"Thou ill-formed offspring of my feeble brain..."

20 January 2016: I got to teach some Anne Bradstreet poems in my beloved ENGL 204 classes today. I haven't taught that class in a year and I forgot how much flippin' fun it is to teach her. The post's title comes from one of my favorite lines from her poetry, the first line of "The Author to Her Book." Bradstreet is just so awesome: a woman balancing so many competing identities with skill, humility, humor, and a deep and abiding faith. For me, she puts a very human face on the Puritans. And Lord help my students because on Friday (assuming we have class...stay away, Blizzard of 2016!) we get to my favorite Puritan poet, Edward Taylor. The forecast calls for major geeking out.

"Remarkable messes..."

I just stumbled upon this interview with David Sedaris, focusing mostly on his sister's suicide several years ago. The interviewer, Blake Bailey, also a writer, also had a sibling who committed suicide. The conversation is moving and engrossing and just so worth reading. I found myself nodding as I read, experiencing that surprising desperation to find little moments of connection with people who have been through similar losses. Sedaris's "Now We Are Five" came crashing back into my head right after Ryan died and I still find myself thinking about it in quiet moments. I remember emailing the link to my other siblings and talking with them about it.

Every case is different, but the similarities hit right in the gut. Sedaris's sister, Blake's brother, my brother...messes indeed, but remarkable, too.

New 'do

19 January 2016: Today was a productive day on lots of levels. I am especially glad I decided to pop into the salon and get my hair cut. I thought about waiting until next week, but I had this vision of being snowed in and grabbing some scissors in frustration. Anyway, it's done and I think it looks pretty good.

Win/win?

Just ordered an expensive snow shovel from Amazon. Should be here by Thursday. So it probably won't snow on Friday. Sorry everyone.

(But not really...and if it does, at least I'll be prepared.)

Have I mentioned how much I still hate snow?

"Mom Jokes"

18 January 2016: What a fun long weekend it's been! Each day, I spent lots of time with some of my favorite people. Today I was back in Rockville for a bit, having lunch and playing a game at Tim's house. As I drove home, I listened to the latest episode of This American Life. The segment below, featuring the awesome Tig Notaro, made me laugh out loud as I drove.

[For some reason, I can't link to the specific segment--but the Tig segment is Act II. You should listen to Act I, though, too. It's so fascinating--more memorable and important than the rest of the episode. It's just that Act II made me laugh more.]

Brandi Carlile on The Tonight Show

17 January 2016: Sunday's good thing came late in the day--a day full of good things including some productivity in the morning, a walk in the park with my friend Amy and her dog, having some friends over for dinner, Pandemic, and some TV. After everyone left, I found myself walking circles around my downstairs rooms to get my 10,000 steps in. Watching and listening to Brandi Carlile's performance on The Tonight Show as I did so made those last 700 steps or so much more fun and reminded me of hearing her sing the same song when Erin and I saw her in July.

Pretty pastries

 
16 January 2016: Today's good thing is the pastry on the right, which I enjoyed after seeing Carol  (which was amazing!) with Tim and Kevin. A lovely ending to a perfect afternoon.

"Oops! We're at your door!"

15 January 2016: That moment when you and two other friends just show up at a fourth friend's house on a Friday night when she isn't answering her calls/texts. You're pretty sure she's fine--she just isn't checking her phone--but you want to make sure and you don't want her to miss out on the fun. So you stop by, pulling into her driveway just as she finally texts you back. And she says in that text that what you thought is true--she wishes she could have joined you, but it's probably too late and she's got her pjs on. But you knock on the door anyway. And she protests a bit because she's in her jammies and hasn't cleaned and you laugh and blow off her concerns. And you all charge in and end up playing the game you were planning on playing at her house. And you all have a great time.

And later you realize--when you think about how silly and comfortable you all are with each other--that you all really are good friends.

A good win

14 January 2016: Our team won trivia tonight (the game got moved from Tuesday to Thursday). Of course, it's always more fun when we win, but I don't usually mind when we lose so long as we did our best. I know that sounds incredibly cheesy, but I really do mean it. I give credit to my Lutheran school upbringing: years of lessons in good sportsmanship and being happy for the other team. It sunk in. But we did win today, in part because we worked out some answers together. I love when that happens.

Best Work Husband Ever

13 January 2016: So Tim, my work husband, is amazing. There's no argument here. But today's good thing is an email from him about possible plans to see a movie this weekend. In said message, he identifies not only show times, but the most "civilized" theater, a list of "amazing" restaurants nearby, and even venues for dessert, "should we not like the dessert selections at whatever restaurant we choose." He's a keeper.

Walk in the snow

12 January 2016: I am still me--not a fan of the white stuff. But today on my walk, a brief snow squall started up. It was a bit crazy, a bit bewildering, but also quite pretty. I felt like a kid for a bit.

First day of classes

11 January 2016: As I've always said, first days of the semester are fun and awkward, a bit lot a string of first dates. But today was a good day, just like any day I get to teach. One little moment that made me smile: I've got an upperclassman (well, upperclasswoman?) in my core-curriculum (non-major-level) class. She has no reason to be there, or so it seems. She's beyond the 200-level. Her reason? "Well, I needed more credits and I love you." Made me smile. And maybe she'll learn a thing or two. Ha.

Pardon me, might I have some more?

Won't let me hold her or pet her but will never stop begging for whatever I am eating.

Productivity

10 January 2016: Today's good thing is one of my favorite ordinary objects--one of my many to-do lists with everything crossed-off. This one is the list I made in mid-December, an ambitious plan of stuff to get done over the break. You can't tell now because, duh, the items are crossed off, but included on here were task ranging from syllabi and course prep to assessment to research projects to reading three books for Common Reading consideration to SSAWW matters. And, as of about 6:00 tonight, they are all done.

The new semester starts tomorrow, which means all kinds of new lists. Off we go!

"Surprisingly Awesome"

9 January 2016: My name is Heidi and I am a podcast addict. I mean, seriously. But at least they make me smarter (maybe?). Anyway, on my walk today I dove into "Surprisingly Awesome," a fun new podcast on my list. Who knew, for instance, that mold, concrete, and free throws were so interesting? (Actually, I've always been fascinated by free throws...)