The Scarlet Letter

Look Inside my Crystal Ball

2020-11-13T18:33:00.002-07:00

What is the future of education? That is a huge question. There is a lot of speculation about whether or not the trends towards online learning will be accelerated by the pandemic. I don't have a crystal ball, so I'm not sure, but I do know that the magic of education is in connection. This can happen online, but it certainly takes a lot of effort. To feel engaged, students need to make three main connections:

To their professor: They need to feel like the teacher is a real person who is really interested in the subject that they are teaching. This is hard hard hard online. I try to add personal detail to my classes, and let my students see my face (at least occasionally) despite my introverted desire to remain anonymous.

To each other: I just started doing peer editing again in my courses this semester. I've always hated online peer editing, but I've come to realize that it's necessary if I want my students to connect with one another. They need to be able to feel vulnerable by putting their writing out there. I also require a ton of interaction on discussion boards.

To the institution: I think institutions are getting better at this. I am in a group of moms whose babies were born all at the same time (August 2017). I have only met 2 women in the group in real life (one before the group and one as a result of the group). But, I feel connected to all of them. I think that people are growing more and more comfortable becoming a part of communities that exist (for them) only on the internet, and this is something that schools can really take advantage of.

I don't think online education is going away, but I don't think in classroom education is either.

If I could make a wish, and ask my crystal ball, what I want for education is for it to be reborn as something that is more respected in our society. I want education to be about learning- the student's willingness and openness to learning at the center. I don't want education to be a required step on any life path, but a place where we can learn to exchange ideas and grow by exposure to different viewpoints. I'm a bit of an educational idealist, but if I could make a wish, that would be it.

Best Laid Plans

2020-10-31T17:44:00.002-07:00

I don't know why this week's prompt about planning made me think of the enneagram...but it did. If you aren't familiar with the enneagram, it is to 2020 what Meyers Briggs was to...I don't know...2010? It's a personality test. And if you feel like taking it, you can do so here.

When I taught leadership, I used personality tests all the time, because whether or not they are "accurate," they promote self-reflection and insight, so they are really valuable for students because they are still learning about how they best function in the world of higher education- are they procrastinators? Do they take a lot of time to complete projects? How do they balance their priorities?

It took me a long time as a teacher to figure out how I function best. As a student, I was super prone to procrastination of big projects, and I like to finish things quickly. I would wait until the last possible moment and then write a 20 page paper in a day. I am always the first one finished with a test. When I started teaching, I was similar: let the pile of essays sit and then exhaust myself to get them done by the next class period. Prep the lesson right before going to class, or worse don't prep a lesson and just see how it goes.

A few years after I started teaching at YC, and when I book blogging regularly (on this blog if you want to scroll back a bunch) a lot of the bloggers that I followed were reading Getting Things Done by David Allen. Although it's not my typical type of read, I was really struggling to get things done so I read it. I barely remember anything from the book, except for this piece of advice: If there is something on your to-do list that will take less than three minutes, do it right away. That tiny piece of advice changed the way that I dealt with my email inbox and a lot of other things. I started doing things fast, and right away.

Then, as I started teaching online, I started to want to plan further and further ahead, and that translated to my face-to-face lessons. I was jealous of my colleagues who had semester long lesson plans and whose Canvas shells were finished through the very last week. And I took the steps to become that kind of teacher. I almost always plan ahead. I spend a huge amount of time prepping (especially online) prior to the start of the semester, and it makes my enneagram four heart happy to have the structure of having my tasks finished.

So, what am I teaching next week? We are starting a novel unit in Introduction to Literature, in ENG 102 we are starting to read short fiction and long form essays, and in ENG 100 we are working on interacting with the ideas in a piece of journalistic writing. All of these weeks have been planned since the beginning of the semester. And that gives me the freedom to focus on communication, interaction with my students, and...grading that pile of essays I've been procrastinating. I still haven't solved that one.

The IDEAL classroom

2020-10-26T16:24:00.002-07:00

I've always wanted to teach as a hologram...

All kidding (kind of) aside, I'm super happy online teaching. Here are five reasons why:

1. I am a true introvert. I express myself best through writing, and I like to have time to think about what I want to say. Although I am practiced at in-person teaching, I sometimes feel like I am following a script, and I feel a real energy drain from performing in front of a class.

2. It is flexible for instructors and students. As a mom of two young kids, I like to be able to shift my schedule around when necessary and still stay on top of things. I also feel like online gives me the opportunity to work with students that are in the same situation, with kids and jobs and time constraints, and online education gives them an opportunity that they wouldn't otherwise have.

3. It is an opportunity for constant, continuous improvement. If something doesn't work in a class, I can change it right away. I can pop right into my course shell and make the changes and I don't have to worry about writing it down somewhere, losing it, and forgetting it before the next semester.

4. There is something super creative about designing an online class that I love, and there is also something very satisfying about seeing a course as a finished product (even if it is also constantly in development).

5. I feel like I'm in a constant conversation with my students. Although there are issues with feeling like I have to respond to questions super fast, and to be available in many different ways, I love the feeling that we are always talking and always moving through the same things together. I don't get that with face to face classes.

