A time to grow

Talked to L about the Eco-Melancholia in my environment-themed class and she reminded me: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” 

 My class loves the idea! I'm finding a place on campus for us to do a poetry-reading + planting ceremony.

And on and on

Lots of tears at the therapist's today, and I worried aloud about having to teach in a couple of hours. She wisely said that I was offloading them in her office so I didn't have to take it with me to class. She turned out to be right.

Walked to class and back like a champ. And then I shelled out for a deep-tissue massage after class just to make sure I would keep feeling okay.

So Bae

I'd taken the BART in to the city when I arrived, but I was running a bit late and took a taxi back to the airport. I'm so glad I did! I got to see the sunrise over the bay, have a great conversation with my Eritrean cabbie, and got an upgrade at the gate from a kind, young woman who called me "milady." OK.
Late yesterday I was elected caucus chair for the year, and I'm not sure if that deserves congratulations or commiserations yet. Not bad for a day which started with me and my roomie EH poring over the weather app and trying to figure out what the wavy gray lines were. (Fog, duh.)

Madras Madcaps

SR and I have been taking this picture we call the "Madras Madcap" series at NWSA because we both spent time in Madras and like to wear hats and things:

            2019                                        2018                             2017
    

Panels, panels everywhere

For someone who was was dismayed about three nights away and was ready to leave the day they arrived, I ended up having a pretty good conference. I went to every panel I could and learned so much. Special love to MG's activism panel and the Kashmir Studies Collective.

DTW ----> SFO

 

I took the shuttle to the airport in the ice and snow sometime around 4 (am) and Delta then spit me out in San Francisco and I had to hurry to the Hilton in Union Square to grab my NWSA badge (but it turned out I hadn't registered!) and I had to pay for registration (but I couldn't find the card I wanted to use and thought I had lost it and needed to report it lost, but it tuned out to be there all along!) and then I couldn't find the room I was supposed to be presenting in... but I finally did and I somehow presented, answered questions and then took myself off for some quiet and a tea. It was as much of a jumble as this here picture: Christmas tree, skating rink, homeless person on the wet grass, and all.

I do declare

 

Nu (whose finger is in the picture) and I found this Vivek Velanki exhibit by accident. His grandmother, whose passport is the first exhibit is from Madras (like me!). 

I recommended it to the poco students at MSU.