4/29: end of the day
I was too tired after work to do more work (or much of anything). Chris found a short British series called "Detectorists" on Netflix, and we enjoyed watching it, even laughing out loud at points.
4/28: sounds
...birds in the morning.
...my students talking in groups about short stories this afternoon.
...my students talking in groups about short stories this afternoon.
4/27: cleared
I cleared a pile on my campus desk today by filing all my accumulated receipts for reimbursement.
4/26: quiet
I've been trying not to stay late at the office, but after a dinner in town with Chris I went back to my office to work. Having a stretch of external quiet was really good, and it helped me be more internally quiet, too.
4/25: office hour business
My office hours haven't been very full this year, but today I had 7 students come in, and it felt good to be busy with them.
4/21: an early good thing
I couldn't sleep last night. Around 3 a.m. Chris woke up and we watched some TV. He could have gone back to sleep and I wouldn't have minded, but he decided he wanted to keep me company and it helped me relax a little.
4/20: balancing
Some things today went more smoothly, quickly, and easily than I had anticipated. That's especially nice because something else happened today unexpectedly and unpleasantly.
4/19: beer bread
Chris made it while I was at work, and I returned home to a house that smelled like warm sweet bread and a dinner that included it.
4/17: quiet yet wordy evening
I had some ups and downs in the morning and early afternoon, but the evening has been smoother. And I've gotten to focus on words: doing editing work for Heron Tree, reading about the myth of "Shakespearean" English's persistence in contemporary Appalachia, and starting to compile my class' word-studies. Plus, on the horizon: reading a novel before bed.
4/16: receipts and a recipe
I got some receipts in order this evening for reimbursements from school and for our taxes, and then Chris and I made cookies using a recipe that calls for mascarpone and crushed Oreo cookies. (Yes, we made cookies in which one of the ingredients is cookies.)
4/15: not quite a cat-nap
...but a cat-cuddle with Tilde on the bed in the morning. After my breakfast but before my shower, an unexpected few minutes of sweetness.
4/14: a trio
The smell of flowers--morning, afternoon, and evening.
The sound of frogs at night.
Entries from Lainey Browne's "Festoon Dictionary."
The sound of frogs at night.
Entries from Lainey Browne's "Festoon Dictionary."
4/13: good to be (temporarily) ahead
I got my course preparation done sooner than expected and had an extra hour in the morning--and that was a good thing because a bookstore snafu occurred that took an hour to deal with.
4/12: reading
...the dictionary to find words with diminutives.
...a Latin Psalter leaf from the late 15th/early 16th century. It had a great image of a perpetually full moon.
...a Latin Psalter leaf from the late 15th/early 16th century. It had a great image of a perpetually full moon.
4/11: pleasures
...of the body: steamed spinach with olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice.
...of the mind: a novel that I started last night (Patience by John Coates); I was happy when I remembered that it would be waiting for me when I go to bed this evening.
...of the mind: a novel that I started last night (Patience by John Coates); I was happy when I remembered that it would be waiting for me when I go to bed this evening.
4/10: proofing
This evening I enjoyed preparing the PDF proof for one of the Heron Tree poems to be published at the end of the month. I'm so glad we accepted it.
Once I finished my other work for the evening I decided to do some Project Gutenberg proof-reading; my goal is to do at least 10 pages per month. Not a lofty goal, but a manageable one--and I'm afraid if I set too big a goal I won't meet it, will get discouraged, and then might not even do 10 pages. I thought I'd do half that tonight, but then I saw that a novel by Margaret Oliphant was in the queue. She's an author I know via Persephone Books, and I was so glad to see her name and get to work on one of her books, so I did all 10 pages for April this evening.
Once I finished my other work for the evening I decided to do some Project Gutenberg proof-reading; my goal is to do at least 10 pages per month. Not a lofty goal, but a manageable one--and I'm afraid if I set too big a goal I won't meet it, will get discouraged, and then might not even do 10 pages. I thought I'd do half that tonight, but then I saw that a novel by Margaret Oliphant was in the queue. She's an author I know via Persephone Books, and I was so glad to see her name and get to work on one of her books, so I did all 10 pages for April this evening.
4/9 (later addition): a new (to me) flower
I went out to Woolly Hollow after dinner, and I found this kind of flower blooming on the forest floor:
I was especially surprised because I hadn't seen it there last spring. As I was taking pictures a group of people walked by, and a woman told me she was surprised at seeing the flowers too. We enthused, and she asked me if I knew what they were called; I didn't. But I do now: it's a crested iris.
I was especially surprised because I hadn't seen it there last spring. As I was taking pictures a group of people walked by, and a woman told me she was surprised at seeing the flowers too. We enthused, and she asked me if I knew what they were called; I didn't. But I do now: it's a crested iris.
4/9: dogwood day
I had trouble finding the dogwoods this year, but then I turned around in the woods and there they were.
4/8: and more poetry
Tonight I hosted a catered dinner at school: we ate nice food and then read out loud to one another the selections of lyric poetry I picked yesterday night. The people at the dinner seemed to really enjoy themselves, the food, and the poetry.
4/7: more poetry
I got to spend time this evening reading through an anthology of Greek lyric poetry. It counted as "work," but it was also a pleasure.
4/6: remembering new exercises
This summer I loved loved loved reading New Exercises by Franck André Jamme translated by Charles Borkhuis. This evening I realized that I need to bring some poems I like to school tomorrow, and I was having trouble settling on something until I remembered Jamme's work. Now I am set! And just thinking of New Exercises makes me very happy.
4/5: a little rescue
I ducked into the women's restroom before my Myth class so I could brush my hair. A student was standing at the sinks and talking to someone on her phone. Then she started to talk to me, asking me if I thought a bug on her backpack was dangerous. It turned out that she had called her friend because the bug was freaking her out and she didn't know what to do. I said I'd help. I scooped the bug onto a piece of paper and we let it go outside. Even though the bug made her nervous, she admired how it glittered gold in the light.
4/4: a choice in the morning
I'm so glad that I stopped for a few minutes at the dock this morning on the way to work. They were the most restful moments of the day.
4/3: a weekend with words
I've been reading my students' word studies this weekend. I just finished, and I enjoyed it. Always wonderful to learn new etymologies (e.g., gopher comes from the French word for "honeycomb") and be reminded of ones I'd forgotten (e.g., squirrel comes from the Greek words for "shadow" and "tail"). My brother loves squirrels, so it was fun to text him this etymology, knowing it would make him smile.
4/2: close to home
The holly bushes bordering our deck are in bloom and are humming with bees. I'm glad to be home to see them (and to have some time on my own after a week that has left me feeling weirdly raw).
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