Bonus: I love being an online student. I take classes pretty much every semester, either at YC, or elsewhere and I feel like I am constantly evolving in my abilities to be an online teacher and learner.

Radically Empathetic

2020-10-26T15:53:00.004-07:00

This NPR segment is one of the 100s that I have heard since the beginning of the pandemic about working mothers and how their situation is not sustainable.

I'm a working mother, and my situation was not sustainable.

When we first went into quarantine, I knew right away that working from home with my toddlers was gonna be a challenge.

I also knew that it was going to be a challenge for my students. Right away my students started struggling, with their internet, their jobs, their children at home, their elderly parents, their own health (physical and mental). And their struggles echoed mine. I could only see one way forward, radical empathy.

I typically have a lot of class rules: firm due dates, lots of assignments, no late work. But more than I wanted to make sure they followed the rules, I wanted my students to succeed during this insanely challenging time. I wanted to be sure that they crossed the finish line and I felt like I could be a teammate in doing so. I felt it in my heart when colleagues would talk about students not keeping up because I was only meeting my deadlines my the grace of caffeine, a completely destroyed house, and late-night grading.

And you know what? Over the last two semesters, I have realized that I like feeling like I'm on a team with my students. I want them to learn to be responsible employees, and I don't want to pass students that can't do the work, however, I realized that it made no sense to imposes such strict rules in a world so full of unknowns. And even though it is amplified in these crazy times, my student's lives are always filled with chaos. One Fall semester, I felt like I was home with sick kids 50% of the time. I felt like I was drowning, but meeting my responsibilities by the skin of my teeth. And sometimes, I didn't. And you know what? Everyone was forgiving. How would have I felt if they hadn't been?

So many of my students are great when they have the time to do the work. And how much time that takes has so much to do with so many other factors. So, I'm learning to be more flexible: with them and with me.

Getting to Know You...

2020-10-09T16:10:00.001-07:00

This week's prompt is:

How do you get to know your students and build community when you can't meet them physically?

I have been teaching online far before the pandemic; I was and am still teaching online asynchronous courses.

To build community, I require heavy participation in almost weekly discussion boards (at least in my non-developmental classes). The number of times that I require the students to comment on the boards each week (at least 8 times) helps them to get to know each other better. They start out with a discussion that is about them, personally and as students, and I ask that they share a photo. I share photos of myself and of my family and I try to participate in the discussion boards at least through the first few weeks of the semester.

I used to avoid peer-reviewing, but have moved back to doing it to build trust in the classroom. Sharing work with other students is vulnerable and they tend to take care of each other's work, which also builds the classroom community.

I am also sure to require enough work that the students participate in class regularly. The more time they spend in the class physically, engaging with the materials, the more they are able to see themselves as part of the community in that class.

I think that I am lucky in that I am in a discipline that lends itself well to creating community. Whenever I take a creative writing class, as a student, I feel pretty connected to the members of the class, even though we are online. This is because we are sharing our work with one another. There isn't the opportunity to do that in every class.

Home Life

2020-10-07T10:58:00.002-07:00

I hate working from home. I said it. I hate it.

I'm a compartmentalizer. Teaching is the sort of profession that can reach into all aspects of your life. There is always something that can be improved, another paper to grade, another student that could use some quick encouragement.

Pre-pandemic, I did my work at work. My kids had daycare from 7:45-5:30. I came with my packed lunch, sat and my desk and had all my meetings during those times. When I got home, I bathed kids, put them to bed, watched some Netflix and went to sleep. Weekends were family time. I limited my email checking for work to one time a day.

I still use the office now, and luckily, my kids still have daycare. They didn't for the first five months from home, and the advice from most WFH experts was comical. My days had no structure. I graded essays in three minute increments.

Now, I work from a desk at home, looking at the kids' toys that need sorting, the dishes that need washing and the laundry piling up.

And here is my advice that I maybe should take myself:

1. Time block. Commit to working for a certain amount of time and then taking a break to do whatever (usually laundry).

2. Pick a time to end the workday and then be done. My kids get picked up from school at 3:00 and that is when my day ends. Sometimes that means picking up again after bedtime.

3. Don't let home become work. Try to take work calls, check work email, grade, etc at my desk. That way, the desk is work, and the rest is home.

4. Go outside sometimes.

Other compartmentalizers out there, I feel for you. Working from home isn't always a paradise. Good luck in there.

March and April No Shopping Update: The Episode in Which I Buy Alllllll Of the Things

2018-05-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

So, I totally went off the rails....

What happened is, I bought my kids some gifts for their Easter baskets.

Seriously, that is it, that was all it took for me to start buying stuff again, and buying so much stuff my mailman asked me to get a bin out by the street for my packages (which, um, no thanks, I would like my stuff not to be stolen en masse, thank you). So, what I learned from this is, shopping really is an addictive behavior, and it is easy to relapse.

There are some positives here.

1. I didn't really use credit cards during the buying season of spring 2018. I borrowed from savings to cover overspending a little, but I didn't resort to the cc's and completely reverse my progress.
2. I filled up a lot of shopping carts but didn't hit 'order confirmed.'
3. I found a lot of bargains.
4. I put my tax return towards my debt.

