No thawing in sight, but...

28 January 2026: We are still locked in a cold spell and this snow and ice isn't really going anywhere, but I did venture out in the car twice today (for the first time since Saturday afternoon). Still kind of dicey once you get off main roads, but a bit of freedom felt pretty good. 

Even better? Looks like classes will be normal on Friday. (I don't teach on Thursday, but campus opens at 9:00 then.)

This feels pretty good...

27 January 2026: Turns out my book is one of ten to win an ALA 2026 Outstanding Reference Source award. (Five others are also from McFarland.)

I didn't see this coming, so it was a delight to read the news in my inbox. 

It's been a long time since I felt a rush of pure, unexpected happiness. I am so grateful.

Video-chatting...

26 January 2025: Video-chatted with my Roanoke girls for the first time in forever. I hate this snowy mess, but one good thing is that all five of us were available to catch up. It was the best.

Caught on camera...

25 January 2026: All of the dueen the dark-eyed juncos have been all over the feeders out front. Their antics entertained Jo on this snowy day. And the Birdbuddy caught me in the background, clearing the driveway.

We got less snow than the forecast predicted--more sleet/less snow. Ended up with about 8 inches, I think. Apparently if it had been all snow, it would have been 15-20 inches. I am not complaining, though a long stretch of cold weather means this mess will be around for a while.

Campus is closed tomorrow and Tuesday. We'll see about Wednesday.

Incoming snow...

24 January 2026: What a moment we are in right now. A few hours ago, I was sitting at the women's basketball game, watching them win a thrilling upset against Kutztown. Looked at my phone and saw that ICE has killed another person--a VA nurse--in Minnesota. 

Walked home holding these two realities in my mind--folks playing and watching basketball while in another state, good people are being killed by the government. I want to scream. I want to shake the people who can make this stop. 

Settled in at home waiting for the snow to start. I hate being snowed in, but I think the low-level sadness and anxiety that's been omnipresent is dulling the usual snow-flavored blues...like they can't even really break through in their normal way. They are still there...just dulled.

Telling myself that being snowed in--assuming the heat pump and the pipes hold out--can be a good thing. Work to catch up on, stuff to watch, time with the girls. 

None of that, though, helps our brothers and sisters in Minnesota and our brothers and sisters disappearing from streets all over the country. 

It's just so much. 

Working with Hannah...

23 January 2025: Sitting here this evening and realizing that two of the best parts of today involved worknig with Hannah. 

First, she came to my ENGL 377 class to talk about her role directing the Academic Support Center. Wild to think about how she took this class the first time I taught it. It was awesome to bask in the glow of her awesomeness as she talked about her work and tutoring and writing in general.

Second, later in the afternoon, we hopped on a Teams meeting with our amazing Director of OSP and finalized our submission of an NEA grant we worked on together.

What an absolute joy and blessing to have one of my best friends as a colleague. 

Sparring Partners

22 January 2026: One of my former students reached out to me and a bunch of her professors to say kind things about her time in our program and to invite us to her book launch, this time a genuine Harlequin publication. Super fun! (No genre shaming here; I know better that to judge people's reading!)

I should have known nothing would stop her from getting what she wants. When she was in her last class with me, she had a baby right before the final exam. She wouldn't take an incomplete, but instead came to class with a pillow to sit on and nailed that exam. 

University jargon

21 January 2026: Creating a new tag word for posts today (and went back and added the tag to a December post): university jargon. Mostly, I am just noting stuff I hear or say in meetings that make me laugh because they are so weird.

Here's today's, something I said to Tim: "I am just so excited that we can remove the competency!"

Please know that every bit of that sentiment was genuine.  

Home again...

20 January 2026: Just got home after spending most of the day with Vogel, saying goodbye to Brandon. Beautiful services--very moving and meaningful. Now on to the next stages--new kinds of hard. 

Reinforcements arriving...

19 January 2026: Rita and Mike (Mikeeee) arrived here in PA last night. It's been a balm to have them here, not just because it's the first time we've all been together in forever. 

It's always so strangely beautiful to me how much laughter and tears ride side-by-side in times like this. 

Snowy Sunday

18 January 2026:

[Catch-up post...]

Snowed quite a bit up here yesterday, which was pretty until it got scary. The weather these past few months is really going out of its way to mirror folks' inner emotions.

Clueless is on in the background...

17 January 2026: Sitting in a hotel room thinking about everything, everything, everything. 

Doing my best to be here for Vogel. 

It's hard and meaningful work. 

And it's a privilege to do it. 

Dinner with Jeannie...

16 January 2026: Last week, my friend Jeannie and I made plans to get dinner this evening. That was before Brandon died and before I knew I'd be heading up to Philadelphia for a few days to be there for Vogel and for his funeral. 

I almost asked her to reschedule. I have so much to do and I am so emotionally exhausted. 

But I am glad I didn't. We went to Maria's and sat and talked for nearly two hours. When we were done, I told her as much--adding that I would spent those two hours anxious and stressed. 

At home since then, I've been getting stuff done and still feel a bit overwhelmed, I can see it--that I can do this. 

Saying no...

15 January 2026: I found myself saying "no" to work-related questions this week. 

On Tuesday, it was a "will you do this?" question. I realized that it would be too much of a pain and I just didn't want to. So I said, "Yeah, I think I'm saying 'no.'" And the person who asked me--Tim--responded, "Good for you." 

Felt pretty good!

The second was a "can you meet this deadline?" question. And if the end of last semester hadn't been so hard and if I had been able to do more during break, I would have been able to. And if I broke my neck, I might be able to make it still. We'll see. But I told the person who asked me, "No, I don't think I can." "That's okay," she said. "We'll make it work."

I feel more conflicted about this one, but mostly okay. 

Just need a new normal to settle in, but until then, things are just strange and rough.

It'll be okay, though. Day by day.

Tired and grateful...

14 January 2026: Very long and busy day; left the house at 7:00 a.m. and got home just before 9:00 p.m. Struck once again by what a difference kindness makes as you push through those long days. Thinking about specific interactions with students--current and former--that moved me more than I can say.

Grateful, grateful, grateful.