5/8: a friend & a ride

Today I go to Nebraska to move Chris back home (and see a little of the spring-time prairie). A friend is driving me to the airport in Little Rock, and we need to leave at 9 a.m.: this means that my friend is waking up early to help me out on her first day of summer vacation--a friend indeed!

5/7: not until august

No more grading to do today. Indeed, no more grading to do until the new school year begins!

5/6: bakery lady

I've been going to the same bakery for years (I buy cupcakes for my students there). But I don't seem to be able to make a personal, friendly connection with the women who work at the bakery. Today, however, was different. The cupcakes weren't fully decorated by the time I arrived, and the woman who was finishing them up chatted with me and chose really cute cupcake-toppers that she thought would make my students smile. A breakthrough moment.

5/5: another seasonal first

The first hummingbird. Sitting on a wire & spotted while I was taking a walk this afternoon.

5/4: swallows swirling

By this morning it had finally stopped raining and the birds were happy. On my drive to school I cross a little bridge where there are often a couple of swallows swooping. But today there were dozens and dozens, maybe a hundred swallows enjoying the clear air.

5/3: everyone passed

My Greek students took their exam on Friday afternoon. It was a very comprehensive test--it needed to be. I finished grading it this evening, and not a single person failed the exam. Not only that, but every single one of them did fine work on the section of the test asking them to translate a passage of "real" Greek which they hadn't prepared in advance. A year-long adventure ends with success. I hope that they are pleased with the results of their hard work.

5/2: window for a walk

It started raining around midnight, and for at least 5 hours the rain was accompanied by heavy thunder and lightning. It's still raining (nearly 18 hours later), but the thunder and lightning have stopped. Earlier this afternoon the rain let up just enough for me to go on my walk with an umbrella. By the end of my walk I was a bit wet, but it still felt good to be out in the elements.

5/1: ostraka!

In my Greek class this semester we talked about the ancient Athenian practice of ostracism, and I showed my students a picture of some pottery shards from an ostracism vote which had Themistocles' name scratched onto them. Today at the final exam some of the students presented me with pottery shards they had made with my name inscribed on them in Greek letters! Who would have thought it would be such a sweet joke to be ostracized?