Be a Poet

Yesterday I discovered this website, which has a poetry game that is totally addictive! If you clink on the link, you will see my version.

Happy Birthday, David!

David turned 40 yesterday! Here he is behind a pile of birthday presents which, sadly, were wrapped in Christmas paper. I wrapped them before I left for work in the morning and then left them scattered around the apartment for him to find. The big party is still to come this weekend, though, when we will be celebrating the concatenation of birthdays: David, Nola, and Dad. (Happy birthday, Nola!) I hope this will be a wonderful year for all three of them!

Word of the Day

The word of the day, or actually of a few days ago, is "ephemerist" (one who keeps a journal or diary). It's from our Forgotten English calendar, but it needs to be revived as a synonym for "blogger!"

Erin's Bachelorette Party

Congratulations Erin and Jon!! They got married yesterday at City Hall. Last weekend, Jennifer and I went to a fun bachelorette party for Erin hosted by several of her friends. Erin is the one in the feather boa and tiara, and the other bachelorettes (some honorary) are Meg, Jennifer, Karen, Mayme, and Tina.

They planned a really fun party at which we did each other's hair and nails, played lots of games, ate chocolate fondue, and had a massage therapist giving hand, foot, and shoulder massages.
And I don't know whether you can see this, but there was also a cat providing entertainment at the party. She obviously chose my lap because she matched my outfit so well!

Recommended Reading

I don't have as much time for dissertation reading during the week since I started my new job, but this little book fit perfectly into my sliver of free time today. It's Greek Folk Religion, a series of lectures that Martin Nilsson gave in 1940, and it is brilliant! Sometimes it's a little old-fashioned, but it's so insightful and engaging, and so beautifully written. If you get the chance, you should take a look at it.

Song of the Open Road

Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,

Healthy, free, the world before me,

The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.

Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,

Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,

Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,

Strong and content I travel the open road.

-- from Song of the Open Road, by Walt Whitman

This is how I feel every day on my long drive home! And just so you know, these pictures are from the National Weather Service for Indiana ... I didn't take them on the actual open road.

A New Direction

This week my life has been going in all different directions. Today I had to decide between two job offers, and I ended up choosing a place in a document library in another city. On Monday I'll be commuting to a completely new job!

Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day was cold and beautiful. David and I were out just before sunrise, pouring bowls of water on the car to melt it out of the ice.


By the time we rescued the car, the icy branches were glowing in the sun. It was spectacular!

Ice Storm

I have news for you:
the stag bells;
winter snows;
summer has gone.

Wind high and cold,
the sun low,
short its course;
the sea runs high.

Deep red the bracken;
its shape is lost;
the wild goose raises
a strange cry.

Cold has seized
the birds’ wings;
a season of ice:
this is my news.

--- Irish lyric, 9th c. AD

New Job, Much Like the Old Job

The new job I started on Monday seemed oddly familiar. Maybe because it was at the same company as my last job. They hired me back for another temporary job in a different department, and it was great to see everyone again!

The Perfect Saturday

On Saturday morning the sun was shining through the snow on the skylight in our apartment.


It was the perfect day to paint pottery and discuss ancient and modern cultures with TammyJo and Emilie.

Meet Adeptive Radiation

Meet Adeptive Radiation, or at least the four members who were there at practice on Saturday: John Knight, Candice, me, and John Hardwick. (Nicole, who plays the upright bass, wasn't there, and we also have many other members in Chicago.)

John played guitar and bass, and Candice and I played violins. Her viola wasn't playing well because of the extreme cold.

John Hardwick plays drums and does amazing vocals.
And for one song, I got to play the big evil bass!

Game Night

Erin and Jon's game night went by in a blur! Here we are in the middle of an intense round of Cranium. It's John's turn to draw, and Jennifer and Erin are concentrating on his drawing, while the rest of us are talking and laughing.

Circe

Lately I have been able to spend a lot of time on my dissertation, which has been wonderful! Today I'm working on a section about Circe, the sorceress in the Argonautica.

