Must Be the Last Week of Classes Because It's Time for Workshops and Cake. One More Class to Go.

This morning is Chitunga's last day at home. I love that he arrived for his birthday, stays a week, and makes a way to see his ol' stomping grounds and friends. I love that Lys comes and visits, too, and they settle into a Karal tradition. There are perks, too, to having my car kidnapped so I am forced to sit home and get work done (says the man who hit submit on two projects this morning). 

Stopped by the Mahoney for the last volleyball practice on campus, before they leave today for Minneapolis. They're excited and I got to hear about the scout reports they are working with. Gave them Christmas gifts and then headed to class.

After class, which reminded me of being in an airplane, redeye, in when everyone is trying to sleep, the students were library-quiet getting their work done. It felt strange. 

Afterwards, I came home to get Chitunga for one more out-to-dinner event. He selected Paradise Pizza, and we had a good white pie with spinach and tomato, and a gorgonzola salad. Good call. 

Now I get to drive him to Laguardia for his afternoon flight and return back to the Homefront to prep for tomorrow morning's class. Pray to the traffic Gods for smooth sailing. At least the rain has subsided. 

As for the cake...it was a small crew, but they devoured it. I need to up my cake-came, as I rely to much on this recipe, but it works. They're happy and I'm happy. 

Happiness is what we all should be seeking these days.

Entering the December Season of Tranquil Lights by the Tree and a Dog Who Seems to Chill with the Season Like I Do

For those of us in literacy who present at national conferences, only to return to the hectic nature of turkey opportunities, I always welcome the addition of lights and evenings (that are much darker, much sooner) on Mt. Pleasant. For the past week I've enjoyed evenings with Chitunga, Alyssa, and Karal, and soon after the departures, it will be me, the dog, and the tree. I need such peace in my life as last classes are taught, end-of-the-semester, frenzied meetings are the norm, and all those projects come in for grading. 

I know others enjoy similar traditions.

I will be teaching the last YA Literature class tonight and will follow with the last Explorations class later this week. I know the close-to-the-end return home for many, brought them back to the reality that so much is due rather quickly. The organized and planned have worked on this to relieve the stress. Those who are last minute, have a trickier time contending with the stress of it all. As a student, I was not a fan of such stress so I paced myself accordingly. I realize as a teacher, though, that is not the norm as procrastination and the road to good intentions are much more common.

I am thinking of all laboring to get in the work at this time of the year and my fellow academics biting their nails that the turn-around for grades comes quickly. 

This is why we need our lights, holiday music, a good bottle of bourbon, and the ability to inhale/exhale, because this too shall pass.

There are times I wish I had it as easy as Karal. She lives a very embattled life, indeed. 

First Ever Selection Show Sunday in Support of the Fairfield University Women's Volleyball MAAC Championship Team.

I was honored to be asked, as faculty liaison, to attend the NCAA tournament selection show as teams learned their placements across the nation. I had my fingers crossed for Louisville, Kentucky (or even Lexington), but they were selected to play the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis on Friday. I looked up flights to the city (and to Chitunga in Iowa) and feel I'm better off watching the tournament at home. If it was at either Kentucky site, I'd find a way to make it happen. Both Louisville and Kentucky are ranked high once again this year, and it would have been great to have a weekend of volleyball and to see ol' friends.

I'm still confused by how they determine the cities that will host the first couple of rounds. I was lost because we were in the Pitt regional, but this excluded the Kentucky teams (even if it's not that far away). I guess there was never a chance to be selected for the bluegrass, so the Stags get Minneapolis. Humorous to me is to stand with the coaches as the teams were selected...I love hearing inside commentary. Also wonderful to see the excitement when the location was selected and three girls on the team cheered because it was close to their homes.

I'm thankful, though, because I have all the channels necessary now to watch the games, which is one of the reasons I jumped onto streaming services for the winter months.

For those wondering, the temperatures in the northeast have dropped and the gray, rainy days make it somewhat miserable to be motivated to do anything. It's cold, and I know I'm slowly being pushed off my front porch where I like to live my academic life. The girls, however, had to practice after the selections were announced.