So, could have been worse, but now the goal is to get back on track and spend the rest of May frugally. I was dreaded posting this, because I don't feel good about not sticking to it. However, I think it is more important to celebrate my successes, and to focus on continuing to use the tools I've gained to work towards my goal.

No Shopping February, Starting to Slip?

2018-03-15T12:40:00.000-07:00

February was kind of a month of reckoning on my journey to spend less. I continued to work on figuring out exactly where my money was going, and I learned that it mostly goes only a few places:

1. Food
2.Bills
3. Debt

So, all the money that I thought I would simply have if I stopped shopping, actually doesn't exist. I was shopping on credit, which was what was continuing my cycle of debt, and eliminating that shopping, didn't actually leave a lot of extra money on the table. So, I've had to dig a little deeper. So, I have started changing a few behaviors to start saving money in the small pockets that are available. Here is what I am doing:

1. Making every attempt to spend less than $100 a week on groceries. Honestly, this shouldn't be hard, but I was spending an absurd amount before. I eat out a lot, eat at my mom's house about four nights a week, and was throwing away tons of food. Not only was it a waste of money, but wasteful in other ways as well.
2. Bring my lunch to work four days a week. I have had mixed success with this. I think last week I ate out every lunch, which was obviously a failure, but I was also traveling around to do classroom observations. I also have trouble determining what I should bring, and in the future might try out going home for lunch instead.
3. Only have "fancy coffee" once a week. Guys, I was spending soooo much money on coffee. Like, legit, $7-10 a DAY. I don't drink milk, so I was upgrading my lattes, and I was sometimes hitting the drive thru in the afternoons as well. Now I am bringing my own coffee, ordering a plain mug of coffee if I want to work at a coffee shop, and saving sugary lattes as a treat.
4. I have been trying to turn off the lights in my house before leaving. This has saved me about $20 on my electric bill, and is kinder to the planet. I also might start turning down my heater when I leave for work.
5. I have been making sure that I connect my phone to wifi when I am browsing. I'm kind of lazy about this, and I have a cheap loyalty plan that doesn't have unlimited data. So, I was regularly paying an extra $20 a month for data overages. Whoops.

I still need to find ways to save more, and I think that eating out is the obvious culprit. So, if anyone has tips and tricks for quick take to work meals, I want to hear them. I'm also continuing to avoid last minute Amazon purchases by keeping my wishlist and letting things chill there until I'm sure I need them. Any other tricks and tips for small savings?

Top Ten Tuesday: February 21, 2018

2018-02-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is Books I'm No Longer Interested in Reading. Here are mine:

10.

There are two things that I don't really like, and I'm just going to admit them now: historical fiction (at least the traditional sort) and romance. So, this is pretty much a no-go.

9.
The show is just so good. Am I interested in how the books are different? A little, I guess, not enough to read them.
8.
I started this series, when I was on a YA kick. Now, if this many years has passed and I'm not curious what happens, we are done here.

7.
I have started this book... twice. And it makes me sad, because Don DeLillo is one of my all-time favorite authors. But it is long, and I've given it a good college try.
6.
I know the secrets of this book. I've watched the YouTube video, and bought the book, but then didn't read it until my babies were no longer newborns, and no longer needs swaddling and shushing to sleep.
5.
I just can't with this book. I started it for a book club, and it just isn't my cup of tea. I guess we can add one more thing to the list of things I just don't like: fantasy. Sorry, not sorry.
4.
I made it through 2/3 of this book. I even made it through the long, depressing slog of a center section about all the murdered women of Juarez. It has now been so long since I started it, I can't really imagine starting again so I could finish it.
3.
I used to kind of feel like not reading this book made me an imposter. I guess I still kind of feel like that, but not enough to finish reading this book.
2.
This is just a stand in for all books that fall into the category, "books where sad things happen to beloved pets." After the sobfest on the side of the road that was the Marley and Me audiobook, I just say no.
1.
I can pretty much imagine what happens in this one. And I know it would make me pretty mad. So, I don't really need it in my life.

Book Lover's Gift Guide: President's Day

2018-02-19T12:19:00.002-07:00

Is there ever a bad time to give a book? I didn't think so, and that is why I am starting this new feature on my blog. Book giving guides for any occasion! Might as well start today with President's Day. Take you day off and read one of these gems.

1. Maira Kalman, And the Pursuit of Happiness - If you don't know Maira Kalman, you should. Might as well start here, with her beautifully illustrated journey exploring American democracy. This is the book that made me fall in love with Kalman and also a little bit with America. This is a great gift for someone that doesn't like to sit down with a long book, but loves whimsy and art and coffee table books.

2. George Saunders, Lincoln in the Bardo - Okay, so I have to admit that I haven't read this. Lots of other people have though!! The book is the first novel from short story extraordinaire George Saunders, whose collection The Tenth of December I have read and enjoyed. The novel takes place in the wake of Lincoln's son's death and during the Civil War. It would be a great gift for the reader in your life that loves the new, hip thing and is eager to read something unusual.

