Venting

Having a day off means doing a lot of work. I have grading that has been accumulating – mainly because I scheduled three major exams in quick succession – and there were things around the house that could no longer be ignored.  I thought I’d be able to just sit back and relax a bit,…

Why Me?

A while back I wrote about “Vindictive Faith” – the idea that being a Christian somehow gave one special access to God’s vengeance whenever something or someone offended us.  Its practitioners are those quick to call down His wrath because they can’t get a discount on a purchase, because they’ve lost out on a parking…

Weirdness (aka, “Monday”)

It’s been a while since I last wrote. Almost two months, to be exact. The cold and work both managed to overwhelm me, I guess.  Truthfully, I did start three posts, but other than a line or two, there just wasn’t much worth posting. I’ve been dealing with a strange phenomenon:  When I awake, if…

Real Feel

The first thing I do in the morning when I awake is check my phone. It’s not like I have people calling  me at odd hours (or at all, but that’s another issue), so my “phone” is more along the lines of a “mini-computer” from which I gain my daily info.  So imagine my surprise…

A Forest Dark

Midway upon the journey of our life   I found myself within a forest dark,   For the straightforward pathway had been lost. Ah me! how hard a thing it is to say   What was this forest savage, rough, and stern,   Which in the very thought renews the fear. – Dante Alighieri, Inferno …

Cold

It is cold outside.  Heck, it’s cold inside, too. Between snowstorms and below-zero temps, I am struggling to find a coherent reason for why I remain in the Upper Midwest.  I just can’t seem to come up with one, yet . . . I know that I’ll never leave.  It’s just so daunting to deal…

Renewal

The first two weeks of the new year have been pretty quiet for me. I’ve been thinking about a lot of things, namely my previous discussions on forgiveness and moving on, largely because I intend to make that my big project for 2019.  To forgive (more freely) and to move on – things that I’ve…

Fare Thee Well, 2018

It’s funny, but it seems like a week ago we were welcoming 2018.  Now, in a matter of hours (for me, anyway), it’s time to bid it adieu. Just before the end of my term, a student asked me if I’d attend graduation ceremonies.  I’m technically not required to do so – it’s sort of…

The Green Chair

Well, the end of the term has finally arrived, and I couldn’t be happier. It wasn’t a bad term; no, far from it.  It went faster than it should have, to be honest.  It wasn’t the wackiest or the craziest or even the most obnoxious term I’ve had.  Yet still, I’m happy that it’s over. …

Under Pressure

I’ve been singing this in my head for months.  It just seemed appropriate for today’s post. After several months, I had my appointment with a neurologist. Finally. At issue here is the cause(s) of my violent and painful headaches.  My primary physician wrote them off as mere migraines, but as someone who’s had those painful…

Incomplete Projects

It’s been a long time since I’ve sat to write. I’d apologize – again – but honestly, I’m thinking that this is my new normal.  I’ve got a lot to do and no time in which to do it.  I mean, the only reason I’m putting pixels-to-page is because I don’t feel like doing any…

Through the Looking Glass, pt. 2

Where did I leave off? Oh yeah . . . that pie . . . Well, my sister and I have a habit of sending each other recipes.  A few years ago, we were in the midst of a conversation and I mentioned that I have two African-American cookbooks, but neither were modern.  In fact,…