2/16: some good moments
...with the Odyssey today: reading it on my own before class and noticing some new-to-me things; asking a very specific question about Waterhouse's Sirens painting and its difference from similar ancient depictions; hearing the thoughts of a student who is usually more quiet in class.
2/15: nice email
...from two people on a day when reassurance was especially welcome. They weren't trying to reassure me, which makes it even better that their good words had that effect too!
2/14: flowering
The winter honeysuckle near the carport; I smelled it before I drove to work this morning. The Japanese quince on campus; I passed it on my way to and from my office. One of the magnolia trees outside the Life Sciences building; I saw it from afar.
2/13: doing
...one of my favorite activities in Etymology for the first time with this group of students: making a word web, building off a single word by changing prefixes, bases, and suffixes to create other words. The task today was to get from transparent to infinite, and more of them seemed to have fun in the process than I had anticipated. That's a nice way to have one's expectations countered!
2/10: being asked
...a follow-up question. On Wednesday I made a quick positive comment in class about bats. Today a student stayed after class because she wanted to know why I like bats.
2/9: tinkering with
...some word remixing, first on my own this morning, then with a colleague mid-day, then on my own after dinner. These weren't long sessions at all--just a few minutes each--but I am grateful that they were part of a day that was largely vexatious in other regards.
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