February 7

A trip to New York, a road not taken, and more snow.

1965

We got home from New York at 1 AM. Oh, boy did we have a blast, though! We saw the Cloisters. They had this little knob of wood, about 3 inches in diameter, with little carvings in it. We went to a service at St. Thomas's, on Fifth Avenue. It was gorgeous church and a lovely service. We had to scamper through the rain to get to Toffenetti's, where I had steak for $2.99. Then another rainy walk to Radio City Music Hall and a great show. The Rockettes were neat. They were all dancing in perfect time. I'm pooped, to say the least. Blah!

Comment 2023

Our town was about two hours from downtown Manhattan, and the Big Apple was definitely the bored teenager’s most desired destination. An Episcopal youth group trip to a museum and a fancy Fifth Avenue church may not sound like a Grand Escape, but add in a steak dinner in Times Square and the Rockettes, and you’ve got magic.

And then there was this: Prayer Bead with the Adoration of the Magi and the Crucifixion; I have never forgotten it. It is actually less than 2 1/2 inches in circumference, and exquisite. Every time I visit the Cloisters, I look for it, like an old friend. I envy anyone who can work in that scale. 

1979 (graduate school)

A big snow storm, so classes are cancelled. A Day Off. I’ve been trying to make the most of it, by getting things done and also by playing around. (Piano and Atari). I wish I had the whole day ahead of me again. The afternoon is half over and I was just getting into it. I am fully enjoying the History of Fashion class this semester, for all the work it generates. So what.

A colleague mentioned that the Dean may consider me for UM Eastern Shore’s new fashion program. Hmmmm. I can think of worse fates than that. Somehow I wouldn’t mind, if they actually came up with the budget for building a program. The future doesn’t look so bad. Whatever.

Comment 2024

Talk about a road not taken! The University of Maryland Eastern Shore was an HBCU acquired by the state in 1935, as a “separate but equal” mirror of the University of Maryland. (The Mason-Dixon Line is our northern border, and Maryland was very much a segregated state.) As part of an effort to equalize the program offerings and budgets between the College Park campus and UMES, a program in fashion merchandising and design - including textiles and clothing - was established there in the1980s. Unlike my old department at UM- College Park, there is still a fashion program at UMES. But I never got recruited, we never moved to Princess Anne, and stayed at UMCP until our College of Human Ecology was disbanded and my department eliminated in 1992.

1985

We got the house. They signed the contract last Friday and Jaclyn called right away. I was terrified. Spent the next few hours afraid to talk about it because something might go wrong and the deal fall through. Or maybe we just made a $90,000 mistake and who wants to talk about that?

Now, about a week later, I feel better about it. It was such a good deal, because of the owner financing. The location couldn’t be better, a combination of convenience and quiet. The style of the house feels homey. I see two problems, and they may not be serious. First, three of the bedrooms are small, especially as Kiddo gets older. Second, the amount of dead storage in the house is not great, because of the damp basement and the small, barely accessible attic space. 

1997

I did the Kathy Smith Workout today; I had to be careful; the woman is a knee-killer. But it was fun, with lots of variety. Today will start slow, go long, and end late. It might snow. It will include lunch with Beth, and some problem-solving. I look forward to it all!

Comment 2024

Another good friend, now several years gone. Miss you, Beth.

1998

Today is a scholarly day. I plan to read and edit student papers, rather than work on my own. I wish I had more confidence as an editor. MB is so good, but then she's taught composition. The fact is, I am a good instinctive writer, but haven't had much formal training in it. And I have had no training at all in editing or grading student writing. That makes me reluctant to judge the writing, above the B level. It ends up being all about grammar and spelling rather than about argument and organization. I guess part of the reason is that I feel that to a certain extent those issues are a matter of personal style.

I am in awe of the miracle of time. The more time I spend meditating, writing, and being in the moment, the more I'm accomplishing when I work. Did I really used to spin my wheels that much?? Because I am taking an hour a day – or more – to travel within, and yet I feel like I have more time, not less. I don't understand it at all.

Suzy demands to go out. She doesn't understand meditation, or writing. So I will take Suzy out.