Saturday, August 29, 2020
My reminder
Friday, August 28, 2020
No more sunshine
As I get busy, a picture of last week's 'sunflower with three busy bees' for motivation.
Thursday, August 27, 2020
Got that look
I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm fine.
Feeling like everything from 2 through 12 is normal. Right?
(Full teaching day; have to talk really loudly through my mask; feel bad about having to remind students about masks sometimes; but I think we're beginning to get to know each other, yay; dropped off At's kettle bells and got a hug; went home to dinner already on the table thanks to Big A; Nu seemed to have managed the first full day of online school okay; kiddie cuddles from Nu and puppies; a binge of Indian Matchmaking with Big A; and so to bed.)
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Today's (s)log
Met all my classes; my students seem lovely! My international students patched in via video, and that went ok too. I am grieving the loss of classroom intimacy--video, masks, distancing, and having to sit in rows instead of a circle are all messy. But I get it--and I think we'll get through it.
Got to meet At before afternoon classes to pass on some freezer staples, I and was chuffed to see he had two masks and long sleeves on. Yay! I walked him back to his house and got a "back hug" as he turned to get the stairs. Seeing At made me so happy.
My last class ended late and then I headed to a socially distant picnic at the president's house for our new MFA director. Both of them have worked really hard on the program even through the strangeness of the summer, and I was happy to celebrate with them. But the sun had set by the time I drove home--another reminder this summer is ending. Luckily, I had a long conversation with JG to keep me company in the car.
Back home, I discovered that L had dropped off some of Nu's favorite brownies and a ton of snacks as a back-to-school treat for Nu (they start tomorrow). My Nu was already in bed, but I was told they lovvvvvvvved me when I snuck in for a goodnight kiss. And then Big A woke up, and we had a teensy dessert-date chit-chat (me with Nu's brownies, Big A with the leftovers of the Culver's from his and Nu's dinner) before he headed off to work. I'll be sleeping with Scout and Huck tonight.
Sunday, August 23, 2020
First Day
Today was my first day back in the classroom since March. Yes, it's Sunday, but that's when the first-years start this year. My first-day jitters were keener than usual, but once back in the classroom, things settled into the usual.
I don't think I have everyone's names yet as I usually do. Masked, even people I already know are hard to recognize; memorizing the names of new students when half their faces are out of view is going to be quite a challenge. Bless everyone who smiles with their eyes and nods in class.
Tuesday, August 18, 2020
Treasure
When I called Nu to see it, they thought something was wrong because I looked a bit shellshocked--I think I am, actually. I've known B as a student, colleague, and friend, but this new iteration as sister might be the best one yet.
Monday, August 17, 2020
All the work and enough play
Scout gets so much love just being Scout! I'm not that lucky, so I have to work hard to make sure people are happy with me.
But I worked so super hard today, I'd accomplished all the work stuff that needed to get done. And it was just 2:00 pm. I'd even managed to email all my students AND advisees AND independent scholars in a serious yet supportive way (or so I hope).
That was the point at which I decided I deserved a massage. Big A was grilling for dinner, so I managed to bag an appointment with someone new, and off I went.
I made it back in time for icy lemonade and coconut-y tomato gravy and dinner jokes. Long after everyone went back indoors, I hung out by myself listening to distant traffic, taking snapshots (memory/camera) of the sky, and pulling together songs for a 2020 playlist.
Friday, August 07, 2020
Lenses
Wednesday, August 05, 2020
The Other Side
Monday, August 03, 2020
Forever?
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
'The Big Picture'
Syllabus building proceeds apace. So many details remain to be filled in, but I think I have the big picture.
Monday, July 27, 2020
Silver Linings
Friday, July 17, 2020
Beautiful Ordinary 1, 2, 3
1. Compared to yesterday, today's headcount was easier 😊.*
2. Pandemic realization #87654: I've always loved our big, communal family study, but it's a challenge when the foreseeable future holds a lot of overlapping meeting schedules.
3. I was SO proud of bestie KB at our final meeting today as she worked, spoke up, and fought for everyone's wellbeing. We voted on an important resolution that will hopefully make it a bit easier for people to work online without jumping through HR-related hoops.
* A note on how much I love these four and how much I love to see them hanging out together and how blessed I am that At (21) and Nu (12) will find things and shows and games to share across the generational and gender gaps.
But as a reminder of the real here--the togetherness of this week is brought to you by Big A confiscating the kids' phones into next Tuesday.
Friday, July 10, 2020
Babies w/o Breakfast
The biggest = the saddest. |
It's gloriously cooler with gray-stormy-gloomy weather outside. I canceled all school-adjacent activities for the 12-year-old, and can hear them cackling with their older sibling over ridiculous videos in the rumpus room now.
Out of the meeting, but deep into the woods of my email and editing...
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
"meeting"
BT made a point about how she and Peters were Alma grads and although both of them are before my time, I beamed as though I had personally handed them their diplomas.
Friday, June 26, 2020
Daily laugh/cry
"Dear University Community,
to reopen this fall (a far too early decision given the lack of reliable data about the likely
prevalence of COVID-19 in the fall, but done out of necessity to beat the June 1st National
College Decision Day deadline), many students, parents, faculty, and staff have asked us
how we plan to ensure that we reopen safely. Our strategy is outlined below, but the short
answer is this: Our university will proceed as if everything will be okay
because we really, really want it to be."
Thursday, June 25, 2020
Moments
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
Larger than they appear
The jumpy brown blob (perpendicular to the top of my arch) |
Monday, June 22, 2020
Pride (and no prejudice)
All real time Pride events have been canceled obviously, but I wanted to celebrate this June with my lovely, brave ones.
So some tea and presents--button pins, bowties, and bandanas. And it was such a small thing and so simple, but it just made them so happy.
I wished I could bake a cake made out of rainbows for all the kids. Ok. I can't resist a Mean Girls reference, but seriously--I saw father's day posts to estranged fathers from past students on FB that broke my heart. Just love the kids. Just love.
Tuesday, June 09, 2020
Sketch-y
Commissioned a drawing of Big A and the kids for Father's Day (it's looming!). Love how in this sketch everyone looks racially ambiguous. Right? Or maybe I'm just being fanciful. Not to suggest my multiracial babies automatically embody equality or possibility, but they're lovely beings. Mostly intentionally.
Spent most of yesterday and today in FYS planning workshops--twice the usual work to do since we have to plan for several contingencies and just two months to do it all...
And now I have to go write a kind note to the colleague who said that they had been "g*pped" and hope they take it the right way and didn't already use that kind of language around students.
MSU solidarity encampment
More than 60 campuses across the U.S. have now set up encampments to call attention to the ever-rising death toll of the Palestinian people ...
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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...