Small pleasures Thurs April 26th 2018

I love working from home instead of campus on Thursdays.

  • Had a productive morning 
  • The end of the semester is approaching so gradually things are easing up-so many are largely in the students’ hands (until it’s time to grade it all)
  • I got to submit evaluations for some campus leaders. It was helpful to clearly and constructively articulate specific reasons why so many things are problematic. I sure hope they pay attention!
  • Lunch w M @ a wonderful local Mexican place
  • Walked to a local coffee shop to enjoy some time speaking French with a Québecois man. It’s so refreshing to be able to speak without thinking about comprehensibility
  • I walked home on a trail by Virgin Lake park. The temperature was perfect.
  • I bought sparkling wine for an upcoming celebration. I hope they don’t make me surrender my French degrees for not buying real French champagne but I don’t have $60 or $30 to spend on it!
  • On the way to getting the girls a young girl had a stand set up in her driveway. I stopped to buy one of whatever she was selling which turned out to be her old toys so she could buy a pet. A hamster. I got a colorful, detailed puzzle for a family member. So glad to help a resourceful little girl get closer to her dream. We had some family fun putting it together after dinner too. 
  • The girls ate a healthy meal that included vegetables
  • Got to talk to my dear friend C, the biggest reason leaving Davenport was so frickin painful
  • Found out one of my favorite people at work is leaving to take a different (dream) job. I want to sob with the pain of losing such a cool, warm, sharp person and envy. The worst is we never really had the chance to hang out beyond work, though I hoped to have a real friendship and now geography will prohibit that. It’s almost a bit like grief. 

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