Yesterday was spent writing. I have two students almost ready to hit submit on publication projects and I'm feeling somewhat ready for the agenda ahead, although the two faculty searches I'm on (plus Academic Council) are taking up most of the week. I am ready for the meeting phases of the semester to come to a close, as they are nuisance and time-consuming. I hate that I've become anti-meeting, but I'm still not sure how much they accomplish. We might all learn from Dr. Robert Nazarian from the Center of Climate, Coastal, and Marine Studies. He hosts the most efficient, knowledge-producing gatherings.

Chitunga and I grabbed a late lunch at Dockside and then he came home to fall asleep as I drove to campus for the selection show. That was a new experience and I'm happy for the team. If they win, and St. Thomas wins, perhaps Dr. Yohuru Williams and I have a bet to make...they will play each other in round II.

And look at that. It's December again! Go, Stags! Go!

All These Years Later and I Learn the Baby Messiah Is Supposed to Be Covered Until Christmas Day. I Live and I Learn.

I love that my Aunt Bobbie gave me my mother's nativity set that she made for them when they were younger and first starting out their homes. This is the power of ceramics and I was honored to take the set when they were moving west and downsizing. It moved from KY, back to Syracuse, and is now with me in Stratford. Yes, there are broken bits and parts all over the box and most recently a Wiseman (from the Orient) has lost his head, but there's glue and I keep the scenes going.

Years ago, I kept my New Year's cat in the scene because the sunlight makes him wave his arm. I also added adult Jesus when he arrived to me on wheels (it's the foreshadowing, I say). Last year, Patrick and Kaitlyn gave me a Gollum figuring from Lord of the Rings because they know my obsession and wondered if I could find a way to use him in my nativity narrative. To be honest, Gollum is wobbly and can't stand up without the guidance of adult Jesus so he's holding him up. I am thankful.

New this year, too, is the Jesus candle given to me to cleanse my home, and because of this, Santa Claus, who usually makes an appearance was put back some. Mr. Snowman, with his glittering lights (which used to be my only holiday decoration) is the shining light oversees the entire set.

Last night, Pam pulled together a pot roast gathering, and I had everyone finish off my key lime pie. I came home to watch the Stanford / Louisville volleyball game and am prepping for the last week of classes for the semester. I spent most of yesterday in preparation, too, as the planning is what sets up the best last class. I need to pivot quickly. 

It's been a wild ride from conference session to holiday Brussel sprouts, but it's time to get back into action starting now. 

This is, until "Christ the savior is born." Looking forward to Syracuse time to come.

Glad We Rested Thursday Night Because Friday Was an Exhausting Day of Putting Up Christmas Decorations

Perhaps I'm at the age where I have too much, which is odd, because I usually head out of dodge for the holidays and have never hosted. Still, I accumulate more and more each year and need to move the furniture to get to what I need to get up. Tunga and Lys helped in the morning, but then made their way to Rhode Island for a little while. This game me the day to put up the tree, organize the crazy, and....well...grow frustrated with the lights. There's always one light that goes out and kills the whole strange, which turns into crazy frustration to find the right bulb. After a few hours I gave up. Likely just will buy a new strand. 

After the food festival, Karal, Lys, Chitunga, and I simply watched football. Actually, I wrote for a while and joined them about 9:30, but then we all collapsed around 10:30 and went to bed.

It was way to windy to put the outdoors lights out, and I'm glad that we're not more east, because Syracuse and the northern states are getting hammered with a pre-holiday snow-show. Ugh. I would not want that, especially after the Denver trip followed by a holiday. I wouldn't want to do snow removal, too. 

Today, I plan to get more writing done, as I really have put off big projects for a week and I'm needing to be a big boy and simply get them done. 

My tree, which was Pam's tree about five trees ago (Tunga has one, too, but I think he finally put it to the curb), also needs to see a curb. It's not like I'm going to buy a new one unless it is super clearance, so I keep putting up with the fallen fake needles. I just vacuum a lot. I do have a few ornaments that bring back memories and there seem to be more each year. 

