Today I sliced the leftover wedding announcements in half to make index cards for grocery lists and such. I think that means Sydney and I are officially established as a married couple 🙂 I’m sure glancing at the back of my grocery list and seeing my maiden name will set me off giggling in the grocery store, but I’ll survive.
Erin
On what was the first nice spring day after we got buried on Monday, I saw lots of parents and kids walking around campus. Were these the ones whose flights had been delayed because of the 18″ of heavy snow we got earlier? Or were they blissfully unaware that campus was under snow just three days ago? Either way, I caught a number of comments between parents and children as I walked, many of them in languages I didn’t recognize. It’s an interesting thing to walk around campus and hear lots of communication, but little that you recognize, and frequently something you’re not sure you’ve ever heard before!
Erin
Sydney’s going away this weekend for an annual Augustine conference. Unfortunately, he can’t really afford the time away from schoolwork, but I’m hoping he’ll enjoy himself, anyway. Unlike most of the population, Sydney actually likes being surrounded by philosophers who want to talk philosophy all the time, and it’s about time for one of his routine immersions 🙂
I’ll be home, doing what I always do when I have the house to myself: I’ll vacuum, tidy the house, and then spend the next two days reading in a clean house and enjoying that it stays clean. Yup, I’m weird. Sydney’s tidy, but I’m crazy-tidy. I unfortunately have enough work to do to keep me from visiting friends during this time or doing any other fun exploring. However, since it’s going to be nice and warm this weekend, maybe I’ll have to carve out time for a little venture into pretty Ithaca-ness. Our housemate is gone to Japan for a few weeks, so I have three cats to keep petted and happy, which, with these guys, is a job in itself!
Erin
Like much of the rest of the country, I’m trying to follow the information about the Virginia Tech shooter as it becomes available. But I’ve been so appalled at how the liberal media are handling the story that I barely trust them to get the kid’s name right. In the first article that the New York Times put out, they had very little information, so the article was comprised of interviews with students, parents, police officials, and faculty. But right in the middle of the article there were two large paragraphs about the need for gun control in this country. I thought they might simply have done a shoddy job of choosing material to pad the article, but then more gun control calls came in: additional articles, religious leaders, leftist activitist groups, all calling for more gun control. If I were tied to someone who was injured or killed on that campus, I would be outraged that so many groups were trying to use my friend’s body to get their political agenda through. I think it’s inappropriate to be arguing over gun control when the investigation is still underway, when it’s clear the real center of the tragedy is the mental health of this kid, and when no one has even been allowed a moment to grieve. Using the incident for political footing? Okay, that’s sick.
For the first time in history, Sydney and I both wore snow boots to school yesterday, so when we were pushing the car, trudging along unploughed road, and whatnot, we weren’t having to do it in dress shoes. Mom, I’m really grateful for the snow boots you gave me, and I’m also really glad Sydney’s arrived in the mail the other day!
We also remembered to pack a mini-shovel in the car this winter, unlike last winter. That made digging our car out much easier. Of course, if you actually need to dig out in Ithaca, by that time you really need two full-sized shovels, so we may up things by next year. After five years of living here we may eventually get things figured out.
We burned a bit of rubber trying to get up the roads yesterday, so that just made more evident the fact that I need to get the car tires replaced. I was notified they were running low when I got the oil changed last week, so I thought I would take them in at the end of this week to have that done. Kinda wish I’d done that last week . . . but at least I’m now fully motivated to get that done this week!
Erin
4 hours one way.
Okay, not normally. Just when there’s a foot of really wet snow and trees all over the road. The landscape really is gorgeous … if only people weren’t so insistent on always getting to places with cars, we could just stay home and enjoy it. I felt a bit more of a need to go in to classes today, since I was supposed to take over one (I was scheduled to do a presentation anyway) as the professor was stuck in Chicago thanks to the storm. We made it to school in reasonably good time. But coming back was rather more interesting. Notably, our car is still not at home since it can’t make it up our hill.
Sydney
Every sizable tree branch I see has a several-inches-high crest of snow. Considering that we’re surrounded by trees of all kinds, we look out into a beautiful scene. That beauty has us up and out of bed and getting ready to go out and take pictures. Of course, those pictures will most likely be posted on this website when Sydney’s harvesting tomatoes this summer . . .
A number of things have conspired recently to fill our lives with confusion:
– It’s the middle of April (Easter’s come and gone) but we’re expecting snow tomorrow. This has some strange effects: by now we’re carrying a heavy burden in our classrooms as we attempt to keep up the energy until spring resuscitates our students. We’re also going to need to hit the garden with a lot of time and energy as soon as we get a hint of stable weather, so we work with an eye to the weather forecasts.
– It’s only three weeks until the end of the term. That means that though we’re in the middle of weekly work (and plenty of it), we need to begin working on term papers and making summer plans. Ack! It’s difficult to focus on two things at once!
– It’s also only a few weeks before the class-filled regimen I’ve been following since preschool ends and that amorphous state of “dissertation stage” begins. Can’t wait! I think Sydney’s frazzled enough by this semester that he can hardly wait to move on to a different type of task. And we’re both looking forward to spending a bit more time at home!
– Our new bathroom tiles look great! But now, of course, with all of the excitement around our house (hey, when you only have two rooms, changes to the handkerchief-sized bathroom squished between them have a big effect!), I feel the need to do some major spring cleaning. But of course I lack the time, and Sydney and I will probably be gone too much to really appreciate it!
Apparently there are severe-weather warnings out for tomorrow: up to a foot of snow in Ithaca? Have a good laugh at our expense if you can, but know that I’m aware that many of you have experienced this same problem within the last few days, so make sure you’re on dry footing first!
Erin
“Time is issued to spinster ladies of wealth in long white ribbons. These they wind round and round, round and round, assisted by five female servants, a butler, a fine Mexican parrot, regular meals, Mudie’s library, and friends dropping in.”
“The Countess of Rocksbier sat at the head of the table alone with Jacob. Fed upon champagne and spices for at least two centuries (four, if you count the female line), the Countess Lucy looked well fed.”
Erin
Sydney got meal worms in the mail today. Yup, a live shipment of worms. He is worried about the birds that poured into Ithaca when it was warm and now have no bugs to eat once the temperatures dropped. So it seems he is trying to do his part to keep them alive.
All I can say is, what with the home-grown, dirt-covered beets that have taken up half of our fridge space for the last six months, and now the worms, well, I didn’t promise to love him “in worms and in garden”!
Erin
Alan Schmierer