Shiny Happy Dreams

11 September 2025: I am so grateful that the hope and energy of my early-ish post yesterday carried me through the rest of the day as things grew much darker in the wake of more gun violence.

Woke up with that darkness weighing on me. Then I heard two songs on my brief run to and from Sheetz this morning: "Shiny Happy People" and "Dreams." Sunny, optimistic songs from 1991 and 1993, when I was so young and the world at least pretended to make more sense. 

On the two minute drive to Sheetz, the juxtaposition of "Shiny Happy People" to my emotions almost made me laugh. 

When I got back in the car and "Dreams" was playing? I just cried. 

I can't really say what all of this means--why it stands out to me. But I want to mark it and remember it. 

They are so good at this...

10 September 2025: I want to remember how good my American Fiction class was today. 

We finished up Huck Finn through the lens of really spikey pieces of criticism and we start James on Monday. Before we got that part started, though, listening to their pre-class chatter, I asked them what 9-11 means to their generation. Boy, did that spark an enlightening conversation. (They weren't born then, of course.) Somehow--but it's actually not that much of a mystery if you think about it--we made that connection back to Twain and his, to quote Toni Morrison (whose piece they read!), "amazing, troubling book."

These kids are so angry about our world. Used to the specter of violence hanging over them for every day of their lives. (Returned to my office to see news of a shooting of a right-wing figure on a college campus and a shooting at a high school in Colorado. It's always appalling and soul-crushing, but less shocking every time.)

These students are jaded and cynical and...angry. 

But also not without energy and hope. 

And they are so damn smart and decent. 

They give me so much hope. 

Need some writing time...

9 September 2025: The last three days for which I set aside blocks of time to work on the Year's Work essay...it didn't happen. Including today.

Other annoying stuff just piles up and demands attention. Stuff takes longer than you think it would. And none of this "stuff" is preparing for classes or grading. 

The writing will get done, but wow...

Jeopardy! is back!

8 September 2025: Long Monday (see previous post re: a bruiser of a week). Got home after Jeopardy! started--and not even aware that we were back to new episodes, but the DVR caught it. Having it back in my evening routine? Now it's a fall semester. 

Busy Sunday...

7 September 2025: Apologies for repetitive post titles and content this weekend, but when it works, it works?

Supermarket in the morning, brunch and an early movie after that, then mowed the lawn (the first time in about a month; it's been so dry!), worked on a home improvement project, and tackled some work-work. Still a lot to go, which isn't great for a Sunday evening, but all in all, feeling okay. 

This week ahead is a bruiser, schedule-wise. One step at a time. 

Busy Saturday...

6 September 2025: 

Really cool, useful, and even moving workshop this morning about holistic teaching and yoga.

Fun women's soccer game where they won 2-0.

Nice evening with a friend who came over to watch a movie.

Excellent long phone call with Vogel after my friend left.

All the weekly chores knocked out in the in-between times.

Not a bad Saturday at all. 

The Conjuring: Last Rites

5 September 2025: I am tired in my bones, but so glad that Amy and I went to see the latest (and last?) Conjuring movie this evening. So much fun. I would watch a million more of these movies. Keep 'em coming!

"Moving Out" in the Food Lion

4 September 2025: Long day where I didn't get enough done and still have a couple of hours work to do. And tomorrow will be really long, too. But at the grocery store this evening (getting just cat food, ha), this song came on and I sang it under my breath and even swayed a bit at the self-check out. It ruled.

Kitchen floor crashing...

3 September 2025: First thing I did when I came through the door after being gone for eleven hours? 

Dropped my bag and got on the kitchen floor with Jo, who was very happy to see me. 

Long day...lots to do, lots to worry about. Seems pretty early in the semester for "miles to go before I sleep" to be in my head... 

But it'll be okay. I've got this--with some help from this girl and good friend.

(BabyCat also lives here.) 

A bit of relief...

2 September 2025: So grateful today that a dear friend's mom received some encouraging news about some medical concerns. Still a ways to go until on the journey of figuring everything out, but man: when everything is so hard everywhere, it feels like such a relief and gift to have some decent news. 

Progress!

1 September 2025: Finally--over the past two days--I have had the time and the mental space to get some writing done on my portion of the Year's Work essay. It feels so good to be in that groove. Right now, the Twain section is drafted and needs another round of reading-through, revising, and editing. 

Next up is the "literature" section about all the non-Twain stuff. Hoping to knock a lot of that out this week. 

(Always funny to make progress on work on Labor Day, but the freedom from a regular work day makes it possible!

Bird-watching...

31 August 2025: With a frequency and intensity that is almost too much, given their intense beauty against the blue sky, the goldfinches have returned to my birdfeeders, having been absent since the early spring. They join the most common birds regularly convening there: red finches, cardinals, and (to a lesser extent) black-headed chickadees. 

The girls are pleased and every once in a while even manage to share window space to watch them. This late-summer snapshot of a Sunday morning makes me smile.

Department get-together...

30 August 2025: Enjoyed a really lovely get-together with my colleagues at Keith's house this evening. Our department looks different this year--three new folks and some folks who have left--but it's still a good group and I am lucky to work with them.

One week down...

29 August 2025: All in all, a good first week where (again!) the best part was (of course!) the students and that time in the classroom. In between classes, annoying emails and university b.s. put me in a funk. Then I stepped into Knutti 202 and all that slipped away.

Hiding...

28 August 2025: Someone ran out the front door today and then tried to hide. Or perhaps she just appreciates the new views, too.