* back working on the "simple" socks knit of yarn from that UP dyer. The colorway is called "cosmic dust" but it also reminds me a bit of 1980s video-game arcade carpets - black background with bright "neon" or "fluorescent" colors - green, pink, orange, purple, teal. It also has one of those shimmer strands in it. It's fun, and the base yarn it's dyed on is nice, nice and "beefy"
* I'm almost done with "The Black Spectacles" and I admit I'm ready to be done with it. Gideon Fell can get to be a bit much. Or maybe it's just my mood lately. Maybe for the next mystery I need to get one of the Louise Penny books I've not read yet; at least Gamache is less verbose, and there are nice descriptions of good meals in those.
* That said, I AM enjoying "Between Two Rivers," it's well-written (not dry) and I like thinking about people living thousands of years ago and caring about artifacts that were already ancient to them back then.
* I'm watching Midsomer Murders. (The programs I usually watch - Ghosts and Elsbeth - weren't on because of Survivor, which I've never been able to care about). The episodes of this are interesting mostly for the culture of the British towns - on this one there's a game, a sort of pub game, called Aunt Sally, where you throw sticks (about the diameter of a broom handle but shorter) at a skittle (they call it a "doll") set on a stand, and you have to knock it off.
I really care about learning about those little details often more than I do the main plot
* And another book coming soon - I ordered a copy of "My Work is that of Conservation" which is an "environmental biography" of George Washington Carver. It was referenced in a Metafilter post which was featuring this story from Piecework about Carver - in addition to the other things he did in his life (the peanuts and sweet potato promotion/research everyone knows about, the advocacy for farmers, especially Black farmers, that fewer knew about), he was a crocheter! He learned as a boy, because he was often unwell (he caught whooping cough at a vulnerable age) and often had to spent time indoors with his mother. He kept it up through his life and apparently made gifts for friends. At the end of the article there's even a link to some of the patterns he used.
I knew some of his history and realized I wanted to know more. And there's a historical site dedicated to him that's probably less than a day's drive for me (in Missouri) and maybe if I ever plan a "southwestern Missouri" road trip, I make that one of the things I want to go see. (I enjoy those kind of historical/educational things, more than any kind of "adventure" travel or going posh places)
*Teaching is kind of tiring. Either I got a bit unlucky this semester, or there just are a lot more students struggling emotionally; I find people seem more anxious and I've had people do things like e-mail me multiple times over things. And my lab TA (who teaches a lab section with some of my intro lecture students in it; I teach a different section of the lab) reported one of my students was crying a little at the end of class and he didn't know if it was that one of her lab partners was low-level unpleasant to her, or if something more was going on, and so I said I'd keep an eye on her in lecture and see how things are going; it could have been a one-off thing, or maybe she needs a little support.
It is frustrating because sometimes I get tired and sad myself and I feel like I just have to suck it up and keep going. (There's not a lot of immediate support of that sort for "adults," you have to arrange for (and pay for) things like counseling or shoulder massages or something. And there's not a lot of "little treats" that can be quickly and easily got here in town)
* At least we're past the ice storm, and it looks unlikely we'll get more bad winter weather.
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