- I don’t really use Spotify and I certainly don’t pay for it. But yesterday I wanted to listen to the entirety of the El Dorado album by Electric Light Orchestra. When I finally got an ad – which I concede since I refuse to pay – I got one for Whole Foods. They were advertising Rao’s tomato sauce and that woman pronounced it “ray-ohs” instead of “rhowz”. I was very confused because I don’t think that is right, nor have I heard that before!
- I am on an estrogen patch lately for my perimenopause symptoms but they irritate my skin. Not while I am wearing it but when I remove it, it gets all red and itchy. My doctor told me another of his patients said that an allergy spray like Nasocort or the like, sprayed on your skin before and left to dry would help. And you know, it really did! No more redness. But every time I remove a patch there’s a gunk left behind, just like how band-aids sometimes do. I think I’m going to fill the Rx he gave me for the gel and hope it is as effective.
- I’m teaching Canterbury Tales for the first time and having not read it since college, I am having to delve into quite a bit so I can, you know, sound like I know what I am doing. I am filling in some gaps by showing them videos from the Youtube, Medieval Mindset. It’s actually really interesting!
- In fact, I find myself comparing current times to then, knowing now that it isn’t really the way we thought of it. Which is to say, dirty, low-tech, and full of stupid people. In fact, it was rather colorful and vibrant and it would seem people allowed themselves to feel more, for there was no worry about being cringe on social media!
- I hadn’t done this in a little while but I was feeling sort of overwhelmed this morning and, randomly, had the thought that I’d like to call my grandfather. Of course, he died in 2022. But from time to time I’d call just to talk. He didn’t offer a whole lot of what he was up to (though there was always something; right up to the end he still biked daily and was the sprinkler-fixer for his neighborhood) but he’d listen to what I was doing and say things about them. I miss talking to him; he was always such a positive guy and I learned a lot.
- I don’t know what it is about today but I feel distant from my own life at the same time as rather stressed. No particular reason; just frazzled.
- My school is having what they call “expo day”, which is when 8th graders from various local middle schools (mostly private) get to tour the school, go into classes, and see what it’s like to go here. This is a big day for us, because we are down on enrollment. And in times like these – recession times – one thing people would probably cut back on is education cost.
- Getting a lot of grading done, which is necessary and makes me feel accomplished, but I also feel entirely exhausted after having my brain turned on all day. I literally drive home in a fog after a day like today.
- Diocesan admin should be here this afternoon and while I hope they don’t poke their head into my room, I am ready to look like we’re doing something of value. I mean, in 5th they’re analyzing Poe but we are also watching the Disney Sleepy Hollow. I promise it matters; it connects to Gothic Romanticism and we have an activity tomorrow based on it.
- It has literally taken me all day to write this and now I feel like it doesn’t matter. I’m posting it as is, I guess.
