Didn't Win Any Awards...

But my regalia always makes it into so many official photographs ¯\_(ツ)_/¯



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(Fashion) Rampage

We had the theater to ourselves

unashamedly talking nonsense

and admiring The Rock

Spot the Differences (MacCurdy House Graduation Party Edition)

These pictures make me smile

although I will miss these young people so much.

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Love Wolf

My companion through it all.

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Asifa 2

I could be asleep
but I keep hearing her
hollow with hunger
elegiac from pain

there is the smiling face
there is the stilled corpse
in the same (only?) dress
her silence is my voice

with all its broken bones
the secret, broken seams
dreaming of home, return-
ing to an unbroken body

She knows more than I do
and yet like any child asks
why why why why
why why why why

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Asifa 1

Asifa died in January
it was April when I learned
it is always already too late

We walk alone to the river
to the horse, to our homes
our thoughts catching

on branches of doubt
of light, rupture our
cruel, fool-ish world

Justice for Asifa

I feel a murderous rage coming on. I can't get the story of this child's face out of my head.

My dad was fond of the radical Tamizh poet Bharathiyaar who claimed, “Thani oruvanukku unavillai enil jagathinai azhithiduvom” (If even just one person does not have sustenance, let's burn down the whole world). 

And that's how I'm feeling today. No one deserves to be happy, no one deserves to live. Let's just nuke the planet and be done with this. 

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Bits and Bobs

Last class for this academic year, and our class went downtown to the new frozen custard place. I like joking that it's the closest thing we have to a Sri Lankan restaurant in Alma because its name is Serendipity.

On our way back we bumped into the sweetest, cutest, eight-week old puppy. His name is Yogi. LOOK AT THAT FACE! JUST LOOK! Yogi is a very good boy and trots along happily except when he's turning around to look for all the new friends who give him pets.

Full admission: I saw Yogi for the first time yesterday when I was turning into the parking lot at school, and I totally rolled down my window and screamed, "so cute, SO CUTE!!" I guess I'm practically a TLC song now.

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Sweet Meets

'Someone' stopped by my office and claimed that they weren't at all homesick, but lingered for over an hour to just talk, requested a bunch of food from home, told me he missed us ("Not all the time, okay? Just when we're all texting on family chat and stuff"), and even let me take his picture. I'm glad he's not homesick, but am so happy from getting some time with him.

I may have once wished that he'd choose head hair or face hair, but this groomed beard and tiny bun look really nice on him... in a hipster Chewie kind of way.

As he was leaving the English bay, I bumped into Sophfronia Scott who'd come to read for us last term, and whom I'd kept in touch with (via FB mostly). Turns out that she was on her way to a lit festival in Grand Rapids, and stopped over to see us. In an odd way, it feels like we've shared thoughts for a long, long time--it was lovely to see her again, and hang out at the coffeeshop for a while.

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What?!?

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A Monday

This raw and heartbreaking article. I started reading it in the school pickup line--anxious and breathless after the first paragraph.

That poor child. His poor family. The poor women who were gaslighted. But mostly, and over and over... that poor, poor child. In a way, the skeleton of dysfunction was visible for so long--the delayed second book, the frenzied relationships--and yet, this is a necessary speaking up, a necessary fleshing out... even from three decades away.

I was nice to Nu. But Big A knew enough to leave me alone after I growled at him a couple of times. Not like it's his fault--and he's the one who introduced me to Drown all those years ago--but he's used to my anti-patriarchy rages. And I got hugs and talking later. But god, this article. Children deserve so much better.

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Here Comes the Sun

This was less than a week ago, 

when everyone was mocking me 

"Sucker's Spring" + "Fake Spring."

But I feel that we're really and truly 

on our way to bliss now... 

Huckie knows how I feel:

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Coming Together

Coffee date with JH @The Broad; there's a lot of anti-Trump stuff everywhere.

She: Maybe we needed Trump so we could join together...

Me: Maybe we needed Trump so we could get together

--book club happened because you were mad after the election.

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Big-Kid-Bed

Nu is ready to say goodbye to her old 'big-kid-bed',

she's building herself a full-size tween bed.

With a twin on top and a trundle underneath

she's so ready for sleepovers.

I'm invited tonight;

Scout's on every night.

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Honors' Day

I had five students present research this Honors' Day.

Also, today, AC (class of 2015) came to visit, and gave me this:

I love students.

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Tax TIme

'Overhearing' Big A and At go on about receipts for college books and meal plans and so on and  whatnot on the family group chat.

I'm so over hearing them on this, so I posted:

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Spring Break "travel"

Nu's spring break doesn't coincide with ours, 

and the poor love has had a tame week of it.

She's been to Ann Arbor with Big A 

and tagged along to Alma with me

The highlight was having lunch

with her big sib two days in a row...

Here they are "being so cute" by 

not letting me take their picture.

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Toolbox Chronicles

A long time ago, when At was a kindergartner, he earned a nickname. One of his classmates was describing him to her mom as her new best friend and thought his name was "Toolbox." We laughed and thought it was cute. We've called him that on and off, and he claims it as his YouTube channel name, etc.

So when I saw this cool cooler that shaped like a toolbox, I got it so we could ferry him food  from home. Imagine my dismay when I found it was liberally plastered with references to beer. So Nu and I set to work obscuring all the references to beer. I got a Rosie-the-Riveter fan art for feminist cred, Nu blocked out "beer" on another patch so it now reads "I love puppies." Then I filled it with treats and sent it off via grandparents for his Boss Day treat.

Delivery was accomplished and they even took him out for lunch at the pub.

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Only Easter

When you're the only child at home,

people may forget that you probably want an Easter egg hunt.

But you may get multiple Easter baskets from parents and grandparents

and may even find a blouse that matches your mama's.

