"to be with those I like is enough..."

31 May 2021: Obligatory annual “Happy birthday to my poetry boyfriend, Walt” post. Here he is giving us post-vaccine summer vibes. Hard not to get emotional:

“I have perceived that to be with those I like is enough,
To stop in company with the rest at evening is enough,
To be surrounded by beautiful curious breathing laughing flesh is enough,
To pass among them . . to touch any one . . . . to rest my arm ever so lightly round
his or her neck for a moment . . . . what is this then?
I do not ask any more delight . . . . I swim in it as in a sea.”

Still...

30 May 2021: Thinking a bit today about how almost 16 months after the world sort of stopped and normal disappeared, when it does come back, you are, in lots of ways, still you and that stuff that was wrong or broken or you wished was different? A lot of it it doesn't come back fixed or better or whatever. You can't will it to do so or make it that your recollection of the specific pangs that have faded weren't real, especially when they hit again in the same spots. Nothing major, nothing dire. Just...you are still you and other people are still them. So... 

A whole lot of "normal"

29 May 2021: Three things with "before-times normal" vibes took up a lot of my time today.

1) A baby shower for my friends Kaitlyn and Kenny. Outside with masks, but still!

2) Meeting up with my friend Anthony (at a coffee shop) for the first time in forever.

3) Movie #2 in the past two days. 

The day, safe to say, flew by!

Back in the theater...

28 May 2021: Back in the theater for a movie for the first time since March 2020. Felt very good! The big screen! Trailers! Over-priced concessions! 

Brood X Vibes...

27 May 2021: Must be a week of trying to capture capital "M" Moments. I was sitting here trying to get some writing done and Bing hopped up, wanting to cuddle for a bit. Almost impossible not to indulge him these days. It's a beautiful day: sunny and a bit hot, but with a nice enough breeze to make it pleasant. And the cicadas are intense. So I thought, "Let's capture this: the old cat, the pretty day, the sound of Brood X." Then BabyCat did something cute to cap it off. 

Can we bottle this?

26 May 2021: Just finished my first advising meeting of the day with a delightful incoming Communications major. She was such a pleasure to work with: polite, accommodating, but also willing voice her preferences. She was a bit nervous but excited to be going through this process. When we finished and I told her we were done, her eyes got big and she said, “That’s it? We're done? That’s my schedule?” And she flashed the biggest, sweetest smile. Amazing. It really can be a gift to do this work.

Sign removal

25 May 2021: Thanks to Shepherd's new policies, I took down these notes to myself that have been hanging in my office for nearly a year.  Feels like a capital "M" Moment. Grateful for steps back to normal.

Profesh up top, summer down below...

24 May 2021: When you are recording a Zoom presentation from home and want to look professional, but it's also summer...

I texted a friend that I looked like a Bermudian banker--quite the bougie reference--minus the socks and dress shoes. She texted me back that she had to google that but now, having done so, thought it was hysterical. She's too kind, but I'll take it. 

Iconic

23 May 2021: This evening I ran into Beth, the woman who I call my agent and president of my fan club. It was lovely to see her, especially since I had just been thinking of her. We chatted for a bit, especially about how nice (and strange!) it is to see things returning to normal. Then her husband walked over with some ice-cream he had gotten them both. I joked, "Get you a man who brings you ice-cream, huh? Good work." She replied, "A man, a woman, whoever."

Iconic. 

Setting the tone?

22 May 2021: I am hoping that this past week, in which I managed to get some good work done and managed to take some time for myself, is setting the tone for this summer. 

Of course, summer school hasn't started yet and there is still so much to get done. I still find myself overwhelmed at times when I think about it all. 

But today, I managed to write a decent draft of my portion of a conference presentation, do some advising work, wash the car, do some laundry, take a good walk, and watch a bunch of The Handmaid's Tale that had piled up on me. In a little less than an hour, I'll hop on my weekly video chat with the Roanoke crew. That seems like a decent template for "Summer 2021 Balance."

"4 Stars"

21 May 2021: Today really felt like summer--it's hot out and I only had one meeting. I mowed the lawn this morning, did some writing this afternoon, and kind of called the work part quits by 4:00. (Might do a bit more writing at some point...) Watched a dumb movie, got some good pizza for dinner, and am just kind of chilling. Nothing too exciting.

And it's been a good day. Not terrific. Not amazing. But pretty good and that's so much more than enough. And just as I was thinking about that, this fun video from Sara Bareilles and the Girls5Eva gang came across my timeline. 

First, it's a banger. Amazing chorus. Hilarious and moving lyrics. Sara wrote this one and you can tell (in the best way). Second, it's so fun to see the girls interacting like this. And third, what a good message, right? Especially today, I am grateful for what is often a "four star life."

Whereabouts

 20 May 2021: Like everything she writes, Jhumpa Lahiri's Whereabouts knocked me out. There are images and lines, scenes and moments, that will stay with me. The book is a bit hard to describe: a novel, but without much of a plot; a series of scenes, really, all revolving around the main character--a middle-aged, single, female academic who is vaguely (and sometimes not so vaguely) unhappy with or uncertain about her life. It seems to me a major theme is her wondering about her aloneness and whether she regrets it (or thinks she should). Linked to that is a kind of amorphous and subtle exploration of why she might have made the choices she did, including some insights on her parents and how they shaped her. So...there's a lot there one might relate to. Ha.

I read the book as the first selection in my just re-started/now-just-two-person book club with Cory. Post-COVID vaccines, we can actually meet in person, which we did at his and Hannah's house tonight. The three of us had dinner first and then he and I sat outside and talked about the book for awhile before Hannah joined us for non-book conversation. It was a kind of perfect evening--and a useful reminder of some crucial ways I am not like that unnamed title character. 

Further adventures in research...

19 May 2021: Just came across a reference to an article by a couple of folks named Savory and Butterfield. Hard to believe there is a more delicious-sounding collaborative pairing in academia but if there is, I am here for it, too. (They write about "holistic management" and decision-making, which does not sound delicious...)

Dinner with friends

18 May 2021: In the "before times," that's a pretty boring post title, but today, it's a cause for celebration. I had dinner with Tim, Eva, and Karsten at the German restaurant in Hagerstown. We sat outside (perfect weather) and just had the best time. (We also saw Governor Hogan, which was...exciting?)

Home again

17 May 2021: Made it back to WV by 2:45, which felt pretty good. I've been busy since then, unpacking, cleaning a bit, doing laundry, answering 6000 emails. But it's nice to be home. The weather is my idea of perfect, it's lovely to see the cats, and I brought back a bunch of bagels (ha). 

And now: it's onto that huge summer to-do list, starting with A&R tomorrow.