9/8: good things

In my gathering of first-year advisees this afternoon I asked each of them to share a good thing that they recently experienced.  I think we'll make it into a weekly thing.

9/7: reading

...some assignments my students wrote.  I'm glad I structured the assignment the way I did, and it's really interesting to read what they came up with.

9/6: making a call

...to the exactly right person who exactly understood.

9/5: two sights

A morning sight:  In our un-air-conditioned state the cats decided that the warm cozy bed was too warm to be cozy, so they slept sprawled out where they could feel the night and morning air from the windows.  I smiled, upon waking, to see both of them there and so obviously enjoying the breeze.

An evening sight:  a door to one of our water district's pump houses has been painted.  This may not seem like a big deal, but Chris (who is on our water district's board) has been trying to get someone to paint this door for months, at the request of the resident who lives nearby.  First it was too hot, and then it was too rainy.  Now finally the door has gotten its fresh coat.

9/4: three in a row

Out on the lake at sunset for three consecutive days.

9/3: cool air continues

...and it's an especially welcome thing since the motor on our air conditioner stopped working.

9/2: good air

Cool air in the early evening on the lake.  And then into night, sleeping with the windows open.

9/1: microwave and more Martial

Chris used the microwave to soften some butter so we wouldn't have to wait for an hour or two before making cookies.

And it was fun to spend time with a student's choice of Martial poem this morning, reminding me of how much I like teaching Martial in the upper-level classes.  So often his poems are used in beginning Latin textbooks since they're short and humorous, but the students like them so much better later in their time with Latin.