11/8: not just me

(Today's good thing is a little odd in that it's a good thing that came out of a not-so-good thing.) My joints have hurt (a lot) all day, and this morning I couldn't understand why I hurt so much. Then a few other people mentioned that they felt the same way and that they thought it was because a storm front was moving in. It didn't make the pain go away, but it did help to know that I wasn't alone.

11/7: bookends to the school day

Yellow ginkgo leaves which seemed all the yellow-er against a grey morning sky.

And a student working at the pizza place on campus who gave us a free taste of a peach & gorgonzola flatbread special.

11/6: a collection of good things

Starting the morning in the comfy robe provided by the hotel I stayed in.

Getting so caught up in the novel I was reading (Swamplandia!) that my time in the airport and on the plane seemed short.

Seeing the autumn leaves on the drive home from the airport.

Smelling the air on the ridge when I got out of the car and thinking, "Yes, this is home."

11/5: change of venue

I'll be in Atlanta on Saturday, giving a paper at a conference. It's a quick jaunt--I'm looking forward both to being out of town and to returning so soon.

11/4: time for an addition

Last night, as I was falling asleep, I realized that it would have been nice to add a particular illustration to the hand-out for my paper tomorrow. This morning I got my luggage packed with enough time left over to scan the picture and make a revised hand-out. Now no chance for regrets of the "If only I had...." variety.

11/3: three things

1. I took my car in for an oil change and check-up today, and it turned out that some not-minor work needed to be done. I am grateful that we had the money to pay for it without having to worry or feel squeezed. When I was a child and money was tight in our family, things like car repairs were sources of anxiety, and I am glad that (luckily, for now at least!) that isn't the case.

2. I got enough advance-work done at school in the last two days, so I don't have to bring any grading or prep on my conference trip this weekend.

3. When I booked my flight to the conference, I got myself on a plane that leaves early tomorrow afternoon--which means that I have time to pack tomorrow morning and don't have to think about it tonight.

(And whenever I post three things I think of Meri and her blog; it's good to prompt myself to recognize more than one good thing in a day.)

11/2: powerfully fragrant

We have a new lemon tree, and it'll be spending the cold part of each year indoors. Today a couple of its buds opened and the scent is unbelievably strong (in a good way). I'm amazed that so few blossoms can make their presence so known.

11/1: flu shots, candy bars, and free books

Flu shots were free at work today. I know it won't completely keep me from getting ill this winter, but at least I'll feel like I took preventive action.

My parents used to take us for flu shots every November, and by the time I was in high school I had developed the habit of bringing a bit of chocolate along to eat right after I got the shot. Today I slipped two little candy bars into my coat pocket, one for me and one for Chris, and we ate them on a bench next to some rose bushes after we had made our way through the shot line.

And another freebie of the day: two copies of A Little Latin Reader. I had ordered one as a desk copy, and the publisher sent me a second copy as a substitute for a different book. So I gave one to Chris, and he translated the first sentence in it (a piece of Pompeian graffiti) on the spot.