Wednesday, May 07, 2014

Some happy things

But first the not-happy: A friend of mine has had a "suspicious mass" turn up where no woman wants a suspicious mass. (It still could be fibroids or something, but it's scary right now).

But in my own life, a couple of good things:

* My bank statement today shows that my tax refund came in. That means, I presume that they're not questioning Jackson-Hewlett's math. And now I have that money to do something with. (I really want to replace my overstuffed chair; it's losing its support - it was a cheaper piece to begin with and it's almost 15 years old now). I may hold off until I'm 100% certain my summer classes "make," because that cash would be useful if I wind up unemployed for the summer. But still: a relief to know that that money is there, however I choose to use it.

* I learned how to do a deceptive cadence today in piano lesson. (I was kind of dying to bring up the Ponies reference to my teacher, but I figured it would take WAY TOO MUCH explaining.) She's trying to teach me how to chord things like hymns on my own, and the little tricks like pivot chords and tags.

*Also, she has a more permanent job, and it's closer to me. Not super close, not right in town, but the impression I got was that she could continue teaching, that it would be cost-effective with gas and everything.

* Even though I still get frustrated by stuff and don't play as well as I'd like to, I am realizing just how much better I have gotten, and how much I can do that I couldn't do even a year ago.

* Also, it was a good mail day. Because Best. Honorarium. Ever:

Best. Honorarium. Ever.

These were my free books for reviewing the OUP book. (One didn't come; they had noted on the invoice "not one of our titles" which, I don't know if that means they can't give me a copy (it was on the website!) or if it's coming under separate cover. I'm not going to worry about it too much if it doesn't come....)

And of course:





(Ambris, the artist on that, gave people free license to "download and apply where appropriate" and this seems appropriate).

Some of those books are "for work" (the bumblebee book, the soil ecology one), some are for my own enjoyment ("Britain Begins," and the other prehistory books. And the Oxford Companion to Food.)

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