Somehow I thought May would be less busy, since the UW semester ended May 3. I gave my students until May 10 to submit final projects, which means I just finished grading today (May 16). And the University must’ve tightened some regulation or something, because I (and lots of other faculty & instructors) got all these emails that grades were already late, coming in after midnight Wednesday May 15, when the posted deadline on the Registrar’s website was midnight on Thursday May 16. Really annoying, and guilt- and stress-inducing.
And it’s the season of weddings (though I don’t have any of those) and graduations. Sunday I went to iSchool graduation and listened to inspiring speakers, and then the next day I went to a memorial for the husband of a former director of the School and listened to inspiring speakers, several the same ones as the day before.
Christine Pawley, former director of the iSchool; Michele Besant, Associate Director, soon to be retired; Sunny Kim, Acting Director
iSchool faculty & staff, straight
iSchool faculty & staff, singing a kid’s song with hand motions, lead by a graduating student who will be a children’s librarian
Wednesday was a retirement party – 23 speakers, but it was for the director of the UW Writing Center and the speakers were all his former students and colleagues, and they all had specific instructions on what to say and to speak for 90 seconds or less, so it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. And, more inspiring speakers.
And, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is finally off strike, and we had tickets for Lyric Opera doing West Side Story. So I’ve been to Chicago two Tuesdays in a row and going back next week, as well, for operas and concerts.
West Side Story was really a treat. I’d never seen a live production – only the movie, like everybody else.
And, I’m scheduled as the volunteer head cook for the food pantry meal all the Tuesdays in May, which means a couple hours of prep on Monday and a couple hours of turn out and serving on Tuesday morning, adding to the busy level.
This week for meal I made pizza bagels, really pizza bialys but most people here in Wisconsin don’t know what a bialy is so I just called them bagels; roasted potatoes & carrots – the pantry has been getting bags of these great little potatoes, they’re nice and clean and all you have to do is rinse them a bit and oil them and roast; and pumpkin custard with real whipped cream, and I brought a pasty bag to make swirls on top of each serving. That’s what I had for my breakfast, a big spoonful of the custard in a coffee cup with a big swirl of cream on top.
And, I’ve been worried about the blooms, since it’s been so cold and rainy – some forsythia and lilacs aren’t doing so well, but the crab apples and dogwoods are doing great.
My Mothers Day tulips are getting done.
These are the ones Emma gave me
Oh, and along with all the mounting evidence of war on women, these crazy new abortion laws, I decided this song I heard on public radio on Mother’s Day is pretty much the epitome of barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen. It’s a vision of a cherished mom who had 10 kids and never went too far from home. She Loved Flowers, Johnsmith.
I heard this young woman defending anti-abortion laws because they will respect the rights of the millions of people – “all human beings have that equal right to life” …. regardless of circumstances of their conception, that’s why no exemptions for rape & incest. Perhaps the most chilling quote, “I think Roe is destined to become a historical footnote. Once again, another tragic period in our history in which a group of people weren’t valued equally.”
Huh. When all you pro-lifers have a plan for feeding and educating that “group of people”, you can get back to me. You are pro BIRTH, not life, and you are anti-women – we are just the vessel, and our rights dim in comparison to that “group of people” you think you are sworn to defend.