Saturday commitments... but first, coffee with you

Saturday, cold, dark, slippery outside. 



Holly announced to me yesterday that "it's actually spring, Mem." Well, no, dear... we have lots of winter left. But yes, we get a little more light every day, now that we've passed the equinox. 

Did you know that equinox means equal night? How efficiently Latin. 

The semester ended, generally better than I expected. And I have all papers in, even from the students who have done little work all term. I'll read them tomorrow. I'll do the grade thing online maybe Monday while we have a "day off" (read: day I have other commitments, just at home). 

I could use a "me day"-- I used to do that once in a while. Now, I can hardly schedule a hair cut or a quiet cup of coffee. Balance is off a bit. I yearn for a day to read a book and not have to chase a schedule. Maybe I'll figure that out soon. It might help with the rattle-y brain.

I can't seem to catch a good night's sleep: I fell asleep watching a show on Britbox again last night. I should have just gone to bed, but 8pm seems so early for an adult on a Friday night. (bahaha) I woke up around 10:30 and trundled up the stairs, only to have to put one more load of laundry in the dryer before I hit the sheets. 

But hey, I drafted a poem yesterday-- of course it popped into my head with some creative urgency when I had the least time to work on it, but I type fast. It'll sit there on the desktop until I can work on it. Maybe Monday? Next weekend, I have a one-day writing day online with people I like. I am so darned excited! That'll be a super way to launch this semester (well, it technically starts on Tuesday, but four days in isn't too much). 

But now, I must bid you adieu. I have to get my act together--Holly is due in less than ten minutes. And the day begins...

Love to all, 

C

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for stopping by!

Popular posts from this blog

I've had a bellyfull of privileged statements lately--

Image
 It's cold again. Very. And I can't help but think of those who are living rough, who are unhoused or are "couch surfing" from patient friend to patient friend. Most of us are just a paycheck or two away from making those same hard choices.  The overnight shelter in Littleton is open, and there is a giving tree at the Coop with needs tags for them. There is an ongoing collection for basic necessities to benefit those who are having a rough time. There are several "little free pantry" sites. But it's not enough, and the need is growing.  When I hear from certain pundits that prices are down all over, that gas is about 2.00 a gallon, that an extra dollar or two won't break anyone... I get steamed. Seriously angry. How dare they spout such fallacies? I've read "so what if beef is a dollar or two more a pound" too many times lately. When hamburger is a luxury item, there is something radically wrong.  Health care costs are already spiking, ...
Read more

End of the semester: has it/is it worth the time we have spent? Maybe?

Image
We have one week left of this fall semester; it's been pretty good, most of the time. A lot of work, mostly mental, some self-imposed, but good. My overwhelming sense of responsibility for whether my juniors will do well on the AP test in May is eating at me, though. I know it's just a test. I know that it's only a snapshot of what they can/cannot do in an artificial environment (online, 2.5 hours, and the beastly multiple choice part). They are good humans. They are interested and interesting. They have questions. They have the ability to search out answers and make a pretty cogent argument for why they think as they do. So wtf with this stupid test? The anxiety they feel is made even more so for me. We've practiced a ton of stuff, and it's frankly not felt like a lot of fun most of the time. I don't like this way of teaching composition. I will give it a lot of reflection and see if there's anything I can do to make this less boring/rote/miserable. Snacks ...
Read more

Hardy's The Darkling Thrush-- a lesson for us in our own times.

Image
Thomas Hardy's " The Darkling Thrush" is much on my mind these days. It was first published on December 29, 1900, but a handwritten note on an earlier copy referred to 1899. The world was teetering on the edge of a lot of changes: the new century, the rise of rampant capitalism in the wake of the burgeoning Industrial Age, and the widening disparity between the very rich and the working poor. Even rumblings of the unrest that would lead to the first World War were becoming apparent. Sounds familiar. Several paradigm shifts threatened stability both on the wider scale and on the personal.  The poem is bleak, to be sure. The images call up a broken world, a black-and-white world, with a distinct chill in the air and in the heart and soul of the speaker. Such phrases as " The tangled bine-stems scored the sky/  Like strings of broken lyres" paint a picture that is bereft of hope.  I have been feeling this way for a while -- a lot of people have. It's hard to f...
Read more