Apparently the Pre-Raphaelite painters were fond of Circe, because there are a ton of paintings of her. Here she is above, pouring a potion into the water, and on the left ... pouring a potion into the water. She's about to turn the nymph Scylla into a sea monster.

And here she is in her study with her book, her wine, and her cats. Apart from the whole turning people into animals thing, not a bad way to work!

Snow Day

Winter

Clouded with snow
The cold winds blow,

And shrill on leafless bough
The robin with its burning breast

Alone sings now.
The rayless sun,
Day's journey done,

Sheds its last ebbing light
On fields in leagues of beauty spread

Unearthly white.
Thick draws the dark,
And spark by spark,

The frost-fires kindle, and soon
Over that sea of frozen foam

Floats the white moon.

---- Walter De La Mare

Thinking Spring

It's cold outside. Really cold. But I've been working on some beading with a spring theme, like this little brooch based on my hyacinths.

And this is the necklace I made during the Super Bowl: a black branch with pale pink petals. Also, I have yet another treasury on Etsy, this one featuring spring flowers. I am a little obsessed with Etsy treasury lists! (Look for the title "Forcing Bulbs.")

Super Bowl Party

Here we are at my parents' Super Bowl party last night. Dad made some amazing vegetarian chili, I watched the entire game for once, and the Colts won! I wasn't excited enough to eat blue food ... but almost.

The Chocolate Festival

Chocolate ...

... chocolate ...

... and more chocolate!


This is what it was like last night when Emilie took me to the Chocolate Festival, a benefit for Options for Better Living. I have never seen so much chocolate in one place! Masses of people crowded around the booths at the Convention Center, trying all the varieties of chocolate. The smartest booth was run by Kroger -- they had people handing out cups of cold milk.

I had such a great time!


By the end of the evening we were giddy with chocolate!

The New Krentz

Congratulations to the Krentz family, and welcome to Elena!! (In spite of the following poem she does have a name.)
Infant Joy

I have no name
I am but two days old.
What shall I call thee?
I happy am,
Joy is my name.
Sweet joy befall thee!

Pretty joy!
Sweet joy, but two days old.
Sweet joy I call thee!
Thou dost smile
I sing the while
Sweet joy befall thee.


-- William Blake

The Wintertelling

Last night was the Wintertelling, the annual storytelling event performed by the Bloomington Storytellers' Guild. David and I thought it might have been their best show ever! The theme was comedy, and all of the stories were hilarious. Especially Temporary Librarian's wonderful story about a couple and their bean pot. The pictures are a little blurry, but the story was great!

Groundhog Day

Sadly, the groundhog saw his shadow in Bloomington yesterday.

I have decided to counteract the six more weeks of winter (or more likely sixteen) by creating my own spring landscape on the coffee table.

Hooray, spring is here! As long as you don't look out the window.

The Family Portrait

The last of our visitors left town yesterday. Before they left, we tried our best to get a group picture. Sometimes the camera timer didn't quite work ...






... and sometimes the camera captured the chaos of people running in and out of the picture!














We never got absolutely everyone in a single picture, at least not with our camera. But the attempt was hilarious. And at least Mandy looks great in every shot!

You Win Some, You Lose Some

For the past seven months I've been working at a temporary job as a document librarian, and yesterday was my last day. I was sorry to say good-bye to all the wonderful people I worked with, but I felt very lucky to have made so many friends at my workplace!

In fact, I think my luck is improving. Here is the picture David took of my best Scrabble play ever: U-I-E-T to form two words, "quiet" and "every," with TWO double word scores, for a total of 66 points.

I hope that my next job will bring me just as much luck!

My Lantern Treasury

I got another treasury on Etsy! Check it out here -- look for the title "Lanterns."

Arrrrrrgh!

This is the piratical Christmas gift pictured in my Christmas post, and the piratical man who put it together.






David built the cardboard pirate ship yesterday with the ship-building kit that he got for Christmas.



Now it's on our dining room table, looking really cool ... and you may lay to that!