11/30: easy visit

I grew up with a lot of stress related to going to the dentist, and I'm grateful to a series of wonderful, kind, and gentle dentists and dental hygienists who have helped me shed some of that stress as an adult.  Today's happily stress-free dental visit reminded me of that gratitude.  (Also welcome is the glimmer of hope that not all childhood stresses need to be permanent baggage in adulthood.)

11/29: winning combination

...of Coke and meds to ward off a migraine.

11/28: bird rescue

When I walked into my building at work this morning, a bird fluttered across the hallway--inside!  A few of us cooperated to get it back outdoors safely.

11/27: a little lull

...in reading and commenting on drafts.  I'll get a pile tomorrow, but I'm grateful for tonight's respite since I'm not feeling well and it's weirdly welcome to have the space to own that I'm not feeling well.

11/26: noticing I'm smiling

...while kayaking this afternoon.

11/25: currents

I walked on the ridge in the late afternoon, and the air was a mix of warm and cool.  Every few steps I could feel myself entering a new current, like when you're swimming and move from a warm patch to a cold one in the water.

11/24: strands

...of sunset.

11/23: chocolate banana bread

I finished the nut roll I bought myself as a birthday present, and I enjoyed starting my mornings with it.  Now my mother's birthday present to me has arrived--a banana bread with dark chocolate pieces--and I have another delicious way to begin the day.

11/22: a week-day at home

"Natural rising" as my parents would call it (i.e., no alarm clock), followed by emails and photos in the morning, then house-cleaning in the afternoon and into the evening while listening to the wonderful audiobook of Pratchett's I Shall Wear Midnight, with pauses for making dinner and playing cards with Chris.

11/21: student meetings

...today:  9 of them.  To talk about Greek, possible projects, ideas for papers, and general life stuff.

11/20: two phone calls

I was tired (really tired in a way I couldn't shake) for most of the day, but I perked up in the evening while talking to first one long-time friend and then another on the phone.

11/19: combining

...two flavors I like by making chocolate cake and icing it with teaberry frosting.

11/18: celebrating early

For my birthday I ordered myself a nut roll from my part of Pennsylvania; I just can't find anyone in Arkansas who makes them, and I really enjoy them.  Though it's not my birthday yet, I treated myself to it for breakfast this morning.

11/17: ending the work week

...by doing Quiet Writing with a friend and then going to dinner, where we talked about work (of course) but also art, and then did some art.

11/16: labyrinth

It's been awhile since I walked the labyrinth at school, but I did today.  The autumn light through the colored leaves was amazing, and I was glad to spend a little extra time in it.  The labyrinth itself was covered with fallen leaves, which made the path harder to follow--yet harder in a good way because it made me focus on my steps.

11/15: the georgics

We read the bit about Orpheus and Eurydice from Vergil's Georgics in one of my classes yesterday and I forgot how odd that text is.  As a result I don't think I set it up at all well in class, but I've been thinking about it since then, have clarified and pushed my thoughts, and have some idea of what to say tomorrow.

11/14: starting

...a long-distance creative collaboration with a long-time friend.

11/13: trying new ways

...to go over the homework in Greek class.

11/12: not the wisest thing

...to go kayaking while feeling under the weather.  But the sun was mostly shining and the autumn colors were out, and I would have regretted it if I hadn't gone out, just for a bit.

11/11: sorting

...Japanese hand drills and bits.  I use them in book-binding workshops with students and then don't organize them afterward.  All the parts had become a jumble over the years, and I finally took time--with Chris' company--to sort them out.  I hope that I can keep them un-jumbled going forward.

11/10: capping it off with chekhov

The school day was packed:  I was on campus before 9 a.m. and left after 10 p.m.  But among other things I had some good meetings with students, chalked Latin on the pavement with two of my students, went to Quiet Writing, heard a guest lecture from a colleague about video games and Pompeii, and went to the campus production of Uncle Vanya.  The play was intense--heart-breaking and tender and strong--and a good way to end the week.

11/9: calmer

Both the day and I were calmer than has been the case on recent work-days.

11/8: a word

...I don't remember having come across before:  exnihilate.

11/7: twice

I called a good friend this afternoon as a quick break from work.  We talked for 15 minutes.  Then she called me this evening and we talked for 15 minutes more.

11/6: lemon

I made egg-lemon soup for dinner and lemon drop cookies for dessert.

11/5: emmeline

I received the latest catalog from Persephone Books last week and had a chance to look through it this weekend.  They reprint books that they love and that the original publishers have let fall out of print--and one of their picks this season is Emmeline by Judith Rossner.  I read this book a long time ago, when I was in high school:  my mother had read it when it was published and enjoyed it, and a few years later she recommended it to me.  Some of its scenes are still vivid in my head thirty+ years later, and I'm glad that the Persephone edition will bring it to new readers.

11/4: calming down

It was a difficult work-week, and by the end I was at a pitch of stress and full-on-ness that didn't feel good at all.  I'm glad I was able to give myself the day to dial back by reading (some for work, some for pleasure), printing and assembling a few pamphlets, hanging out with Chris and the cats, and walking at the track while listening to a Terry Pratchett / Tiffany Aching novel.

11/3: re-presenting inscriptions

In my intermediate Latin course, we took a little bit of time at the end of class on Wednesday and today to rewrite our favorite Latin inscriptions on paper with markers in whatever way we wanted.  Even though it wasn't an explicit (or even expected/anticipated) part of the activity, all of the students chose to put the words on the paper in a way that enacted their meaning, and that made me really happy.

11/2: reading revisions

I had planned to devote the day to reading my students' revisions of some of their recent essays, but I found out earlier this week that I'd have to go to a clinic in Little Rock for some more tests today.  Nevertheless, I got up early to try to get some reading/grading done before I went.  That didn't go well; I persevered but was queasy.  And then Little Rock (which can often be a fun place to go) felt cramped and unpleasant.  By the time we got home for dinner I didn't have high hopes for an evening of grading--but oh was I wrong.  Though I didn't finish reading all of the papers, I got two-thirds of them done, and they were a pleasure.  The students' individual voices are coming through so clearly, and it's great to hear them in my mind's ear as I go.  With revisions generally there's the risk that students will treat it as a time to do superficial editing and make quick adjustments, but so far it seems like this group took the revision round seriously, using it as an opportunity to solidify, clarify, and extend their thinking.  And they're doing it with heart.

11/1: thinking

...of possible projects that some really great Classics students could do, and seeing them get excited at the prospect.