3. Barack Obama, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream - Barack Obama is a truly talented writer, and both of his books are enjoyable reads. This one outlines his plan for the American people, which may not seem as appropriate now, but has the potential to be as hopeful as ever. Get this for you friend who eagerly watches the Obamas' every move and is hand making stickers for Michelle 2020.

4. The Constitution of the United States of America - This one is a little on the nose, but what better day to review the vision of our forefathers? Get this one for anyone, but especially that high schooler in your life, or the buddy that loves to argue politics, but hasn't really dug in to the original documents.

5. Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass- Whitman's poetry is as American as the Constitution. His Civil War songs are as good an introduction as any to that time period and would be perfect for any poetry or classics buff in your life.

One Month Down: January and No Shopping!

2018-02-05T12:28:00.001-07:00

I haven't been keeping up with my blogging like I had hoped, but I have been continuing my spending fast. I've learned a few things so far:

1. I am really spending beyond my means. I am going to have to dig deeper than I thought.
2. Not spending money isn't as hard as I thought it would be.
3. There are some fringe benefits to not buying new stuff- less laundry, less choice getting dressed in the morning, less clutter.

My first month of this challenge feels more like a "trial month," since what I learned is that I need to make even more change to my spending. Also, I was making payments still on a debt that is now paid, which should help free up some cash.

I have been resistant to a real financial reckoning since the beginning of this. I thought I could make some small changes and my debt would kind of start to resolve itself- WRONG. So, I read this book, and have started to take the steps she suggests.

1. I have added up my debt. What I learned, is that I have less than I thought (especially in the student loan area). This was heartening.
2. I have started to take a three-month inventory of all my spending. This is exhausting. I spend too much money on groceries, on coffee, and on the vending machine at my work. I also have some subscriptions to cancel.
3. I have started keeping track of my spending using an old-fashioned check register. This is a habit that I still need to get into, but I am going to give it a shot.

Items Purchased: One top from a Luluroe charity fundraiser (approved, but possibly unnecessary). I am purchasing a stuffed animal zoo for my kid's room (not necessary, and I'm feeling a little bad about it now). I also had to purchase a copy of a book for the library because I spilled my coffee on their copy. I almost bought sandals for my daughter but canceled the order.

Temptations: I just have been feeling a general urge to go shopping. There isn't anything in particular, but I am missing the action.

Emotions: Meh.

Resources and actions: The book that I linked about has been a great resource. I've canceled a couple of app subscriptions so they don't auto-renew. I've canceled my BOTM subscription that I thought I was going to keep. I will also be canceling my New York Times online subscription (which is unnecessarily difficult BTW).

Week Two: First Target Trip

2018-01-14T12:37:00.004-07:00

So, I ended up with a Target gift card this week. I am like every bad mom at Target joke: I can't buy just one thing, I can't stick to my list, I have basically never spent less than 100 bucks. However, I did have a few things I could really use, and I had the gift card. I hadn't really addressed rules about gift cards. Unlike physical gifts, they encourage the kind of impulsive shopping that I am trying to avoid. However, I decided that if I made a clear plan to purchase practical items that I needed, I could use them. So, I made a four item list: shower gel, a to-go coffee mug, toddler socks, and coffee filters. YOU GUYS....I DID IT! I bought those four things at Target. And I even picked a very practical, on sale coffee mug which I have already used. I know that this might seem like a small thing, but I picked up like 90 other things while I was in there, and I didn't buy any of them. Plus, I didn't even spend the whole gift card.

I have been feeling more hopeful generally about my ability to complete this challenge. Although I have no illusions that I will be perfect, I can feel how not thinking about shopping is starting to free up some of my mental space.

Items Purchased: Toddler socks and a to-go cup with my gift card. Photo prints to work on my kiddo's baby books (on approved list).

Temptations: I am really tempted by new clothes. I have unfollowed an online boutique that I frequently buy things from, but I am still visiting the page and resisting leaving the group entirely.

Emotions: Hopeful and excited.

Resources and actions: I have been deleting some shopping apps from my phone and continuing to leave or unfollow email subscriptions and Facebook b/s/t groups. It is kind of amazing how often I am confronted with opportunities and temptations to shop on the daily. Also, I started a wishlist for things that are practical, that might even be considered "needs," but that I don't want to purchase right away. That way, even if I do end up purchasing them eventually, they weren't impulses. Also, I can direct people to the list to purchase gifts for me or the kids. That list is here.

Week One: My Last Hurrah

2018-01-05T10:13:00.000-07:00

I'm still trying to settle on a format for these posts, and I think what I have decided is to start with a little reflection and then some basic stats. So, this week has shown that I really am a binge shopper. I knew that I was going to start this challenge on the 2nd, and I prepared by buying things. I ordered some leggings I had been thinking about, a bunch of baby rompers, some size 3T clothes for my toddler, and I went sale shopping on New Year's Day. Honestly, the leggings are awesome and so are the baby rompers, but I mostly felt anxiety about my anxiety. Why was I so worried about stocking up on stuff when I had more than I would ever need? On the first day of the actual challenge, I cleaned out my daughter's clothes to size them up (always an emotional pursuit). When I went out to the garage to get the clothes in the next size, I realized that I had more than I could fit in her drawers. I am surrounded by so much abundance in terms of material possessions. It is time for me to rediscover all the abundance in my life- my family, my job, my home. I'm excited about the journey.

