3/29: dinner at home
...with Chris, after his being out of town for almost a week. We had gnocchi made by him and salad made by me. And we cozily watched TV with two of the cats (Tilde and Simon) while we ate.
3/28: relatively uncrowded
...in the grocery store this evening. My shopping went more quickly and quietly than I anticipated.
3/27: a play & Pegasuses
We talked about Aeschylus' Agamemnon in Myth today. I haven't included it in the syllabus for a number of years (since I love using Prometheus Bound for our Aeschylean text), but I'm glad I opted for a switch this semester. The conversation was good, and we ended with some creative brainstorming about adaptations.
On a whim at the last moment, as I was heading out of my office for class, I decided to bring along my box of miniature Pegasuses, in case anyone wanted one (or two or three). I told them that no one was obligated to take one, but a lot of people did, and just offering them loosened up the class. Plus it was nice to be able to offer them a goody on a day when we were working with a tricky text.
On a whim at the last moment, as I was heading out of my office for class, I decided to bring along my box of miniature Pegasuses, in case anyone wanted one (or two or three). I told them that no one was obligated to take one, but a lot of people did, and just offering them loosened up the class. Plus it was nice to be able to offer them a goody on a day when we were working with a tricky text.
3/26: Ino
In Gareth Hinds' graphic novel version of the Odyssey Ino is portrayed as a mermaid, and I had fun today thinking about how that makes her like The Little Mermaid.
3/24: writing and thinking
I worked on a conference paper this afternoon. Speakers are limited to 15 minutes, so there isn't much time to set out a complicated idea. And I had already written an abstract with the skeleton of my argument, so I had thought that the paper-writing would be mostly a matter of fleshing out that skeleton. On the one hand, that's good because it's pretty straightforward; on the other hand, it's less fun because it's great to work out a new idea while writing. Though my paper's structure is still largely following the abstract, I managed to come up with some new connections while working today, and that was welcome.
3/23: fortunate moments
I opened the front door to take out the garbage and saw a bluebird and a goldfinch in the redbud trees.
And later in the day I spotted this lacewing on a narcissus while I had my camera in hand.
And later in the day I spotted this lacewing on a narcissus while I had my camera in hand.
3/22: a chart & a note
A chart: to help keep track of each students' points while grading the Myth test. The questions on the test have many parts--some factual, some more interpretive--and the chart is helping me to be super-consistent and to signal more clearly in which parts of a question points were lost.
A note: from one of my father's former colleagues. She wanted to thank me because my mother had taken her to an opera that I had given her tickets for. I had been psyched when my mother told me who her guest was, and the thank-you note was so unexpected and appreciated--very welcome at the end of a day of grading!
A note: from one of my father's former colleagues. She wanted to thank me because my mother had taken her to an opera that I had given her tickets for. I had been psyched when my mother told me who her guest was, and the thank-you note was so unexpected and appreciated--very welcome at the end of a day of grading!
3/19: inside & outside
Indoors today: drilling and sewing 100 pamphlets, doing some business email (more quickly/effectively than I was anticipating), and watching the new season of Mozart in the Jungle with Chris (and the cats).
Outdoors today: seeing the blooming wild plum trees, running errands with Chris, and stopping at the panaderia to get pastries and cookies.
Outdoors today: seeing the blooming wild plum trees, running errands with Chris, and stopping at the panaderia to get pastries and cookies.
3/18: formatting and printing
...a pamphlet of poems, one by each of our visiting Heron Tree editors. My original binding design didn't work out, and the new format took a lot of trial-and-error with margins, spacing, and feeding the paper through the printer in particular ways. But I'll be set to do the sewing tomorrow, and I'm glad I reached that point before calling it a night.
3/17: before breakfast
Seeing the water-drops on the redbud and heading out to take a few photos first thing.
3/16: a good day before break
Things have been tough and busy for quite some time now, but today felt different. I took a break mid-morning to get a coffee with Chris; read Gareth Hinds' graphic novel of the Odyssey during the Greek midterm (I'm teaching it in 2 weeks); designed a Latin course that would keep us doing Latin but not be frustrating while the students were preparing for papers and tests in other courses; got some good news about a committee I chaired; designed a flyer for next year's course offerings; worked with a student to make a prototype of her chapbook; did quiet writing. It was an upbeat way to move into spring break--which is different from the limping-my-way-toward-break that I was expecting.
3/15: homeric hymns
I like teaching the Homeric Hymns. Tuesday it was one to Demeter and one to Aphrodite. Today it was one to Apollo and one to Hermes. In recent years I've taught Hesiod during the week before spring break, and that's been hard because---though Hesiod is wonderful---he's difficult to read the first time you encounter him. I switched the schedule around this year so that Hesiod came earlier and the hymns, with their narrative boost, came during this tiring week. It was nice for the last Myth class before break to include some laughter at Hermes' antics.
3/14: encheiridia
I made each of my students a sturdy little booklet listing the most important technical terms we've learned this year so far. And our Greek quotation today came from Epictetus' Enchiridion (whose title literally means "little thing you keep in your hand"), so I told them that their booklets were encheiridia, too.
3/13: company
Chris decided to stay on campus into the evening so he could come to a lecture with me.
3/12: lots
...of students at a job candidate's presentation this afternoon. I had been worried that no one would come.
3/11: facing the list
On Friday afternoon I made a kind of frightening list of what I needed to do this weekend. As Sunday evening ticks down I can say that I did everything on it. (How often does that happen?)
3/9: new company
My usual Quiet Writing companion couldn't make it, but someone else showed up unexpectedly midway through, and their presence gave me an extra push to keep writing.
3/7: book discussions
Tonight I need to finish Salvage the Bones for one book discussion group, and today I finalized the participant list for a different reading group later this semester on Wintersmith. Yay for talking about books with people!
3/6: same thought
When I got home after work Chris said, "What do you think about garlic ginger soup for dinner?" I had been thinking the same thing while driving back to the house.
3/4: unplugged
It's getting harder and harder to spend time offline, since so much of what I do with work, words, and images gets me on my computer (and then I end up checking the news and/or my email and/or Facebook etc.). But this afternoon I ran a bookbinding workshop with a small group, and it was really nice to spend those hours with just those people, chatting and making, while nothing was streaming in from the outside world.
3/3: Phineas
...jumping into one of the cat beds where Emma was already sleeping. Phineas curled down right next to Em, who woke up enough to give him a few welcoming licks.
3/2: leaving campus
...at the end of a long week, and seeing my favorite bush on campus beginning to bloom:
3/1: noticing
...some interesting things about the Greek of Hesiod's opening of Works and Days: the way he switches his address from the Muses to his brother and the way he talks about truth-telling. I got so involved with thinking about it that I forgot to eat lunch.
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