's already been an entire week? And this chapter is a fun one! Supportive friends, blossoming romances, and longtime love abounds. I hope you enjoy!

xXxXxXx

Callum: hey are you free next week?

Sonya: probably. since it'll be winter break. when in particular

Callum: any day you're available works for me. I need a shopping buddy to find an anniversary gift for Rayla

Sonya: sure

Sonya: but uh. i feel like i'm not your usual go-to person for this kind of thing

Callum: well, Claudia, Soren, and Felix are all going to have football on the brain bc the next game after senior night is the playoffs, even though playoffs aren't actually until like. mid-January lmao

Sonya: oh so they'll be useless. got it

Sonya: yeah i should be free. just let me know when

Callum: you are literally the best

Sonya: i'm aware :)

Sonya: see you at the show

Callum: I'd tell you to break a leg, but I feel like that doesn't really apply to tech theatre

Sonya: not at all. but thank you

Sonya: anyways i'd love to talk longer but i need to get in my Maghrib prayers now that the sun has set before they ask me to do any pre-show stuff backstage

Callum: you're very welcome and understood, cap'n. see you soon!

Opening night of Macbeth was set to start in one hour, but Callum knew he'd have to leave soon if he wanted to snag good seats. And by that he meant Claudia had reminded him numerous times to leave early if he didn't want to be stuck sitting in the back of the theater. Which, to be fair, was an accurate assessment. He definitely preferred sitting closer to the stage.

Their plan for the night was to go to the show, enjoy it, then treat Sonya and Claudia afterwards to beignets. The cast and crew party wasn't until Sunday after the final performance, so both girls were free. He was also supposed to pick up Ezran before the show to make sure his brother also got a good seat, while Harrow would drive himself to the theater later. He claimed he didn't mind sitting in the back, but Callum knew that as head of the college he was actually reserved a seat on the balcony and Harrow was just embarrassed about claiming it. Callum, personally, would not have been embarrassed - he would have snatched a seat like that, no regrets. Harrow would also take Ezran home after the show - not because Ez wasn't welcome to go with them to get beignets, of course, but he had to get up early to practice his English presentation with Ellis for their midterm.