Things I Have Done Today Besides The Work I Should Really Be Doing

1. Create sample Mentor Text PowerPoints for a student project. 
   
2. Chat with fabulous co-workers about upcoming department issues.
3. Re-register my child for a different class in the Spring after hearing the previous class would not do. For reasons.  
4. Go chat with my club mentees and admire their recent remodeling of the club meeting room. 
5. Re-read all of my currently read work emails. 
6. Walk over to the cafeteria to get milk for a coffee. Said milk was almost 4.00
7. Complain about said milk being almost 4.00 when I could have bought a gallon for that price.
8. I forget what eight was for. 
9. Make a coffee/mocha. 
10. Drink the coffee/mocha. 
11. Briefly contemplate dusting my office, but that fits the "work I should be doing" category so... nah. 
    
12. Change the October calendar to November (checks date) 16 days late. 
13. Think about ADHD. 
14. Send an email to my boss about how cold it is in this building. 
15. Think about going out to my car to get a warmer sweater. 
16. Fail to go out to my car to get a warmer sweater. 
17. Daydream about course syllabuses for the upcoming Spring semester. 
18. Suddenly realize I COULD be actually working on a REALLY WORK project and hence put off "Work I Should Really Be Doing" for another while, but still be actually working. 
19. Do a victory dance, then look for photos for reference in stock imagery collection where I have 100+ credits.
20. Add one more thing to the list so it's an even number because I'm not a monster. Hit Publish. 

Texas Public Radio Events

 Oh yeah!! I've been on Texas Public Radio a few times since I last did a blog entry. The videos get a little edited from the live show; a lot of the host and co-host "banter" between stories doesn't stay in the final YouTube version, so you really should try to come to a live version. They're super fun! And not very expensive (and you know someone who might be able to get you in free if you live in San Antonio, by the way.) 

Oh, two of these are not really kid safe-- at least the ones with the warning labels on them. So watch it only in a SFW setting. It's really just some grown up language in a couple of them (curse words, and a little rated PG16 or so) but if you're sensitive to language, don't ignore that disclaimer text. 

For this one in October 2023, themed "Specter" (ghosts and spooky things) I was the co-host. It was pretty fun, and lots of really spooky stories. 

And then there's this one, where I was actually the HOST host. Not co. It was so fun!! I am not looking to take over Tori's gig but I really appreciated being able to do this. The theme of this was "Rescued." 

And another spooky co-hosting gig, "Ghosted," in October 2022.

Even though I find myself awkward in videos, I'm so psyched that I've found this community. I want to keep doing this for a long time, as long as Tori (the coolest host ever) will keep having me around. 

Old Bones

The ancient lady (who feeds the feral street cats) is out 

in the yard 

again this morning. The sky is a gray purple touch of pink and colors you would say were lies, Photoshopped. Unreal. 

The cats hide, not ready for breakfast. They yawn and stretch,

lick matted fur, bat at rivals. 

She is Baba Yaga without her chicken legged house, stuck in the middle of an urban block, and the cats do not appreciate, do not even notice her magic. 

They meow “too early. Go back to bed, woman.” 

But she doesn’t understand their feral language. 

They don’t care enough to understand hers. 

She is pouring water into bowls, crouching low to fill

each, coiling her snakinggreen water hose around her thin legs. It tries to trip her,

catch her unaware, and 

she ignores its secret, hidden malice

not yet tripped up.

Her sweater is red and thin, just like her bones, in danger of unraveling. Not enough calcium. (Babies take calcium to make bones, stealing away parts

to form their parts they will later disregard as they crouch low, kick, stretch). 

The cats steal other bits too, time, uncaring.) Perhaps this loss of bones happened to the lady with the red sweater, knitted out of time out of fate, Mme. DeFarge’s skein, judging all. 

Her bones

worn thin from children who never visit, so she fills the gap with feral 

cats. Who also

do not call 

but lounge, arrogant and needy, circling her,

in a long driveway where no one ever parks a car. 

Fall 23