11/30: gutenberging

This year I've been trying to proofread at least 10 pages a month for Project Gutenberg, but November nearly got away from me.  Earlier this week it seemed unlikely that I'd find the time to do 10 pages when fresh/alert/unrushed enough to do a careful job.  Then I forgot my packet of this evening's grading at school--so I found myself with just enough time before tiredness tonight to get 10 pages of proofreading done.

11/29: their creative translations

Usually we translate pretty literally in Latin class, trying to make our English reflect what's going on grammar-wise in the Latin as clearly as possible.  But today the students shared their experiments in creative translation, trying to make a couplet of Martial's really work in English as an English poem.  The results were cool.

11/28: filling up

Chris and I are hosting a dinner/reading (focused on Latin riddles!) at school on Friday, and the spots for it are filling up.  I'm always nervous that my plans for events will fall through, that people won't be interested, and I'm always relieved when things seem like they're going to work out.

11/27: reading

...in bed; enjoying a few chapters of a new book as the first thing of the day.

11/26: working on photos

...from our Thanksgiving walk along the water's edge at Woolly Hollow.  This is one of my favorites:

11/25: Chris & the cats

...keeping me company on an under-the-weather day.

11/24: better

I had a great time yesterday making books, but the last one I tried has some troubles.  This morning I realized what had gone wrong (I cut the cover against the grain instead of with it), so I made a new one and it was much better.

11/23: experimenting

School is closed for the rest of the week, so I've been doing my work at home today.  I wrote a recommendation letter and graded tests and papers.  But amidst it all I also experimented with bookbindings, trying out 7 variations on a particular technique.  That's a good day!

11/22: extra time

A morning appointment cancelled on me, so I had time to clean up my office and get organized.

11/21: bookends

On my way to work I stopped at the pier for a dose of sunlight and autumn colors on water.  (The image looks better if you click on it to view it larger.)


And on the way home I went to the grocery store.  It's a crazy week to have to go shopping, but at least I managed to do it before the last-minute rush of Tuesday and Wednesday.

11/20: sighting

A large owl, sitting in a tree outside our bedroom window.

11/19: games

My brother sent me 3 little games (2 card games, 1 dice game, and all squirrel-themed because he loves squirrels) for my birthday.  Chris and I celebrated by trying them out today.

11/18: presents and cards

...in the mail for my birthday tomorrow.

11/17: evening in the office

I've been trying to limit the time I spend in my office after business hours, but today it was easier and calmer to eat in the cafeteria and then return to my office than to pack up work to take home.  And I made some progress on the growing end-of-semester to-do list.

11/16: nice people

Chris went home in the middle of the day and noticed that I had left my lunch on the counter--so he drove back into town to drop it off for me while I was teaching!

I bound notebooks with two students at the end of the day.

And I had a short but good conversation with a colleague in the parking lot after leaving the office.

11/15: hopeful

I really liked the particular kind of hopeful note on which The Anchoress by Robyn Cadwallader ended.

11/14: no regrets

One of Chris' aunts and I went on a zoomline this evening.  It felt less like flying than I thought it would, but I'm glad I gave it a try.  Now there's no thinking, "I wish had tried that."

11/13: Chris' family

Not all of Chris' family came to the wedding, but it was great to see the ones who did.

11/12: afternoon flight

I booked us a flight that left later in the day, giving us time to pack in the morning rather than having to do it at the end of a long day on Friday.

11/11: two babies

I met two babies today, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  The first one was especially happy to meet me, smiling and waving a lot.  I got to hold the other one for a little bit, before he got fussy.

11/10: shoe shopping

...with Chris.

11/9: The Little Prince

...in Latin.  A group of students and I listened to The Little Prince in English while following along in the Latin version (Regulus), and it was sweet.

11/8: turtles

...watching the sunset!  Their heads poking out of the water in the colored light.

11/7: chatting

...with two of the theatre faculty.

11/6: not so hard

Writing some answers to interview questions wasn't as difficult as I thought it might be.  I don't know if the interview will end up being published anywhere, but I enjoyed the push to articulate some thoughts.

11/5: new mexico gin

When Chris returned from his semester in New Mexico he brought back a variety of locally distilled gins for me.  I opened the last one this evening for a gin and tonic, and I enjoyed its distinctive taste.

11/4: pig in my pocket

I bought a little pig figurine and I carried it around in my pocket today for good luck.  Not exactly sure why I did it, but it felt right.  And it was really fun.

11/3: a rare weekday morning

I got to work from home for an extra two hours in the morning instead of heading to the office first thing.

11/2: making mistakes

...while reading that, once caught, got me to see my own assumptions and realize new things about what I was reading, things I wouldn't have noticed or thought about if I had read correctly the first time around.

11/1: good clouds

...on the drive to school.  Too grand to be caught in a photographic frame.