Thursday, October 18, 2012

Thursday Thirteen

1. The box of brownie mix began calling to me from the pantry yesterday around lunch time. "Come make me, come make me!" it begged. Finally, I could stand the pleas no longer, so I turned on the stove, prepared the mix, and popped the dish in the oven.

2. There was no other chocolate in the house, as I had banned it from the premises. The brownies (now in a plate on the counter) were the last of it.

3. Fortunately I don't have to eat all of the brownies. I have people I can send them too.

4. On the walls of my home office: a picture of doe nursing her fawn that I took several years ago, a "license to laugh" that "entitles the bearer to perform random acts of spontaneous laughter," and a card from a friend that bears this sentiment: "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild & precious life?" - Mary Oliver.

5.  Sitting on my desk: a bottle of Chloraseptic sore throat spray, a bottle of Rescue Remedy, and Nasonex. I'm still battling a bad infection but seem to be getting better, finally. (The Rescue Remedy is always on my desk, though.)

6. Best thing I saw on Facebook this morning: "Me, I got a binder 47% full of big birds. Sheesh!" said by a friend who is a professor at a my Alma mater.

7. Alma mater means "nourishing mother" in Latin. In the US it is used to refer to an institution of higher learning from which you have graduated. I rather like the notion that Hollins University is my nourishing mother. It is certainly the place where I feel most at home and have done the most growing.

8. I have been trying to instill better work habits into my days, but being sick for several weeks has really put a dent in my efforts. It is hard to establish a routine when you have to go to bed when you're supposed to be doing something else.

9. My new career involves teaching, something with which I have little experience. Starting in November I will be an adjunct instructor at the local community college. I am eager to see if I like it and if I am good at it.

10. My words today are fretting me as I keep ending sentences with prepositions, and then I must edit said sentences. Usually it doesn't bother me to end a sentence with "at" but today it feels wrong.

11. The Internet is a strange place. I think it tends to bring out the worst in some people, but it has brought new people into my life. Earlier this week I had an inquiry about genealogy in Botetourt, and the woman turned out to be my husband's distant cousin. After looking at my blog, she sent me a photo of her father and he looks a lot like my fellow!

12. Also on my desk: 164 pages of a very bad novel that I wrote in the early 1980s. I have been trying to see if I can rewrite it. I am starting to think it is hopeless. I may need to keep the basic plot line and start all over.

13.  I hear the brownies calling to me from the kitchen now. I think this Thursday Thirteen is done!





Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 264th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

13 comments:

  1. Oh, those naughty, naughty brownies! They're always causing procrastination, aren't they?

    Here, I'll help you out: send a few to me, just to get them out of your hair. I like to be helpful that way. ;)

    Happy TT to you!

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  2. brownies, yum!! i hate when they call you over and over like that! interesting about "alma mater"...who knew?! best of luck in your new career! and i just love finding genealogy connections...it's been a while but i'm always hoping someone will reach out!

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  3. sure would love a brownie please ... i'll wait. ha. ha!! big hugs.

    i made macadamia cookies last night & i'm trying to be good. ha. ha!! fingers crossed. ha. ha!! (:

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  4. A fun list to read. That is cool about the meaning of alma mater, and your brownies seem to be getting all the comment attention.

    Here's a headline I saw yesterday: Binders Full of Women’ Now Has a Binder Full of Jokes.

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  5. Great list! I like to book-end things with brownies, too. Good luck with your work routine. I find myself trying the same thing lately. Also, if you're interested, this web site has a TON of teaching resources that I've found helpful in the past: http://www2.honolulu.hawaii.edu/facdev/guidebk/teachtip/teachtip.htm

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  6. I recommend giving up on the re-write and starting from scratch. It tends to be easier.

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  7. I'm sorry you haven't been feeling well.

    Enjoy the brownies--you deserve them.

    Re: the book--rework it for nanowrimo!

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  8. It's the licking out the brownie batter bowl that gets me into trouble.....

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  9. So much of this sounds so familiar! Especially, unfortunately, the infection and the complete re-writing of old manuscripts. But hey, at least we'll get some rest and exercise our writing muscles!

    Happy Thursday Thirteen!

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  10. Brownies are veil, the way the call out to and taunt one, lol. Love the "47% Big Bird" quote. My T13 post

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  11. Glad that you didn't "have to" devour all those brownies alone! And thanks for the derivation of "alma mater." I love stuff like that!

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  12. I baked a pan of brownie mix today too! Now I hope the kids will eat them quickly and get them out of here. The hardest part is, there's vanilla ice cream in the freezer too...

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  13. Wow, that cold won't give up! Maybe it's something worse than a cold...like a freeze...or something...

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