ENGL 101 syllabizing...

15 August 2024: For a bunch of reasons out of my control (frustratingly), I have been unable to work on my ENGL 101 syllabus until I just had to start. I spent a lot of today thinking about the class and working on the syllabus. This Common Reading selection is especially tough to incorporate, but I think I had a breakthrough. Need to sleep on it and still so much more work to do, but I think I can see a way forward.

Moving right along...

14 August 2024: Got my set of requested revisions from my editor today and, my goodness—it doesn’t look like a lot? My editor is hoping to send the manuscript up the ladder by September 15. 

To put it simply, it is so exciting and affirming. And I cannot believe that my major revisions will be done two weeks before the original manuscript submission deadline. 

Feels terrific.

Academic Belonging...

13 August 2024: Today my friend/colleague Jeff and I talked about a session we are leading at Shepherd's professional development day for faculty next week. In a general sense, we're talking about "academic belonging": how to make student feel like they are valid and worthy members of the classroom (and university) community. 

Jeff is such a cool guy: incredibly smart, kind, a kind of superman when it comes to building stuff, an interdisciplinary thinker, and just so thoughtful and smart. Talking with him about this topic was without a doubt one of the best parts of the day.

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12 August 2024: Reflecting on what has been a very nice birthday. Nothing major--just beautiful weather, some good work to get done on campus (including a pretty productive meetings), phone calls and messages from loved ones, dessert and then dinner with friends...

One reason birthdays are lovely: you are reminded of how many wonderful people you've met over the course of your life. What a blessing that is!

Hancock hike

11 August 2024: Spent much of the day with my friends Steve and Kit. We met in Hancock, had lunch, and walked a few miles on the C&O. Every moment was filled with terrific conversations and storytelling. Grateful to have had a new set of friends enter my life a couple of years ago. 

Play hard. Sleep hard.

10 August 2024: Happy 2nd birthday to sweet girl!

Burger box

9 August 2024: Got a really fun cat-themed birthday package from Vogel today. The theme extended even further when I gave the girls the box. Perfect perch for watching Bob's Burgers.

Finally! A Show

8 August 2024: Found a new podcast to check out, courtesy of This is Love, which featured an episode of Finally! A Show on their feed. The premise: a woman narrates her day from start to finish. This particular episode follows a crematorium worker at New York's Green-Wood Cemetery. There's so much to love in this piece: a very engaging and endearing narrator, her charming colleagues who show up over the course of her day, their terrific New York accents, and really moving and profound observations about death, life, mourning, and remembering those who have died. 

This bit, from the narrator, Gabrielle, made me stop in my tracks*: "It is an honor and a privilege to bear witness to a witness."

*I think I use this phrase a lot when talking about great podcast moments, but most of the time, I mean it literally. I am listening while walking or doing something at least sort of active and I stop and take note of the time-stamp, in case I want to write about it later or send it someone's way. 

"the thing with feathers"

7 August 2024: It sure is nice to feel a bit of hope about November. It's also scary to feel this hope. But my goodness, this ticket--at least right now--is inspiring. Even more inspiring are the people turning out and coming together. 

Good things from today...

6 August 2024: Long, kind of tough day, but trying to stay focused on lots of good things: a fun triva game, needed rain falling outside (a lot of it--let's hope it's not too much), opportunities to see the people I care about do their things and shine, and a terrific candidate for Vice President. 

Spaghetti Jo

5 August 2024: So...Jo is obsessed with spaghetti??? I was pretty certain she was into it after this post. Then last week, she seemed to understand I was making it the moment I put the colander in the sink. And tonight, she was there from start to finish, watching every aspect. And yes, she got a piece again, this time without stealing it. (But she did look for more to steal in the sink. There was none.)

TikNot

4 August 2024: This evening, I opened TikTok for maybe the fourth time since I downloaded the app (simply to see stuff people send me). It kept playing all of these cat-meowing videos, including some captioned things like "this sound will make your cat come running."  

Jo immediately reacted. Some made her excited. One made her hiss! And she was looking everywhere around the bed for the cats. 

It actually made me feel bad, messing with her little head like that. Happy to keep mostly staying off that app just to avoid further guilt!

Dewey!

3 August 2024: Got to meet Cory and Hannah's new kitten, Dewey, today. He is perfect: chill and friendly and playful and very sweet. I am so thrilled that they found each other and he's right at home.

Some of the good stuff...

2 August 2024: Met with an advisee today to talk about her coursework (could she double-major? do a 4+1?, etc.). She's such an interesting and impressive young woman: married with two kids and a full-time job, but also carrying a full course load and killing it. I get the sense she didn't have it easy when she was a little kid, but she is so strong and determined. And she keeps saying, "I just want to help people and I see that happening in a classroom or school." What a blessing she'll be, whatever she ends up doing.

This kind of work? Always the good stuff!

Getting ready...

1 August 2024: Spent some time on campus this afternoon, mostly wading through stacks of papers and doing some pre-semester clean-up. Tim was up there, too, doing the same, which made it extra fun. I am certainly not eager for this summer to end, but there is something sweet about starting to get stuff (beyond syllabi) ready.