PocoBrat
A Daily Self-indulgent Postcolonial/Feminist/Poetry-in-Progress/Culture Blog
Monday, April 22, 2024
etude
Sunday, April 21, 2024
the other one
I keep feeling like I'm missing something. Part of it is the usual anxiety of final grading and checking my sums a million times as I'm bad at numbers.
But it's also a season of sadness and grief. I don't know how we've made it a whole year without Scout, whose anniversary is on Wednesday...
The cherry tree blossomed and reminds me of organizing the family to take a picture every year. Last year's picture makes me sob.
Last fall, a storm took out the pink cherry blossom tree, so it's like a note from the universe that things will never ever be the same again.
Pic: White cherry blossoms against the sky. I miss our pink cherry blossom tree and the mix of pink and white across the sky.
Saturday, April 20, 2024
busy for a Saturday
Nu was hosting six people for a sleepover and was way too busy for the littlest sibs. Amusingly brusque, as a matter of fact. It was a little glimpse of Nu as a host or perhaps a parent.
At was in Chicago for the Labor Notes panels. From the pic shared on family chat, I thought At was wearing a retro pantsuit--no, she was rocking a retro skirt-suit.
Big A was off to his 36-miler Barry Roubaix after a muffin-centric breakfast of champions.
And I was off to commencement--probably the happiest day in the academic calendar. I always clap for each of our ≈400 graduates, whether I know them or not. And then after the ceremony, we form a gauntlet for the graduates and it's just such a thrill and such a treat to see so many familiar faces from over the last four (or five) years and celebrate their big step up... and get goodbye hugs from some of them.
Pic: In my robes for commencement. It always feels like I'm cosplaying as a medieval English cleric. Nicole had suggested angling up for full-length selfies. I guess this is an improvement from my previous selfie attempts as you can kind of see my plaid pants, but I need longer arms.
Friday, April 19, 2024
the kids are better than alright
Our own At is away in Chicago as an invited speaker at the Labor Notes conference. One panel is about "building a multigenerational movement for democratic unionism" and another is on "rebuilding the worker movement" by "salting" from the inside. At the Labor Notes conference, two anti-genocide protestors were arrested and then "de-arrested" after other protestors stood around the police vehicle and chanted for over two hours.
Pic: In the meantime, I attended (boo!) a fairly corporate event, but it was necessary and they were earnest and made me this personalized charcuterie board. (I don't eat salami (if that's what it is), but everything else was delicious.)
Thursday, April 18, 2024
what we are built for
and my parents younger
and they lived here
six months of the year
the only time I'd get mad at my dad
(my mom and I squabbled
every other week
or so)
was when he'd look at my husband getting
ready for a training run
and declare he wasn't
"built for running."
my dad... my corporate bigwig dad
had two secretaries once, but now
of the fan club our sweetly narcissistic
toddler so desired...
that dad
was telling me my husband--who
was spending hours running
every day--was unsuited
to running
But dad. I'd say--he's run marathons
what do you mean he isn't
built for running? And on
and on we'd go.
my dad had had polio when he was five
his withered left leg still hurts, his
uneven legs (like these lines)
but that dad didn't care how his body was built, he
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
"bad idea, right?"
Pic: I've been taking more selfies than usual because I have to document wearing non-pants in academic settings for a challenge ("Skirtathon"). And I suck at taking them... how does one do a full-length selfie? I wanted to share the beautiful pattern on my (thrifted) Rachel Roy dress here.
Another bad idea is that inspired by all the beautiful ensembles people have put together for the challenge, I went on ThredUp and ordered a bunch of blazers. Blazers. When I already have too many. When the weather is warming up. When I won't have to wear formal work clothes until nearly September. Face-palm.
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
promises, promises
and just keeps climbing
almost lost
in this range of joy
Pic: I found this funny hybrid (red tail + black body) "fellow in the grass" between meetings and the department's farewell lunch for graduating seniors today. How bittersweet to say goodbye to these people... all these young people who have already done brilliant and difficult work, and are poised to do loving, amazing things in the world.
etude
1 2 3 rai...
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Friends and old neighbors shutting it down in honor of John Crawford. _
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At had us pose for this pic up at Aunt R's place on Lake Huron so he could put it up in his dorm. "Don't tur...
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I have the feeling that I’m going to succumb to the season and put out a list of resolutions soon. Just wanted to establish this heads up th...