For I have known them all already, known them all: Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons, I have measured out my life with coffee spoons… And indeed there will be time To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?” Time to turn back and descend the stair Shall I say, I …
So much for posting daily, huh? I was waylaid last night by a scintillating scotoma, which is way more fun to say or write than it is to experience. I have this happen once or twice a year, and it disturbs my vision for about half an hour, but then leaves me feeling exhausted, queasy, …
At our first (brief) faculty meeting last week, one of the permanent faculty members asked me how I liked it here in Dubrovnik, and when I said I loved it, he asked me why. The answer is complicated. I love the visual beauty of the place, which is ever-present and breathtaking. From the view of …
I had great intentions of blogging on a daily basis, but I’ve not been as diligent as I’d planned. After spending part of the evening tonight talking about the value and importance of regular creative practice–in words, images, or music–I’m determined to get back to daily posts here. It’s hard to believe that it’s been …
So far, I’m surviving the first few days of class, and am starting to get a better feel for both the material and the students. Some of the students are already memorable, and it’s already clear who the class clowns and troublemakers are, as well as the “shiny pennies” who are already on top of …
As enjoyable as it was to plant the seeds of a new village on Sunday night, it’s not really the same thing as being surrounded on a daily basis by people I know well and love. So starting work this week has been a bit of a challenge on many levels. First, I’m teaching classes …
(Where does the phrase “first day jitters” come from, actually? It seems inextricably linked with the first day of school.) So, classes start tomorrow. I think I’m ready, though there’s never been a quarter where I’ve felt 100% prepared for a class. This week I’ve been immersing myself in readings and videos and activities related …
I’ve tried counting the stairs between our apartment and the Old Town several times, but I get distracted and lose count, so I’ve been estimating. Today on my way back from the Hilton, I took notes–breaking the count up into segments rather than trying to maintain one single count. Here’s what I ended up with: …
Today was supposed to be a work day, because I’m starting to panic a bit about being ready for classes on Monday. I’m teaching two classes that I haven’t taught before, and while the topic areas are things I’m knowledgeable about, I’m having the experience I always have when trying to teach from someone else’s …
Today I spent the morning doing not-very-enjoyable committee work. While I worked, I also baked my first batch of muffins–using the baking powder that my colleague Mike brought me. Alex ate 3.5 of them, (I got 1.5, Sebastian got 1), so I’m considering the experiment a success. I need to tweak the recipe a bit …