Items purchased: I've purchased two things from my approved list this week. It was my husband's birthday, so I bought him a gift (a sweatshirt that he had told me he wanted), and I consigned some baby clothes and left with a $1.50 pair of black sweatpants (I had allowed myself to get some plain baby basics with my credit). Normally, I would have spent all my credit in that trip.

Temptations: A Yeti cup (I have no to-go coffee cups at home) and an upgraded baby bath tub (something I might end up using consignment credit for since baby is growing out of hers). I've also been browsing some shopping sites without purchasing.

Emotions: I still feel mostly doubt and anxiety about my ability to do the challenge. I still haven't told many people yet in my personal life. I'm hopeful though.

Resources and actions: I checked out two books from the library: this one and this one. I also turned off notifications or left shopping groups on Facebook.

A year without shopping

2017-12-26T12:25:00.000-07:00

In thinking about my New Years Resolutions this year, and coming off the excess of the holiday season, I have decided to do a version of "a year without shopping." I have tried budgeting in many different forms, as well as attempts to declutter and live with less, but the dramatic has always been the most effective for me, so I'm taking that route. This Ann Patchett column popped up in my feed and sealed the deal. That said, I am the mother of two young children, so this is not likely to be a true "buy nothing" year. So, this post is to set the parameters for what I can and cannot purchase beginning January 2nd, 2018.

What I cannot buy:

1. Clothing/Jewelry/Shoes/Etc. for myself or my husband.
2. Books (I will stay a member of the book of the month club, but may not purchase any "extras").
3. Any unnecessary household items/trinkets/furniture/candles/paper goods, etc.
4. Magazines (even at the airport)
5. Baby Gear (except for a convertible car seat when June grows out of her current infant carrier)
6. "Stock" aka, no buying soap, lotion, makeup, etc unless I have or am about to run completely out. Also, no upgrading items that are not broken.
7. Souvenirs
8. New subscriptions (boxes, etc.)
9. Ebooks or audiobooks.

What I can buy (with parameters):
1. Kid's clothes - if the kids need clothes, I must try to consign items first, then try thrift stores, and (last resort) may purchase from Target or Old Navy. I may buy special occasion outfits for birthdays and Christmas and family photos. Can stock up at Last Chance 2 times/year. on kid stuff only. Prioritize allowing Grace to choose clothing she likes and having a few things to wear that she really loves.
2. Gifts- I can purchase gifts for kid's birthday parties, holidays, etc, with preference going to books or homemade goods. No cards.
3. Art and craft supplies for specific projects only in the quantity needed for that project.
4. Christmas cards.
5. Kid's books and toys- may purchase from Scholastic orders from school and can reward kids with toys 1 time/month and kids must be present. No buying kid toys online or when shopping kid free.
6. Charity/MLM parties- I may attend and purchase one thing per event/party with preference given to things that are needed and/or can be gifted/saved for holiday gifts.
7. Household goods related to our remodel.
8. Christmas gifts for kids (something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read).
9. Other charity opportunities: These will be considered on an individual basis, and gift cards/cash will be donated over goods.

What I can buy:
1. Groceries
2. Experiences (zoo passes, swim lessons, movies, photography, etc).
3. Coffee
4. New eyeglasses
5. May continue current subscriptions to Hulu, Netflix, Dollar Shave Club and BOTM.

Other related parameters:
1. Use "Daily Budget" app.
2. Try to meal plan to reduce grocery costs and waste.
3. Prioritize minimizing debt.
4. Do a 40 bags in 40 days challenge for Lent.

My goals for this project are financial, but they are also to live a more minimal life less driven by consumerism. I'm sure I will slip up, and I'm sure that things will come up that need considering, and that is why I am going to try to blog about the challenge once per week. I hope that some of you will join me, and that you will help keep me accountable as well.

Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts

2015-11-25T20:25:00.002-07:00

Thanks, Christine, for hosting!

10. I love Thanksgiving. Mostly because it is about family and food. We had a friendsgiving, a potluck for G's (my daughter's) daycare and the usual potluck multi-family gathering that we go to tomorrow. I've been thinking about busting out some maternity pants to wear a la Joey.
9. I've been MIA on my blog again for lots of reasons, but partially because I've been blogging for a challenge at work. You can find those posts HERE.
8. Lately I have been reading on my Iphone before bed, and liking reading in e format more and more. This is mostly because G sleeps in my bedroom and goes to bed before me. However, I don't like using a blue light screen so I'm thinking of asking for a Kindle (or other ereader) for Christmas. Does anyone have a basic one that they love?
7. I've been thinking a lot about gratitude lately, and have been keeping a gratitude journal since G was born. So, I thought THIS article was really interesting.
6. Can't wait to see Mockingjay Part II.
5. Saw Pixar's Inside Out and loved it.
4. My daughter started daycare at the beginning of the month which has been an adjustment. It was earlier that I would have started her, but we got a spot at the daycare at my work. So, I've been going in to the office a couple of days a week. I had totally forgot how hard on your body sitting at a computer all day is. I foresee many trips to the chiro in my future.
3. I recently read The Empathy Exams and didn't love it. I'm not sure I can pinpoint why. Did you love it? What did you love about it?
2. I loved Lena Dunham's book. She might be my spirit animal. Or a manatee. Or this smug sloth...

