It's not just summer deadlines. What summer would be complete without a Very Exciting Trip to the emergency room for the Official Mid-Career Back Injury?
(Frank swears that the final precipitating moment was not his fault, which is mostly right, but...there will be one less canine at the Institute for Advanced Study this fall. Doctor's orders: he's being bumped in my one-pet allowance by a cat. No dog walking for a while.)
I will be back on track before long. In the meantime, if I fail to follow-up on something, please send a gentle reminder, in a few weeks if it can wait.
So here's the advice: There are probably a couple of heath issues that can affect historians. I never had allergies until doing research in very moldy, dusty archives. About your back: If you get a nagging, stabbing pain in your lower back when doing archival research, but of course you never want to take a break because there are only so many hours the archives are open on your trip -- don't ignore it. Step #1: find ways to take breaks anyway. Step #2: if it keeps up, call your doctor now for a referral to a physical therapist. Best to avoid trying to write your book in the ER.
