July 12

This could be the best year of my life, if I actually live it.

1966

I went to the club. Antonio was there, late again. I still don't know if I like him or not. He seems a little shifty and fast. Flirt flirt flirt that's all they do! Don't they know that is woman's work?

I am a little sick today, nothing serious, I hope.

Thursday Mrs. D and I go to the Museum of Modern Art, near the Museum of Anthropology.

Comment 2023

More proof that teenaged me was not yet a feminist. Sorry to disappoint anyone…

1991

The committee hearing was every bit as bad as I expected, though with some bright moments.

Comment 2024

Twelve days into my role as acting chair of the Textiles and Consumer Economics department, the process of dissolving the department was slowly grinding away. A few of the members of the committee in charge had a modicum of empathy for the horridness of the experience on the personal level - faculty, staff, and a couple hundred students. That was the bright side. The only bright side, since it was obvious that the elimination of the unit was inevitable. The only question remained: would any of the faculty stay cohesive enough to maintain any of the programs? Spoiler alert: not a chance.

2003

Just pulling out of Sandusky, Ohio. I sat down just in time to see an Amish family board the train, the men with their full whiskers and the women in their bonnets. I had a fitful night’s sleep, awake at midnight and two and five and six. We are now passing a few yards from the shores of Lake Erie, and I can see Cedar Point in the distance. 

Oh spirit of the east, of youth and dawn and new beginnings. 

Guide me as I begin this day. Help me stay mindful of the glorious, exciting experience. Focus my thoughts on the task at hand. 

Bless my loved ones, sleeping or not sleeping back home. Feed their spirits and protect them. Make their days easy without me.

Blessed be. 

"nothing pretextual is holy" Umberto Ecco,  The Name of the Rose 

We don't think about our cultural environment, but we think within it. 

Can we apply the concept of natural planning to an undergraduate research project? 

The end of a very good day. The the task management book I downloaded is turning out to be very good the meditation one, though, is too soft to hear on the PDA. And I forgot that this computer doesn't have a floppy drive (DAMN) so that may alter my plans for tomorrow a bit. But now I am really up for a movie and the last of my wine from dinner. And then a lovely sleep on the train!

Comment 2023

Oh, yeah, my pagan period. Now I am an equal opportunity atheist.

2007

Another beautiful and inspiring place to work: the National Building Museum, aka:

The easiest museum to find from the Metro

The best museum gift shop for Lego fans in DC

The biggest indoor space in DC (once upon a time, but still awesomely big). The main interior space is about 7 stories high, with a large fountain in the middle. The cafe is small, but the prices are reasonable. Suggested donation (it’s not part of the Smithsonian) is just a few bucks. Seldom crowded, except during special events.

Current highlight: David Macaulay: The Art of Drawing Architecture, which includes original sketches from my favorites: Unbuilding and Motel of the Mysteries.

2016

I was up at 5:30 this morning, sitting on the back steps and watching the sun go from red to gray-blue. It was hard to sleep and it just didn’t seem worth trying. It was nice. So nice. I got to listen to my morning playlist. I listened to the birds, and wrote a 250-character story. Well, not quite. I think of these as scenes, or synopses of scenes. It’s all writing. I have a long list of non-urgent things to do. Hardly any deadlines, but wide open time.

Jim’s surgery is set for Monday, and then a night or two in the hospital to recover.

Grandkiddo 2 comes today for a few hours, and then we get to Skype with Bob. That will be a treat. This morning writing is hard! Today, at least. My mind keeps drifting. My right hand itches. Bug bites? That’s the price I pay for going outside in the summer. Damn insects. I want to get something done today. It is probably time to actually plan my writing and not just float along. There’s the Age Appropriate book. There’s (maybe) the teaching research book. There’s poetry, and flash fiction. And pop-ups. And sewing! And losing 30 or 40 pounds! And getting the front steps fixed.And reading. And weeding and mulching. And travel details (getting to New Hampshire). And so much else. And meditation. Ha, ha, ha. And watching about 25 more Shah Rukh Khan movies. I need to look up “Save the Cat” before I forget why I am looking it up - - a book someone recommended.

Getting older, getting old. I guess I will know when I get there! This could be the best year of my life, if I actually live it. Looked at that way, every year has been better and better as I grow in self-awareness. Not necessarily happy, or fun, but VIVID!

Comment 2023

The book about teaching research went p-f-f-f-t long ago. 

The other poor book? Here is the first-ish concept. 

2024

We don’t talk about the book.