Yesterday, during one of the rare lunch breaks I actually take in the faculty room near other humans, we were griping about how little time we have to get in our grades for this first trimester, and I said something like the following: “I kind of just want to take a sick day so I …
The Re-Reading Conundrum
Picture from back in 2008 when I still had a female roommate 🙂 My dad once made a comment to the effect of, “Whenever I’m around, you are ALWAYS reading. I think you have a book in your hand in almost every picture I take of you.” I argued with him for a second, but then …
The First Snow
Well, it happened yesterday: The first snow. I woke up feeling refreshingly well-rested thanks to Daylight Savings, and the world seemed a little brighter than normal outside our windows. I gasped a little as I opened the curtains—the world had received its powdered sugar coating from the King of all creators, and it was stunning. …
On the Edge
Lately, I’ve been feeling on the edge about something just under the surface. I don’t know any other way to explain it—I feel like something is about to happen or change or appear in my life that I didn’t expect. Maybe it’s because not much has changed in my life over the past year and …
Be Astonished
One of my favorite poets ever–Mary Oliver–once penned these lines: “Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” So here, in no particular order, are a few things I’ve been astonished at recently: *I am astonished that lately, random cats and babies seem to be drawn towards me like never before. …
Five Day Breaks Call For the Red Pants & Tackling Nagging Tasks
Only three days in, and my five-day weekend has already been pretty amazing: Not only have I managed to squeeze in some fun (fall photo walk, pumpkin carving, and a trip to an antiques store followed up with lunch at Herm’s Inn), but I’ve also managed to cross quite a few items off my “Nagging …
The Top 5 (Women’s) Magazines on Newsstands Today
It’s no secret that I’m totally obsessed with magazines and that I have been since I was literally 11. For several years, that meant an obsession with your basic fluff—magazines that only touted strategies for getting guys, looking hot, and staying in shape (with the occasional landscape gardening magazine thrown in to feed my brain …
Me & Perfectionism (aka Perfectionism & I)
This year, I’m teaching my students out of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens. Basically, every Thursday (usually), my kids will read a small section out of the book and then talk about it as a class. Last week, we were reading the part about “life-centers,” which basically means the things or people that …