Meanwhile, while we're still in the garage...

I have yet to start the car to take At back to college, but the ping of Big A's pic to family chat shows that the babies already miss their oldest sib.


The heart knows what it knows.






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Another day, another new view...

Walking to work gives me a lot of time to finesse class as I walk to it, and lots of time on the way back for wayward thoughts.

Such as if I didn't have long hair or breasts, I might run more frequently and further.

Part of this was because I was headed to the radiology office after class to schedule the damn
ultrasound that the family practice ordered. But it's still weird to fake myself into thinking of cancer as a fitness motivator.

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Pause

We're in the car and just a block from school here. I begged Nu and they took a break from torturing me with BTS long enough to take this beautifully composed picture of the sky.

I really like the emphasis of the red traffic lights.

The baby is so talented.












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Here Comes the Sun

I was so delighted to see this bright face over the Maple River.

(In a show of what we used to call
"deep breath of beauty"
when we all had to drive to Alma for school.)

(Also: Kids, please don't try this in your cars.)

A New Way

I usually snake through buildings and alleyways in the general direction of Grand River Road to get to class, and today I came upon this loveliness when I turned some random corner from Farm Lane.

Maps (and recipes) are more notional than instructive for me, so I just hope I can find this park again when I head back in that general direction.




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The Only Plane in the Sky

 

I'm usually wary of 9/11 and the way it can be weaponized against people of color, but today I was listening to Garrett M. Graff talk about his oral history. He rightly made the point about how it was the second plane that destroyed American innocence since apparently, everyone including Robert Mueller assumed the first one was an accident.

It was the sheer randomness of death, however, that was crisis-level terrifying. He tells a story of someone who went back to his hotel room at the Marriott to change his shirt so he could wear the tie a colleague had just given him... and he survives, while the colleague who went on to the meeting  he was expected at, in the second tower, does not.

A dear student's sibling passed away (after we had just talked *about* them just a few days prior) so this thing has been on mind a little extra these weeks...
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Right

Is there something more purposeful to my stride when I'm on MSU campus on teaching days?

It feels like it.











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First Day

Start of term-time at Alma. I got in on time, did the usual things (the challenge about my name, helping people find odd affinities, class work, etc.)

My first day is fairly light, but I was so exhausted by the end of the day... as my colleagues remind me, this is a "reentry" after the sabbatical.






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Whose woods these are...

It's difficult to tell--

after all, they might as well be 

back by our compost heap.

But these are the trees I ran past 

this morning with Big A 

and then found waiting for me

when I walked back 

from paperwork 

at the English Department.

#MSU

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Electrifying

All electric, 

capable of getting me to work 

and back on a single charge.  

This morning, 

even before the first cup of tea, 

I went to peek at this hardworking baby.

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It's Time

I applied for supplementary teaching at MSU.

I've asked three friends/colleagues for recs.

I've scheduled the interviews for  next week.

I'll check out my interview clothes this weekend.







#MSURiverwalk

A Big Day for the Babies

Nu had the Math M-Step to make up today since she postponed hers because of the trip. AND I mean SHE postponed it. We got back Thursday and the test was on Friday--she walked up to the counsellor's office and requested a postponement. "Were you upset?" I asked. "No, I just thought it would be better." I love that she is advocating for herself.

At had to be dropped off at the courthouse at 7 am, since he received a summons for jury duty. A big fan of Twelve Angry Men, he is super excited. He thinks it might be the big case about another sex abuse scandal at MSU. All the details check out. He spent the rest of his time there reading about how Twelve Angry Men is a good movie but bad jury behavior. Nerd.

I managed to juggle both important morning drop-offs. L had offered to take one of them when she and T came to dinner last night. I can do it, I said. And I did. I even jumpstarted the car myself to do so.

Big Whoop

Stonehenge 5/15/2019

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I've come a long way...

in the last two weeks.

Pics and tidbits tomorrow.









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All of 17 degrees

And we're off to school.









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Everything old is new again...

This is ancient graffito by now, but I was tickled because it resurfaced the same day Nu paid attention to Creep for the first time on the drive to school. And because I showed this to her, these are the lyrics she uses all the time now. We are weirdoughs. Ha.












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Chicago, Redux

Had some paperwork to submit in Chicago, so here I am again for the third time in three weeks.  All by myself this time.

And I talked to SO MANY strangers this time. The first time, I was with the fam for Hamilton and barely spoke to anyone else; the second time was for the MLA, so lots of friends, colleagues, etc., and didn't get a chance to speak to street strangers. But my, my, my... I sure am a chatty Patty when I'm by myself.



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Train Travel Be Like

And we're back!

Brilliant Skies

I was so happy to have At back for the night, the sky seemed even more brilliant than usual

We took this on the way home.

On the way back to school, we had a giant buttery moon and a perfectly mirrored sunrise on the Maple River (not pictured). He reminded me I used to tell them to take "a deep breath of beauty" when we used to cross the river everyday.

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Two

Yesterday:
A long day at work, and a detour
to take school supplies to A. Then--
there's so much hope on the horizon.
I might even be seeing double.

Today:
Nu's Back-to-school "Kickstart"
and we realize that school begins
NEXT WEEK (not after Labor Day
like it usually does). Ooops.



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When your brother's arms are busy...

but you want so badly to be hugged by him,

there's space between his shoulder and the seat.

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