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100 Word Book Review – The Abacus and the Cross by Nancy Marie Brown
Pope Sylvester II is my favorite Pope. (I am not Catholic.) My favorite book about Gerbert of Aurillac is Ars Magica by Judith Tarr, but it is a fantasy novel. The Abacus and the Cross is a non-fiction book that looks just as closely at the world around Gerbert as it does his life. It uses primary sources, including Gerber’s own letters, as much as possible. I found it incredibly relaxing to learn about making books in the 10th century or about Gerbert’s abacus. If you have any interest in the history of science, this is a book for you.
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Sparklers: Chasing Junebug
When we first brought Junebug home, she was only 6 months old and filled with puppy energy. We had to take a walk every day and still spend time playing with her. If we did not take a walk, it would take close to an hour of chase, fetch, and wrestling to wear her out. She has been our Baby Bug for 10 ½ years now. She is starting the Beagle fade. She spends more time sleeping than getting into mischief (though she still gets into plenty of mischief). Dogs slow down as they get older. It is a good thing as they grow out of the frenetic puppy stage…
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100 Words On… Grant Imahara
When I learned of Grant Imahara’s death, I cried. I don’t normally cry when a celebrity dies, but this one hit me. We watched Mythbusters and White Rabbit. Grant always seemed like the “every man” to me. He was the one who was willing to show his nerves. Put him in a car that they want to balance on the edge of a cliff, and he was willing to be scared on camera, despite all the safety precautions. Grant always seemed like someone I would want to be friends with. My heart goes out to all his friends and family.
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Pandemic Diary, Day 131
Today marks my 90th day (does not include weekends or holidays) working from home. Back in March, I commented that I expected to be working from home for roughly 3 months. We are now at almost 4 months, with no real end in sight. Maybe in September I will be back in the office a day or two a week? If campus opens even partially for classes, that is a possibility, but cases are on the rise again, so maybe campus will not open. I do not know. I do not think if anyone really knows, or will know, until September. At the start of this, I had a very…
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I am Tired.
I am tired. I am a middle-class, middle-aged, white woman with all the privilege that entails, and I am tired. So I can only imagine how bone-deep exhausted people of color must be. I am struggling with how to be an ally, when to say something and when to shut up and amplify others’ voices. When should I step in front and bear the brunt for those who will not survive it as well as I, and when should I be stepping back and be the support structure for others? But that’s an easy struggle compared with trying to figure out if someone is going to kill me for going…
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Gratitude Journal 2020 #10
I want to start this entry of the journal a little differently. I want to talk a little bit about the place of gratitude in our society and also more about the place of gratitude in my life. I have seen two arguments against publically expressing gratitude lately, mostly in response, I think to celebrities expressing their gratitude for what they have in this time. And while I am not a celebrity, the truth is, I have more than most. The first argument was that expressing gratitude without also working to address the issues the prevent others from having what you have is really just a humble-brag. I understand this…
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Pandemic Diary, Day 46
Random Bits One of the things I have found I am struggling with working from home is ever feeling like I am NOT at work. I have MS Teams on my tablet, which is what I use in the evening, so my team can reach me to ask questions when they are working. So even though I leave the home office and try not to go back in there, work finds me.One of the things I am doing to help with this is that I put on real shoes in the morning. I leave the shoes on the rest of the day. And then, at the end of the workday,…
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Gratitude Journal 2020 #9
Now that I am spending around 40 hours/week working in my home office, I have a hard time wanting to come in on Sunday evening to write my gratitude post. It feels a bit like going to work on Sunday night, and who wants to do that? That does mean that gratitude journals are going to get a little erratic until I can figure out a new schedule that works for me, but that is life for now. So I am just going to roll with it. Gratitude Item #27 – Brownie MixLast week, FB kept showing me an advertisement for a weight loss program. This is not surprising as…
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Pandemic Diary, Day 31
Today marks the end of the first month of the pandemic. My little world remains pretty stable. Within my wider circle of acquaintances, a few people have been diagnosed with COVID-19, but everyone seems to have somewhat mild symptoms and is recovering. This is good, and I hope it stays this way. I have been trying to write something here all day. I want to document this. I think that matters. But I also do not know what to say. So much of my life feels “normal”. I am working from home, but I am still working. Some of the issues I am dealing with are different, but not really. …
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Gratitude Journal 2020 #8
I feel a bit like I am inside a Monty Python sketch. Except instead of the Spanish Inquisition, no one expected a pandemic. I mean, honestly, Pandemic is a board game I play with friends. It is not supposed to be our everyday life. And yet, here we are. I started this journal with the goal of remembering to be grateful for the little things, not realizing that only a year later, those little things would be very big things after all. Gratitude Item #25 – Grocery storesEven 1 month ago, this would have seemed like such a little thing. But now? Now, I think all of us who have…
