Academic Atrophy

My scholarly muscles are being tested for the first time in years, and I feel every strain. The muscle memory is still intact, thankfully, but my return to academia is slow. I've forgotten what it's like to really prep for a paper - and the prep I'm doing now is the biggest of my life (for my PhD dissertation). I have to write a fairly decent proposal to be accepted into a program. It's a steep mountain, and if I'm not qualified for the task, I'll not be climbing and my time in Scotland will remain restricted to my dreams.

I'm in training after some time off, and I'm finding the return more difficult than I anticipated. Not only are my brain muscles working overtime, but my nerves are quaking too.

If this stress doesn't at least equate to some calorie burn, it will be a complete waste of time.