1. I just finished reading Gold, Fame, Citrus and I really really really liked it. Claire Vaye Watkins is so talented, and I really want to go back and read Battleborn.

Bookish and Not So Bookish Thoughts

2015-10-07T09:01:00.000-07:00

10. 4-5 p.m. is totally no man's land for me as a stay at home mom. I don't know what to do with myself or my kid. Usually she sits in a bouncer while I scroll through FB (I know, terrible). I am totally open to suggestions for what to do with myself.

9. I did check out this gem from my public library...

8.The new Silk cashew milk is weird.
7. I'm reading a bunch of stuff right now, and am about 75% through all of it: Lena Dunham's essay book, Aziz Ansari's Modern Romance, and The Empathy Exams. I keep the books in different places around the house, so if I'm nursing or rocking G, I can always pick up a book. One is on my phone so I can read it in the dark before bed.
6. Saw The Martian! Didn't fall asleep! Victory!
5. Really liked The Martian. I loved the book when I read it last year, and the movie really captured the tone and the excitement.
4. If you are a new parent, this podcast is the thing.

3. I love all of the BabyLit books, but G is especially into this one because it features dudes with facial hair. No joke, kid loves facial hair. This bodes well for the $50 Santa portrait session that I just signed up for.
2. The reality of my maternity leave ending is finally setting in. This means two things: 1. A day will come when I have to wear pants with a waistband; 2. I need to start coming up with a plan to prep my classes.
1. I really hope that I teach a class next semester in which I can teach Tim O'Brien, The Things They Carried. I have come to the conclusion that it is my favorite book to teach.

How was your week this week? What's new in your bookish or non-bookish life?

Thanks to Christine at Bookishly Boisterous for hosting.

Top Ten Books that I Have Quit...But Would Like to Pick Up Again

2015-10-06T13:31:00.001-07:00

I did my own twist on the TTT topic today. Majoring in English and getting a graduate degree meant lots of weekly reading, and not always finishing.

These are books I liked enough to hope to return to them someday.

10. Underworld by Don DeLillo: I have read half of this book three times, but always feel compelled to start at the beginning with each reread.
9. Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon: We read this for my book club right before G was born. I got about 250 pages (or 1/4 of the way) in. I really want to devote the time to the book that it deserves, and my third trimester was not that time.
8. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace: Are you sensing a theme? REALLLY long books might not be my thing.
7. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller: I think I got the gist of this one, but I would like read the whole thing.
6. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy: This was one of the last books on MA exam study list. I was pretty sure that no one was going to ask me about it, but I wanted to finish anyway...and I didn't.
5. Middlemarch by George Eliot: I have actually read this all the way through once. I was going to read it again for a class in graduate school, and just didn't make it through the second read. I would still like to return to it.
4. Bleak House by Charles Dickens: And again, long books, not my thing. I usually say I read this, because I think I made it to the end, but there was a lot of skimming/speed reading involved...

I can't think of a top three, but this is a robust TBR. What books did you start and life just got in the way?

What I Read: Saturday by Ian McEwan

2015-10-03T16:09:00.000-07:00

"He's been delivered into a pure
present, free of the weight of the past or any anxieties about the
future. In retrospect, though never at the time, it feels like profound
happiness."

Grade: A

Have you read Saturday? Let's chat about it in the comments.

Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts

2015-10-01T20:21:00.003-07:00

...a day late.

10. Every few weeks, I decide to read some sleep training books. Then, I get totally overwhelmed by the information in them and resolve to just keep doing whatever "feels right" in regards to Grace's nap and sleep routines. I'm in the midst of one of those cycles right now.

9. I am trying to listen to Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse on Audible for my book club. I read the book when I was an undergraduate, but don't really remember anything about it except that it was difficult. Although I love to listen to non-fiction, I'm not great at paying attention to fiction on audio, so we will see how this goes.

8. I'm really enjoying the new Ryan Murphy series Scream Queens. I am a fan of his in general, but I don't love all the American Horror seasons,and thought Glee got a little lame at the end. So, I'm hoping this one keeps up its momentum, since I did love every weird, campy minute of Nip/Tuck.

7. Jurassic World is coming out in digital this week, and I'm super excited. When I was pregnant, I would tell my baby to stay in there until I could see JW. My water broke at Starbucks the day before I was going to see it. So, boo. But, now I can watch it from the comfort of my living room.

6. The new Lana Del Rey album makes me feel like I've taken muscle relaxants. I think that is the point? It's not safe to listen to in the car.

5. In other movie news, I can't wait to see the The Martian. It will be our first movie in the theater since G was born. I just hope I don't fall asleep.

