Monthly Archives: September 2007

As the days cool off, our cat gets a lot more lovey; she’s willing to be scooped up and pressed down into a lap or up onto a shoulder. When it’s really cold she even seems to like banding together … Continue reading →

After one of my students expressed dissatisfaction with her paper grade in a meeting today, she asked whether I’ve ever taught before.  Yup, she asked that aloud. Erin

Why is it that so many of the critics I’ve been working through recently are described as if they’re unruly children? I’m relieved to read that some reviewers also thought my current critic “willfully difficult”; I’ve spent a week working … Continue reading →

Perhaps you’ve seen the NYTimes piece on the happiness gap between men and women. The claim is that in the early 1970s women were slightly happier than men but that now things are switched with men slightly happier than women. … Continue reading →

Mom, Dad, and the Cooneys have returned safely to Iowa after their whirlwind visit.  It was so nice to share Ithaca with friends and family.  We love where we live, we like having company, and I think Arwyn enjoyed having … Continue reading →

There are some interesting discussions over at Beliefnet and Britannica Blog on the question of who writes history. The discussion was triggered by comments in Alan Ehrenhalt’s book The Lost City. Ehrenhalt suggests that the traditional dictum that says that … Continue reading →

Saturday night I, along with a few others, had the pleasure of having dinner with John and Wendy Wilson. As some of you probably know, John Wilson is the editor of Books & Culture, which is a periodical that I’ve … Continue reading →

I don’t think I’m used to eating out this much.  My stomach says, “Go home and make a foldover, follwed by an apple, and just sit still for awhile!”  I can appreciate that my company wants to save me cooking, … Continue reading →

Earlier this afternoon, while I was lying in the hammock and reading, a chickadee came and perched on my book for a while. Sydney

The last several times we’ve had company, Arwyn has helped to up the anxiety by vomiting (sometimes repeatedly) right before the guests’ arrival.  I was worried she was just being perverse, but today, after five vomit sessions throughout the night … Continue reading →