They Really Were Neon Pink

Office Hour

So this is my super fancy new office. As you can see, it's lined with bookshelves that I really need to start filling.

It's in Dodd Hall, the building that looks sort of like a Gothic cathedral, which is why I have these amazing ceiling-high windows.

You can see in this picture how high the ceilings are (the bookcase on the right is taller than I am). The weird little shelf around the wall houses the lighting.

I love the embossed tin ceiling tiles.

And I have this great view of a small courtyard with trees. Basically, this office is much nicer than any apartment I've ever had. I wonder if I can get David to move in here with me?

Sewing Basket

Today I finally finished mending a big pile of clothes. One of the best things about mending is getting to take stock of all the cool little things hidden away in this sewing basket, which I inherited from my grandfather's cousin.

Old buttons, scraps of lace, a blue and silver meauring tape.

This weird little contraption has two thimbles in it.

I love looking at all the old typefaces.

And these wooden spools of thread are the best. The thread is strong, comes in pretty colors, is easy to use, and when I finish a spool it makes the perfect cat toy.

Friday Morning

It was 102 degrees outside. A good time to duck into a nice cool bookstore.

A Glimpse of the Bloomingtonauts

Fall Colors on Campus

... Florida style.

Signs of Fall

It was in the mid-90s today, but there are acorns and dogwood berries on our driveway.

And a big pile of exams to grade on my desk.

Sea Creature Weekend

Yesterday we drove down to Panacea to the Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory, a little research lab and conservation facility on the coast. They have some really amazing sea creatures -- ethereal sea slugs, weird puffer fish, anemones in psychedelic pinks and purples, brilliant yellow sea horses.

This is the incredibly strange batfish, which uses its pectoral fins to walk on the bottom of the ocean. When it saw us, it paddled over to the edge of the tank, squatted down, and gave us a fierce look from its angry little face.

It's not like visiting an aquarium. For one thing, most of the sea creatures are in shallow, open tanks so that they can be handled. It's almost like being underwater with them. Many of the animals were curious and friendly, like these rays, which swam up to us ...

... then leapt out of the water to greet us. I thought they wanted food. David thought they wanted us to be their food. But the lab assistant said they were just interested in seeing people and having their noses petted. We were not allowed to pet them, but we did get to pick up horseshoe crabs and pet starfish. As I put my hand in the water, a scallop watched me with a row of tiny glittering blue eyes. David was bitten by a green filefish as he was reaching to touch some sea pork.

After all the interaction with sea life, I felt like a Nereid.

So on my way out, I rode a dolphin.