4. When we chose the name Grace for our baby, I felt like no one was named Grace. Now it seems like everyone is...including Lena Dunham's sister, which I learned reading her book while rocking my baby before naps.

3. I'm really into Jellycat books for babies. Not sure why. They are really short and simple, but I just think they are the cutest.

2. This app is my new obsession.

1. I'm happy to be blogging a bit instead of scrolling endlessly through my Facebook feed. Facebook is like crack for new moms. I don't like it, but I can't stop doing it.

Have a great week all! Thanks for hosting Christine!

Top Ten Tuesday: For Fans Of...

2015-09-29T10:37:00.001-07:00

This week's TTT is Top Ten Books for fans off (insert popular book here). I choose...

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

1. The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson: This book is amazing. It is Nelson's memoir of her relationship with a transgendered man during transition and the birth of their son. As a new mother, I found the honesty about motherhood refreshing.
2. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen: Yeah, it's for kids, but it is the OG survival in the woods story, and it is Ah-mazing.
3. Post Secret books: Quick coffee table reads with the same confessional tone as Strayed.
4. The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan: These essays by college journalist Keegan, published by her mother posthumously are worth a read.
5. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey: Yes, it is the most controversial because it isn't really true memoir ever. But, it is a hell of a ride, and is a classic of the genre because of the controversy.
6. A Widow's Story by Joyce Carol Oates: Strayed's memoir is essentially a story of grief, and this memoir is one of the best stories of grief I have read.
7. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson: Wild is kind of a road trip memoir, and this is a great road trip memoir.
8. Are You My Mother by Alison Bechdel: A graphic memoir about a mother/daughter relationship. It isn't as good as Fun Home, but has more in common with Wild.
9. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh: This memoir from Brosh's popular web comic addresses issues of mental illness that resonate with Strayed.
10. Jennifer, Gwyneth and Me by Rachel Bertsche: I love Bertsche's voice, and this, her memoir of trying to improve her happiness by emulating the lives of celebrities, has the same type of self-help quality as Strayed's work.

What books remind you of Wild? What are your favorite memoirs?

Back to Blogging? And my new addition...

2015-09-27T16:22:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have been on my blog, but I have been working on something...

My daughter Grace was born on June 14th. I stopped blogging during my pregnancy. I didn't read much since I was always falling asleep! Now I am staying home with my daughter, getting some reading in, and hoping to start working on my blog again. Things might be a little different, but hopefully will be fairly regular. I thought about moving to Tumblr, but it might just be a little more Tumblr-like around here instead. Talk soon!

TLC Book Tour: Wildalone by Krassi Zourkova

2015-01-27T20:28:00.002-07:00

Welcome to the TLC Book Tour for Wildalone!

Click on the image to buy it from Powell's

I love the cover for this book, and I love it so much it made me want to read it, even though the book itself isn't something that would necessarily be up my alley. But, I saw the beautiful cover, and then read that the book is set at Princeton, and I was definitely in.

The book is about an Eastern European girl, Thea Slavin, who is attending Princeton to study music. Her parents are wary of her going to that particular Ivy, however, since her older sister died there decades before and her body was stolen from the morgue. Thea never knew her sister, but is interested in the mystery surrounding her disappearance. So, when she arrives at Princeton, she finds herself not only caught up in the opportunities to perform on the piano that are being offered to her, but in the investigation of her family's (supernatural?) past. And, on top of all that, a handsome stranger appears at her first performance, and she finds herself in a romance as well. But nothing is what it first seems to Thea, and she learns that the world is much more full of magic than she ever knew.

From the description on the book jacket, I thought that there would be heavier fantasy elements to the story. I was expecting the fantasy to come early in the novel, and was surprised that it came much later and lighter than what I was prepared for. The beginning of the book was a little slow going for me, but about halfway through I found myself totally caught up in the romance and the mystery of the story. Slight spoiler: There is a love triangle, and I found that I didn't even know who to root for (since they were both some handsome and flawed), but I definitely wanted to know what happened. My critique of the book is that there might be just a few too many elements, threads to follow, and I don't know if they all tie up. However, I certainly enjoyed the journey.

Title: Wildalone

Author:Krassi Zourkove
Publisher: William Morrow
Date: 2015
Genre: Fiction

374 pages.
Where I got it: From the publisher and TLC Book Tours

TLC BOOK TOUR: David Nicholls, Us

2014-10-22T22:04:00.002-07:00

Welcome to the TLC BOOK TOUR for David Nicholls' Us!

Click on the image to purchase the book through my Powell's partner account

I wanted to be on the tour for David Nicholls' new book, because his last book (the bittersweet page turner One Day) made me feel like this:

This new book is also about relationships, this time about a couple whose son is leaving for college and whose marriage is falling apart. The book's narrator, Douglas, learns in the first pages of the book that his wife is planning to leave him, but first, they must go together on a grand European tour that they have planned for their son Albie's graduation. On this vacation, Douglas hopes to win Connie back, but finds himself instead blundering through so many of the situations that they find themselves in. The story is told mainly in the present, but also with flashbacks to the exciting beginnings of Connie and Douglas. The book is structured in short snippets of chapters and sections for each of the European countries the family visits on their tour. This format made the book really readable, and like, One Day, difficult to put down.