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The Future is Looming

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Earlier this week...

I'm still getting used to just three of us at dinner since At went away to college this year. Well, technically five since we always count Scout and Huck, but they don't sit AT the table, just under it : ). We've had to rearrange our places at the table: Nu now sits at the head with Big A and I on either side. Big A and I used to sit on the same side before.

And sometimes the other side of the table is just too far.

We were sitting across plates of felafel, pita, and sliced salad (the pita was from the store, but I made everything else) and Big A just got this look on his face. "Look at you," he said. "You just take care of everyone. You made Nu breakfast and lunch, then went to teach all day, stopped to take care of your CASA kid before you came home, and then made us all dinner."

And then, Big A and Nu came around to my chair and hugged and kissed me over and over. Puppies too, because they're always one second away from celebrating. I feel incredibly lucky to do what I do with the people I love so much.

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Symposium #4

I am amazed and charmed by what my students get up to every year.

(We were a bit bummed that we were assigned the lobby,

but then, the traffic turned out to be way better.)

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First Dance!

She said: "It's not the kind where you ask people to dance with you..."

So I guess it must have been the fun kind where everyone got to dance.

I got this picture after Nu came from school...

It reminds me so much of the Nirma ad...

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"Last Dance with Gorgeous George"

KB's title when she posted this to FB.

I'm lucky to have colleague-friends who crack me up.

And the original.

(My student had dropped her project mannequin off in KB's office 

as I was in class. I was moving him to my office, but I didn't realize 

that his pants were falling off and thus making me look extra perv.)

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Bougainvillea

And now the bougainvillea is at it too

I want to ask them to take it a little easy

because I want them to last all summer long!

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Together

Somehow I managed to get Big A to agree to go to UU with me

and he signed up for his own name tag even!

Miracle!

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Books not Bullets

And then the four of us went to see

the Tomb Raider movie

where Nu proceeded to fall asleep...

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Miranda Night

When you take the biggest Hamilton nerds you know to

the 'other' Miranda play...

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Jasmine's blooming

There's still snow outside, but in here

it smells like the Madras Marina 

'cos the jasmine's a-bloomin'

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TFW

That picture of yourself in academic drag you took when people were consistently mistaking you for an undergraduate (because genes, but also gender, and also race) surfaces and you realize that your fake glasses looked like fake glasses.

Troppo, Lansing, College Admissions event.

Reaching Across the Aisle #Enough

Stood in front of the impromptu installation "Reaching Across the Aisle"  that students had put up.

Just 17 chairs with the names and ages of the Parkland students on them... 

(the two in front are for the parents in the CMU shooting from two weeks ago).

I walked through and began to cry--I was part of a chorus. 

They could have been my students someday. 

They could be my kids any day.

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On this 13th Day

I couldn't find a black cat to ride with me today, 

but I did give Kat Blaque a ride back to her hotel.

It wasn't bad--just a bit awkward after I disagreed with her.

And 15-hour workdays are no fun.

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Choice

Faster than a speeding train/star

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Sushi 'Stache

NuNu's Boss Day @ Sansu

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Mixed

Nu was at her first serious vocal concert yesterday; At was at his first academic conference yesterday. I didn't see either of them in action since I had five students presenting at the Michigan Academy conference and I was trying to be a supportive mentor.

I'm happy my students did such an awesome job and that I was able to be there for them in whatever capacity that made sense in the moment, but I'm a bit blue about missing the kids' big days.

I cannot say enough about how supportive my loves were though.
Nu: You were working, mama. That's important.
At: P (student) is graduating this year, there'll be lots of opportunities to see me give a paper again.

Also, mixed--it was a bit weird being at CMU exactly a week after this happened.


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Concert Gear

5th grade choir.

My dress + my shoes.

This is happening

way too fast.

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A Wrinkle...

So, I tried to use my scarf to explain the physics of A Wrinkle in Time to Nu.

Nu: So isn't it actually a wrinkle in space?

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Puppies + Pasta

The Greatest Gift of Aaaallllllll...

Getting the kids to take a photo with me!

Birthday Brunch with the fam, then we dropped At off at college and Nu and I got into pajamas at AT LUNCH TIME and watched Zindagi Milegi Na Dobaara on Amazon Prime (recommended!) while Aaron and the puppies took naps. 

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And so it Begins... Birthday gifts from afar come a-tricklin' in

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Up the road from us...

Even people faraway--in India (dad) and the people who sold us their house (WA) have been calling and emailing to ask if we're ok... We are. (As much as one can be under what feels like circumstances of constant siege.)


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O no, not again!

 

 I was beginning to get used to temperatures in the 40's. And I guess it wasn't just me. Both Z and I were late to our coffee date this morning because  we didn't have our coats on us at school drop off and had to go home to grab them.

And I arrived at Chapelure mad as hell mad as well, after I received some intense criticism feedback from Big A on a piece I'd written... I didn't realize until I read it again that--in my hurry--I'd skipped over the supportive and constructive parts to focus on the corrective comments. There's a message in there. Somewhere.

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#ProudScot

Synchronicity

They're both wearing their "kind" shirts!

(unplanned, apparently)

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All the little sibs fell asleep

(all of them *on* me) before 

At got home for Spring Break

(after Model UN-ing it in the Lou).

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Cresting

Red Cedar River, East Lansing

I started on a long walk, but the music (my phone) died
and too many roads were blocked off,
so I headed back home.

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Four years

...since we brought Huckleberry Abhaya D-L home.

She's still a baby puppy and still runs her sibs ragged. 

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#MeToo MMRP

MacCurdy House put on their production of MMRP, and I was a proud mama even though I hadn't actually done anything but sign the form for supplies and such. I love my young feminists a little more than I love all my students. The #MeToo cards are going up all around campus later this month.

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