8/31: receiving
...a Postcrossing postcard with a black-and-white photo of an art deco Good Luck gas station. I need good luck this weekend, as I start writing my five-year self-evaluation letter for work.
8/30: enjoying thinking
...about Seneca's Phaedra, about a collaborative erasure project, about Latin class tomorrow.
8/29: better news
...about my Toyota. When we took it to the dealer last week for a recall fix the mechanics there recommended a bunch of extra and pricey repairs, including one to fix a "major" and "severe" oil leak (even though we haven't noticed losing oil and there are no oil drops on my parking spot). We had the car checked out today by our regular garage, and they said there was no leak. I hope they're right!
8/28: getting clearer
...in my mind about some assignments for the senior capstone seminar, and getting more concrete in assembling the materials.
8/27: tired but...
I am feeling wrung out at the end of this day. But even in the tiredness I'm grateful for office hour meetings with students, time spent with Chris at dinner, snatches of a novel-for-pleasure, and a chance to think about Senecan tragedy and the Phaedra.
8/26: Annie
A dear friend of my family passed away today. She did a lot of theatre with my parents over the years, and with me and my siblings, too, once we were old enough to join in. She ate countless meals at our kitchen table, came to so many cast parties, and saw us grow from toddlers to teenagers. We considered her our aunt, even though we weren't "officially" related. She was an actor of consummate craft and great charisma. Off the stage she made my father laugh like no one else could, and she made a way in the world like only she could. I am grateful that she was part of my childhood and is still part of who I am.
8/25: mixing
...chores and rest. Chores with Chris included cleaning and reorganizing the pantry shelves and going grocery shopping. Rest included going back to sleep after I woke up early, finishing reading one novel, and starting another one.
8/24: on the water
The afternoon had practical hurdles (car trouble & plumbing issues), but after dinner I went kayaking for a little bit and then I drove to the pier to watch the moon on the water. This is a pixelated photo of the moonlight:
8/22: making myself go
...to the walking track, even though I was in a funk. Walking didn't magically make things better, but it helped some, and at least it meant that I couldn't get frustrated with myself for not going.
8/21: kayaking
...unexpectedly after dinner. The weather was nice and I had no absolutely pressingly had-to-be-done-tonight work. I enjoyed the air and the light and the lake full with rain. And, in a break from usual practice, I didn't take any photographs of the water while paddling; it felt good to break from habit.
8/20: big & little
At one point today I was surprised by how calm it was for the day before classes begin---but then it got more flustering (sigh) in a number of ways. Still, at the end of the day I can say that I enjoyed the close detail work of putting macrons on long vowels in Latin words for tomorrow's translation passage and that I was glad for the sight of the moon and the planets in the ecliptic after I left the walking track this evening.
8/19: the comfort of a calm day
...which included things like the New York Times Book Review, a conversation with a friend, yoga, making 1-inch x 1-inch collages, course prep that didn't feel entirely like work, Anne with an E, chocolate tofu mousse, and a foot massage machine that Chris bought for me. School starts for real this week (not just start-up meetings), so I am grateful for this day of unflurried and unworried activity.
8/18: inside & outside
Chris and I worked inside this afternoon, clearing, sorting, organizing, and cleaning our big storage closet.
After dinner I took my kayak out on the lake for a bit, enjoying what might be the last paddling before classes begin.
After dinner I took my kayak out on the lake for a bit, enjoying what might be the last paddling before classes begin.
8/16: re-homing
...a big Classical atlas. I'm clearing out my office and giving away books that I don't use. I had inherited the atlas, and because it's crazy-expensive I've been keeping it around even though I don't need it for my work. This afternoon I thought of a former student who is now a professor who might really want it and use it. He said he'd love to have it, and that makes me so happy.
8/15: getting the school year underway
...by giving the incoming students their Latin placement exercise. Some other Classics faculty joined me to introduce themselves and talk about the Classics program, and it felt good and real and positive.
8/14: starting
...the Anne with an E series on Netflix. It made Chris laugh out loud in places, and it made me remember watching the 1980s PBS Anne of Green Gables series with my brother.
8/13: having
...lunch at a restaurant with Chris as a get-away between morning and afternoon meetings.
8/12: finishing
...reading a novel first thing in the morning, before even getting out of bed. It seemed like a good way to begin the last day of summer break.
8/11: something alone & something together
Alone: Choosing my last book of summer reading carefully, and making what I think (so far) is a good choice. It's Because of the Lockwoods by Dorothy Whipple, a Persephone book.
Together: Cleaning and reorganizing the refrigerator with Chris.
Together: Cleaning and reorganizing the refrigerator with Chris.
8/10: Chris' find
This afternoon Chris went to an antique store that was closing and he came home with a watch from 1904. I think that its light green clock hands look like a snake! Here it is on the inside and outside.
8/7: art & beer & conversation
Exhibits at the Arkansas Arts Center followed by beer and food at the Blue Canoe Brewing Co. with ongoing conversation with Chris about Jane Austen. A good way to spend an afternoon.
A close-up of the Art Center's Redon:
A close-up of the Art Center's Redon:
8/4: visiting
...the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Highlights: paintings by Jennifer Packer, a Mark Rothko canvas, a Romare Bearden quilt, the Buckminster Fuller Fly's Eye Dome (below), and a concert of minimalist music that included Eve Beglarian's "Until it Blazes."
8/3: pain medicine
...working just in time to make it possible to enjoy a long drive with Chris as we listened to News of the World by Paulette Jiles.
8/1: acting normally
...is hard for me, and perhaps harder over the summer since I spend so much time on my own, mostly socializing with Chris and the cats. Today in the grocery story I had some awkward moments, but this evening I managed to have a smooth exchange with a man who was looking for his lost dog. I am so sorry about his dog and will help to spread the word; still, I was glad to meet such a nice person and have a conversation with him.
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