I didn't relate to the characters in Us like I did to those in One Day, although I still found them likeable and was rooting for them, all of them. The idea of setting the book on a grand European tour is right in my wheelhouse, and I loved seeing Paris, Amsterdam, Venice and Madrid through the eyes of the characters. Because I loved One Day so much, I think that it may have been a little difficult for this book to live up to my expectations, but this book does capture the same sad, but hopeful, tone and offers a similar picture of a relationship through many stages. I recommend it to fans of Nicholls and to fans of insightful writing about relationships.

Please be sure to check out other bloggers on the tour!

Monday, October 6th: The Daily Dosage
Tuesday, October 7th: nomadreader
Wednesday, October 8th: From L.A. to LA
Thursday, October 9th: Spiced Latte Reads
Monday, October 13th: BookNAround
Tuesday, October 14th: Bibliosue
Friday, October 17th: 5 Minutes For Books
Monday, October 20th: Patricia’s Wisdom
Tuesday, October 21st: A Bookish Way of Life
Wednesday, October 22nd: Vox Libris
Thursday, October 23rd: The Scarlet letter
Friday, October 24th: Giraffe Days
Monday October 27th: Read. Write. Repeat.
Tuesday, October 28th: Lavish Bookshelf
Wednesday, October 29th: nightlyreading
Thursday, October 30th: Always With a Book
Friday, October 31st: Alison’s Book Marks
Monday, November 3rd: Drey’s Library
Tuesday, November 4th: …the bookworm…
Wednesday, November 5th: More Than Just Magic
Thursday, November 6th: Walking With Nora
Friday, November 7th: Bookshelf Fantasies
Monday, November 10th: Booksie’s Blog
Tuesday, November 11th: BoundbyWords
Wednesday, November 12th: Literary Lindsey
Thursday, November 13th: Books and Bindings
Friday, November 14th: Every Free Chance Book Reviews
Monday, November 17th: Doing Dewey
Tuesday, November 18th: Bibliotica
Wednesday, November 19th: Books in the Burbs
Thursday, November 20th: The Book Binder’s Daughter
Friday, November 21st: Book Loving Hippo
Monday, November 24th: I’d Rather Be At The Beach
Tuesday, November 25th: Svetlana’s Reads and Views
Wednesday, November 26th: missris
TBD: Reading in Black & White

Title: Us

Author: David Nicholls
Publisher: Harper Collins
Date: 2014
Genre: Fiction

392 pages.
Where I got it: From the publisher and TLC Book Tours

READATHON! Master Post

2014-10-18T07:52:00.000-07:00

Well, it is here. Today is Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon, and I woke up in Hour #3.

1)Where are you reading from today?

Prescott, Arizona

2)Three random facts about me…

My favorite food is macaroni and cheese.
I'm an only child.
My favorite children's book is Where the Wild Things Are.

3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?

4)Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?

I'd like to read for at least four hours, and fulfill my cheerleading duties.

5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?

Have fun!

HOUR THIRTEEN- I THINK- IS THAT RIGHT?

I finally finished a book!!!! Woohoo! I'm not doing much blogging though, so follow my #readathon updates on Twitter!

Follow @Hawscarlet

TLC Book Tour: Caitlin Moran, How to Build a Girl

2014-09-30T17:45:00.002-07:00

Click on the image to by the book through my Powell's partner account.

I am currently writing a book, in the endless, empty hours of the day. It's about a very fat girl who rides a dragon around the world and through time, doing good deeds. The first chapter is about her going back to 1939 and making Hitler see the error of his ways, via a very impassioned speech and cry. There's also a huge bit about the Black Death, which I prevent by introducing stringent quarantine conditions on merchant ships sailing into major British ports. I'm very into the idea of sorting things out through superior paperwork. This is my favorite transformatory power.

Reading Caitlin Moran is like meeting a soulmate. Although I didn't grow up poor in Wolverhampton -- like the main character of How to Build a Girl, Johanna Morrigan -- I was always the chubby kid with the big dreams of becoming a writer. In fact, sometimes, I think that if I could go back and do my teenage years again, I would become a music journalist, which is just what Johanna wants to be. The difference is that Johanna finds her passion for writing about music when she decides that she needs to save her family from abject poverty after accidentally revealing to her elderly neighbor that her alcoholic, failed-musician father is receiving disability benefits. In her imagination, she has ruined her family, and so she must fix it by building a life for herself that is bigger than the one she is living.

I've read Moran's collection of essays, Moranthology, so I know that she is a great music journalist. Her writing there, just as in this book, is lively and quirky. She has a fantastic, conversational voice, although it is definitely raw (just in case that isn't your thing). Quite a few times while reading the book, my husband had to ask what I was snickering about. I highly recommend her writing to all once-lonely teenage girls, Anglophiles, and music journalists at heart.

For other reviews, follow the link for TLC BOOK TOURS!!!

Title: How to Build a Girl

Author: Caitlin Moran
Publisher: Harper Collins
Date: 2014
Genre: Fiction

316 pages.
Where I got it: From the publisher and TLC Book Tours