"San Junipero"

31 October 2016: My ENGL 301 students are in the process of learning about both deconstruction and queer theory. One of the points we've been discussing is how much overlap there is (naturally) between the two lens. I also just finished watching the "San Junipero"episode of Black Mirror and remembered seeing a headline for a piece I wanted to go back and read after I saw the episode. I am glad I waited to read it (spoilers abound!) and really glad I read it today, when I've been thinking about these two lens. The piece does an excellent job employing both a deconstructive and queer theory reading and it's a pleasure to read.

"The Loving Legacy"

30 October 2016: The news has been kind of depressing these past few days (weeks, months...), so this piece from The Washington Post, about five interracial couples on the eve of the release of The Loving Story, made me smile.

4:00 p.m.

29 October 2016: Yesterday's good thing was 4:00 p.m., when I pulled into my driveway after a successful Sigma Tau Delta conference and a successful recruiting of docents for the Bodice Project event. These two events--which actually had me needing to be in two places at once that day--were on my mind as two that I just need to get through to catch my breath again, so that moment of getting home was a sweet one.

Pre-conference dinner

28 October 2016: Friday was a packed day, ending with a two-hour shift sitting with some of my best students at the Bodice Project event (the students were serving as docents), followed by last-minute prep for our Sigma Tau Delta conference the next day. In between the docent-ing and the prepping, I took these students--all leaders in Sigma Tau Delta (and the folks who organized this event)--to dinner as a way to thank them. I was tired as all heck at that point, but it was still a lot of fun. These are some impressive, hard-working, and funny young women and we are lucky to have them at Shepherd.

From prison to bodices...

27 October 2016: What a strangely eclectic day today has been. First, my two co-teachers and I took our Intro to Women's Studies class to the women's prison in Maryland, just as we do every time we teach the class. The trip is so powerful and moving...sobering and memorable. So that's how it started.

Then I came home, graded some papers, and crashed for a bit.

Then it was off to a reception Women for Shepherd University was hosting for our Fall Event: a exhibition of works from The Bodice Project at Popodicon, the president's residence. It was also powerful and moving...sobering and memorable. So that's how today ended (at least the public part of it).

I am not sure which of these two things (the trip or the reception) wins today's "good thing," so maybe I'll cheat a bit and call my weird, amazing, "never-can-tell-what-I'll-be-doing-next" job today's good thing?

A great colleague...

26 October 2016: I have a colleague, Jim, who is one of the most decent and interesting men I've ever met. I've never heard him say a bad thing about anyone and his stories--which include time he spent driving a cab in Chicago in the 60s--are always terrific. But he's not just a talker; he's a fantastic, curious listener. When he asks you questions, you can tell he really wants to know more about you, your life, your ideas. It's good for the self-esteem. Jim and I had lunch yesterday--right smack in the middle of a busy day for both of us--and it was probably the best part of my day.

I say it all the time: my job--my colleagues, my students, my work--is such a blessing and I am so very lucky.

Gilmore Girls Trailer

25 October 2016: Another no-brainer for today's good thing. This trailer had me smiling the entire time. I cannot wait.

When Forgiveness Changes the World

24 October 2016: This wonderful piece by my former colleague is absolutely today's good thing.

Some good stuff:

"The main point of both of these stories, as I read them, is that forgiving someone who has done one a great wrong is unnatural. It defies expectations because it defies human nature. Over millions of years, both nature and culture have endowed us with a strict sense of justice where our own interests are concerned. We want the people who have hurt us to suffer, and, the vast majority of the time, our poets gratify our passions. The suitors all die by the hands of Odysseus and Telemachus. Gaston plummets to his death while trying to kill the Beast, Voldemort sort of blows up. The bad guys all get their comeuppance.

Except when they don’t. In the the occasional work of literature like Atsumori, or the story of Joseph, we get a sense of what a rare and wonderful thing true forgiveness can be, both in the seeking and in the granting. When it happens in literature, it frustrates our expectations and forces us to re-examine our tastes–and if we are lucky it makes us better people. When it happens in real life, I suspect, it has the potential to change the world."

He's just the best...

23 October 2016: Aziz saying what needs to be said.

"He's just the kindest, most loving boy..."

22 October 2016: I moved to North Carolina in 1999, just around the time the Rae Carruth case was breaking. Since then, I've often thought about the little boy who entered this world in such a violent and sad way. This profile of Chancellor Lee and his extraordinary grandmother, amazed me. What a joyful and determined young man and what a loving and strong grandmother. They provide quite an example for the world.

Hamilton's America

21 October 2016: How could this PBS special not be the day's good thing? It was amazing--such a joy to watch.

The Witch

20 October 2016: I first saw The Witch when it opened back in March--and enjoyed it very much (though perhaps "enjoy" is the wrong word for such a dark film). I couldn't stop thinking about what a perfect depiction it was of Puritanism taken to its most dramatic extreme and how much it reminded me of two of my favorite American poets: Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor.

So when some students and a professor in the History department asked me if we (my students and I) wanted to be a part of an event they had planned for tonight, a screening of the film followed by a discussion, I happily agreed to do my part, offering all of my students extra credit for attending and preparing some remarks beforehand on Puritan literature and the connections I saw in the film. To be honest though, as this day started, I wasn't exactly looking forward to it--it's been a long and busy week. But man, I am glad we planned this darn thing. It went so very well--great audience, great discussion.

"Schedule Scramble"

19 October 2016: I've been the faculty sponsor for our department's chapter of Sigma Tau Delta since 2008 and have had the chance to see several cycles of members and leaders move through the ranks. It's always interesting and sometimes even fun to see the ideas that the new folks come up with.

The event these new leaders hosted today--something they called "Schedule Scramble"--really impressed me. Basically, they made a bunch of breakfast food (who doesn't love breakfast for dinner?) and invited students who had questions about building their schedules for next semester to come by, get some dinner, and get some advice.

In the end, there was just as much socializing as advising, but it was still a great success. I stopped in three times over the couple of hours (didn't want to be the teacher in the room who interrupts students being themselves) and each time, it was lovely to see them all having fun. Well done.

"Sort Of"

18 October 2016: So it's not an uplifting song, but man, do I love this track. It sort of sweeps me up in its story and emotions. And, at the same time, it calms me down. It came on my iPod this morning just as I was feeling kind of anxious about a project I was working on. It took me away from that moment and gave me the pause I needed.

Nobel Prize Panel

17 October 2016: Last night, I attended a panel discussion of this year's Nobel Prizes. For each prize, a member of the faculty got up and explained who the winners were and why they won. It was terrific and made me appreciate once again the fabulous teachers I work with. I mean, my friend the physicist was able to explain her field's prize in a way I could understand (well, at least sort of understand). So too did the folks in Economics, Biology, Chemistry, Political Science, and (of course) Literature. An excellent event!