Karal is looking for her friends and not happy that they departed. She likes company because I'm just boring. She never knows which person she wants to drive nuts first. She simply loves attention.

Okay, Saturday...I need to get things done. Ir really did work on the holiday stuff for about 12 hours yesterday and haven't finished. Of course, I also cleaned and organized, too...so there's that. I still need to do more.

Onwards.

Tried My Hand At Key Lime Pie as Something Different and Enjoyed that It Cut Into the Heavy Flavors of the Normal Turkey Affair

I played around and it was really good. That's all I need to say. Without hosting this year, I felt sort of guilty for not doing more so I brought my carrots and then tried my hands at a recipe I've only tried once. I also figured out another way to cut the tartness with nuts and made a cream layer on the top that came out really nice. 

Dominik and Kaitlyn did a great job hosting and everything was, as usual, delicious. I don't know what Pam does with her sausage stuffing, but it is out of this world. Dominik's mom pureed beats which were served cold and so that was also interesting. 

During the day, while not cooking or running 5Ks, Tunga and I manage to winterize the back porch which I've been waiting to do for some time. I'm cautious moving the tables by myself because I seem to be pulling something with every move I make. 

Tunga and Lys plan on road tripping for the weekend to Providence, so I can slow down the entertainment route for a few days. I should catch up on the grading, since the final projects are coming in next week, too. 

And I have leftovers. I don't want to eat them, but I will, because they are delicious. 

Ah, and Kaitlyn made the bourbon maple bars. I am set.

I'm Already Stuffed and the Day Hasn't Even Begun. I Am Not a Fan of the Excessiveness of All to Come, But It Is What It Is

Alyssa arrived yesterday afternoon. The vote was taken and instead of staying home and watching Louisville volleyball against Pitt, I was outvoted for the Fairfield/Columbia men's basketball team (news flash, all teams I was rooting for tonight lost). Louisville looked good, but couldn't seem to get in the lead of Pitt at the last minute. Fairfield were outmatched and I had know idea Columbia was as good as they were.

This morning, Chitunga and Lys are running a Turkey Trot 5K while I peel and bake carrots. That's all I got this year...carrots. I made a key lime pie, too, but that wasn't requested. I just feel bad because it's hard to going from in charge to a minor role. I will adjust. Change is difficult. 

Last night, I was trying to restore memory on my computer and was going through old files that were big and needed to be deleted. I came across the summer I spent in Santa Fe in 2006. That's almost 20 years ago, and although I remember the experience, I don't really remember the experience. I know it was that summer that the principal at Brown, Ms. Ruthless, called me and started harassing the way I taught and what I represented to the school. It was then I told her that I wouldn't not last another year with her as a principal. I left the following May. I remember how awful she was, misguided and ill-directed and how she called me while I was pursuing the Break Loaf School of English Masters to belittle how I led and to tell me there was a new sheriff in town. I really despised that lady. She had an Ed.D from Louisville and thought she was God's gift to the world. 

In short, she set out to destroy all so many of us loved. And I left. A year later, she was ousted, and I like to think that I was a sacrificial pig so that the district would actually do something about a terrible leader.

Funny how such histories recycle themselves. I would still be at the Brown if the top-down management didn't become so horrific. It was such an awful time for so many of us.

But looking at the video, all these years later, and thinking about where I am now, I can't help but think there's always been a larger story from the The Great Whatever to be written. In fact, in the video, I found images of a woman I work with now in young adult literature. I didn't know she was in Bread Loaf with me, but when I found the file, I reached out to see if she was there. She was. That was here. Who'd of thunk it. 

I'm not thankful for my aching bones or the fact that I feel useless for festivities today, but I am thankful that Chitunga and Alyssa are here and they're running a 5K this morning. I will bake my carrots, shut up, eat well, and move on. 

Here's to the day...with all that food and gravy. I can already feel the stuffed stomach.