11/20: marinated cucumber

...subs, made in an attempt to replicate ones Chris and I used to get in Riverside, CA, 30 years ago.

11/19: a mirative use

...of the Latin subjunctive.  While tracking down possibilities for a particular use of the subjunctive in the text I'm reading with the students, I was delighted to discover the words "mirative" and "mirativity."

11/18: laughing

...at jokes from a box of 150 little joke cards.  I got them so that I could give them to students when they needed a smile, but I'll be getting smiles along the way from them too.

11/17: hearing

...the word ululating as I was listening to The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik during my morning walk.  On Thursday in Latin class we had the word exululavit, which I had paused on to explain to the students.  I'm excited to be able to tell them about the coincidental timing.

11/16: spending

...some "free" money I got from signing up for a new credit card.  After charging and paying off a certain amount (which I did before letting any interest accrue), I got $200 in bonus money.  Today some of that bonus money paid for another year of Artforum.  I'm very behind in reading issues, but I don't want to think about what it would feel like to not get it anymore.

11/15: the patience

...of two cats at this very moment.  They know it's time for me to feed them for the evening.  Phineas is resting in the cat-bed on a small table next to my chair, and Simon is sitting upright a few feet away, looking at me.  They don't want to bother me, though they want to know as soon as I make my move.  (And they probably want to remind me to make my move but aren't pressing the point except with their presence.)

11/14: pink

...in the sky as I drove home from campus.  Getting to see the beginning of sunset on my drive is some consolation for the shortening days.

11/13: finally

...getting my Real ID.  I meant to do it in spring 2020--and then COVID happened.  And I've kept meaning to do it.  But my driver's license expires next week, so I left the house a little earlier than usual and stopped by the revenue office to combine the license renewal with getting a Real ID.  I could have gone into the grace period (one month after expiration), but I'm glad I got it checked off my list now instead.