G.L.O.W.

30 December 2018: ""You let somebody in, you know? And then you make room. Then they go and yet...the room is still there." --Sam, to Ruth, in the Season 2 finale of G.L.O.W.

After waiting forever to watch it, I finally got to the second season of G.L.O.W., finishing the last episode in the early hours of this morning. This isn't a novel opinion, but it was so good. I loved it--so funny, so smart, and sometimes, so moving. The quotation above represents one of those moving moments, but the humor is even more pervasive--and so great.

Some friends and I have been talking about end-of-the-year "top ten" or "top five" lists of various kinds of culture. If I had a "best woman-centered shows," this would be so high on the list (right there with Call the Midwife, Killing Eve, The Handmaid's Tale...).

"Every Time I Hear That Song"

29 December 2018:

"By the way, I forgive you
After all, maybe I should thank you
For giving me what I've found
'Cause without you around
I've been doing just fine
Except for any time I hear that song..." --Brandi Carlile, "Every Time I Hear That Song"

This (excellent) song is on President Obama's "favorite songs of 2018" list and, well, dude has good taste. It's on my mind, too, tonight, as I think about someone I used to be quite close to.

"Beloved"

28 December 2018: Syllabizing on a foggy and kind of gloomy Friday night has me reading and thinking about Michael Field. (If you don't know about Michael Field, you really should click that previous link. What a story!)

Anyway, in my contemplative mood, here's one poem that moves me tonight.

Robot Invasion: It Begins..

27 December 2018: I left the new robot vacuum doing its thing (for the first time) while I ran up to the office. Based on the way they were watching it and stalking it when I left, I figured there was a 50% chance the cats would have destroyed it by the time I got home. But perhaps their bravery wanes when I am not here. I got home and they were all upstairs (not the robot--it can't climb stairs...yet?). Also the robot *might* be a bully. It has pushed their food bowls around and suspiciously finished its cycle and docked itself *just* as I got home. Will keep an eye on the Pixar movie in the making...

Veronica's new bird

26 December 2018: One of the three things I asked for this Christmas (the others being a robot vacuum and socks) was a new chirping bird for Veronica. She absolutely loves the ones she got the past two years--and the one from last year has lost its chirp. So, she got one. Here's the early introduction. The video even opens with a bit of drama and (perhaps unexpected?) villainy from Wesley.



So she isn't batting it around like a maniac yet, but she will soon enough.

Christmas 2018

25 December 2018:

[Catch-up post...]

When you get the perfect gift, you prepare precise instructions.

Christmas Eve 2018

24 December 2018:

[Catch-up post...]

Didn't get too many pictures this year, but here are some highlights.

Attempt #1 to get a picture of all the kids. Please note that Erin must airlift her uncooperative kid into the shot. 

Attempt #2. Also noted: nephew who cannot resist making hand gestures.

"Underneath the Tree"

23 December 2018:

The Favourite

22 December 2018: What a wickedly fun movie The Favourite is, with a trio of knock-out performances. I saw it today with Amy, Hannah, and Cory in Frederick. When we came out of the theater, a group of carolers sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," which was almost Rockwell-ian. Then we walked over to Lucky Corner, a Vietnamese restaurant--which was delicious, as always. So yeah: break life continues to impress.

"Publicity" Photo...

21 December 2018: Get you a friend who will meet you at the university library the moment she finishes her last day of work before the holiday break so that she can take the “publicity” photo you need. It helps if said friend worked for a photography business while she was in school. And if she can give you advice about what to wear for the photo. And if she can fix this slightly “out of control” piece of hair you’ve got. And can tell you how to stand. What a gem Hannah is!

"Winter Song"

20 December 2018: Kind of gloomy day around here today, but this song brings a kind of comfort and light.

That Winter Break Life...

19 December 2018:

Some of what I did today:

• Paperwork droppin' [had to take care of some stuff at the office...it can't be all fun...]
• Hair choppin' [got my hair cut]
• Christmas shoppin' [hit some stores in Hagerstown with Amy]
• Mary Poppin'(s) [yeah--that one is a stretch!]

[other fun stuff, too, but I am losing the gimmick...]

Last game of the year...

18 December 2018: We hosted our last trivia game of the year tonight. (Our teams voted to take the next two weeks off rather than moving our Tuesday games to a different night.) So it seems worth pausing and reflecting on the experience so far. And my verdict? It's still a lot of fun and our teams are just the best. One of them even gave us Christmas gifts.

A good day...

17 December 2018:

Things that pleased me today, in chronological order:

• End-of-the-semester tidying up (real and metaphorical) at my office.
• Stopping by to see Hannah for a few minutes and being so glad (again!) that she works on campus.
• Six of our majors getting accepted to the Sigma Tau Delta International Convention.
• Getting the news that I am a finalist for West Virginia Professor of the Year.
• Taking a walk on a pretty evening.
• A celebratory dinner with Amy at Finn Thai, followed by a surprisingly fun trip to Walmart.
• Realizing--once again, and for the hundredth time today--how amazingly blessed and lucky I am.

Housing contest...

16 December 2018: So Amy had this idea to do gingerbread houses (from scratch!). She did the really hard work: making the cookies and cutting the pieces. I showed up in time for the decorating, which, in order for everything to dry and be stable, took several hours yesterday and a couple more today. Here are the results:

I think they are both pretty cool, but she had this other idea to ask Facebook which one is better. The votes are still being counted. Ha.