One day early...

30 November 2024: I usually wait until December 1, but figured I could use the light and joy a bit earlier this year, so all the Christmas decor (inside and out) went up today.

Here comes Christmas...

29 November 2024: After spending last night at the McNetts', it was quite nice to wake up and spend some time with them, including helping them decorate the tree. I think I'll put mine up tomorrow, a bit earlier than usual, but not much. Feels like we need all the light and joy we can muster.

Thanksgiving 2024

28 November 2024: 

[Catch-up post]

So thankful to have these four in my life and for the chance to spend the day with them.

The girls invited me to spend the night and watch Christmas movies with them, which delighted me. We watched Mickey's Christmas Carol, Frosty the Snowman, and Home Alone. Just a really lovely, cozy day. 

Thanksgiving Break Grading: DONE!

27 November 2024: Finished grading my last few papers today. Honestly, given the size of the task, it went faster than I thought it would take longer. Spending tonight watching Bob's Burgers reruns, reading a bit, and maybe watching one of the movies on my "to watch" lists. (Already watched Woman of the Hour earlier.)

Quiet pre (and post) holiday days can be kind of weird for me, emotionally. Changes to my routine unsettle me a bit and sometimes that holiday season melancholy sets in. But focusing on the good, staying quietly busy, and looking forward to tomorrow at Erin and Eric's. 

Smallest size they make...

26 November 2024: Bought this silly hat on a lark, thinking that maybe it would fit Jo. But her head is pretty small (ha). And boy, all she wants to do is chomp on the strap. These pictures will have to do--and they are pretty funny.

Fall clean-up...

25 November 2024: Knocked out one of my least-favorite chores today: the fall yard clean-up. I had planned on doing only some of it, but ended up doing it all. I did somehow run over just the right (wrong) rock while mowing over some leaves and wrecked the mower blade. But that's a problem for Springtime Heidi. 

Also knocked out the ENGL 307 Response Papers (except for the one that came in a bit late). Steady progress on grading--and more quickly than I planned.

"Boogie Days"

24 November 2024: "Jamiroquai and Mark Twain also said, 'um, don't not do fun stuff 'cause your dad got scared one time.'" --Bob to Louise in tonight's episode of Bob's Burgers. 

Laughed out loud at that line (a call-back). Perfect accompaniment to finishing grading the last few ENGL 301 Annotated Bibliographies. Shew! 

She demands a break...

23 November 2024: Might not get a lot of grading done at home if she keeps this up...

Thanksgiving Break: we made it!

22 November 2024: After a long and packed week, I am so excited to have made it to Thanksgiving Break. Feels like a victory!

I don't think I have ever had as much grading over a break as I do right now: ENGL 204 essays (26 of them, each at least 5 pages, ENGL 301 Annotated Bibliographies (19 of these, each of them 15-20 pages), ENGL 307/507 Response Papers (22 of them, each at least 3 pages), and 23 GWST papers (each of them at least four pages). It's wild. 

But I know that I've got this. It will be a pleasant week. And I am so grateful that I can get so much grading done during a week with no classes and that grading is the hardest part of teaching--and that is almost laughable when you think about the hardest parts of other folks' jobs. So, yeah: I'm embracing gratitude.

A little music for this post--the song that was playing at Sheetz while I waited for my order this evening. It's on my all-time favorites list and you know this silly, old, no-rhythm nerd was doing just the tiniest bit of foot-tapping/dancing in public.

"the deceptively simple goal of trying to find people who love you..."

21 November 2024: I watched an episode of the latest (and sadly, final) season of Somebody, Somewhere last night and found myself welling up, feeling so seen by the show once again. So that's kind of how last night wrapped up for me--crying over this miracle of a show. 

This morning, while listening to the latest episode of Extra Hot Great while on my walk, I found myself welling up again when Phil Maciak (this week's "Valued Guest") pitched an episode for the Canon (season 2, episode 2). Here's the line from Phil that got me: "Somebody, Somewhere is about the deceptively simple goal of trying to find people who love you and learning to accept that love when they give it." 

"You know, making brownies for a bake sale..."

20 November 2024: The post's title comes from my sister's reply when I asked how her birthday was going. She added, "Does anything say 'Mom in her 40s more than that?'" We laughed about that and then reassured each other that "age is just a number" and then laughed at that.

She might be 44, but she's forever and always my baby sister. 

Conferences, Incidents, and grading...

19 November 2024: The post's title more or less sums up my day on campus. 

Conferences--and I've got 38 scheduled for this week--are going just fine. They are, as always, invigorating and exhausting. 

As for Incidents, we started a two-day discussion of it in Gender and Women's Studies and, as it always does, the conversation went so well.

Grading? Well, there's a lot of it and it keeps coming. But bit by bit, I'll get through it.  

Another win!

18 November 2024: After a long day of teaching and one-on-one conferences, I was so glad to have a basketball game to get to. Even better? They won big time. 

The Tempest

17 November 2024: I was not expecting to get emotional at the Rude Mechanicals' production of The Tempest, but once the show was over and the applause started to die down, the company of actors and crew honored Betty, who is retiring at the end of this academic year and had, thus, just completed her last run directing a Shakespeare play. The tears started flowing. 

Anora

16 November 2024: Finally got a chance to see Anora today and really loved it. Like every has been saying, Mikey Madison is transcendent--but there isn't a bad performance in the film. I laughed a lot more than I thought I would and will keep thinking about this one for a long time, I bet.