January 18
Back to Mexico, back to work.
1965
Today's the last day for my library book I lost. I'll never find it. It's very boring in school now - all we do is review for Mid-Years. I went to the library F period and goofed off for a while. I didn't see V today. I usually do. Rats! I got an A- on my project in English. I expected a B-. Who's going to complain, though. The latest poop is that this is Mr. V's last week here - aw! I will miss Mr. B, though. He's cute.
Comment 2006
We were on some kind of staggered schedule where A period was first on Monday, second on Tuesday, etc. Each day comprised five periods and lunch. Our five academic classes each met four days a week, but gym was twice a week. So the periods were A-F, with one period dropped each day.
Comment 2023
Somewhere out there is a dissertation about high school class scheduling schemes. I have waged my own personal war against the tyranny of thought packaging. Where is it written that an academic course must be contained in X number of containers over the course of Y weeks? Who decreed that the optimal film length is between 90 and 120 minutes? One of my professors used to tell a joke that ranged from twenty minutes long to nearly an hour, and the longer he took, the funnier it was. I regularly enjoy Indian films that run well over two and a half hours, and some of my favorites are between three and four hours long.
I have written two books - histories of clothing and gender - fewer than 500 pages, total, maybe 400 if you eliminate the references. Supposedly, I am writing a third (the proposal was accepted in late 2019) but I keep chopping it into smaller and smaller pieces. Life is short, they say, and they are right sometimes. I have time for a three-hour movie or an hour long joke (well-told, of course). But I do not have time to write another 200-page book.
1976
More, more, more work. Got work done on my thesis. I don’t want to just do that, though. I have other interests and projects. What else is important to me? The course I am teaching. Learning many things. Taking advantage of the opportunities that are here, that I get get elsewhere, if/when we move. Not wasting time. Maybe the first day of classes is the time for resolutions. (Finally)
1) I will work at important things, but not just my thesis
2) I will not waste time, unless I really need the rest. (Resting is not wasting time!)
3) I will not be a disappointment to anyone.1979
First day of classes. Hopefully, my last first day as a student. I really want to organize my time well this semester. Especially crucial is finding the time for my review of literature. So much literature, so many subjects!
1984
Well, I’ve finally worked out my New Year’s resolutions.
1) To finish the projects I started last year or before and then abandoned.
2) To be a more assertive rate advisor
3) to make a major shift in my research (away from the sex role stuff)
1986
It was quite a day. Besides the closet, I also managed to get all the laundry done. And the upstairs bathtub cleaned (a job that had been begging to be done for a while). So today we didn’t do much for about 1/2 the day. Then we went to the House of Genghis Khan for Mongolian barbecue. Kiddo 1 and her friend were their usual inhibited selves, the restaurant staff were very nice about it. And Kiddo actually had (and liked!!) the food.
1997
I am enjoying my musical interlude with the Phil-in Harmonics. Singing is fun, especially with a group. Keeps you warm on a cold day like this.
2013
An excellent week. Productive, well, paced and satisfying. Work is picking up, even without the arrival of students. My only omission was not making it to the Library Congress on Wednesday. But that was really no problem. That work didn’t need to be done that day. The weather was cold and rainy, and then Metro had a major malfunction. All in all, a good day to work at home.
2019
A day of airports and waiting. There’s a little fear and uncertainty waiting for me in less than thirteen hours, when I arrive in Mexico City. Even though I speak a little Spanish, and can read fairly well, understanding spoken Spanish is the hardest. So I must navigate through customs and the airport to the hotel, and also figure out how, when and where to catch the bus to Oaxaca tomorrow morning.Once I am on the bus, I can relax and enjoy the journey.
Comment 2024
Yes, I finally returned to Mexico. Seventeen-year-old me had promised to come back, but it took a lot longer than she expected. But I wasn’t going to reunite with Juan, the young man who proposed to me in 1966. My daughter’s mother-in-law had invited me to accompany her “in case”. She was meeting a fellow for the first time after months of a long-distance correspondence. Not just any fellow, either. P was Jim’s best friend in college, and the best man at our wedding. Stay tuned. This has the makings of a Hallmark Valentine’s Day movie.
Of course, I bought a new notebook for the occasion.
2020
Boxes. Lots of boxes. Sheet music. Too much sheet music. Memories. Lots of memories, never too many. Just too much stuff. #downsizing.
2023
Oh, hello! Another poem just walked into the room.
Empty
Clever people fill page after page.
Words tumble from their heads, polished and perfect.
Even turned upside down,
There is nothing in my head but crumbs.
2024
My “Simple Life in America” class ended last night, and today is full of errands and non-writing activities. But tomorrow! Tomorrow I pick up my neglected writing project and shake my head to see if anything worth reading falls out.