Brave generally April 29, 2012

“I’m very brave generally,” he went on in a low voice: “only today I happen to have a headache.” (from Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll)

Versions of Reality April 28, 2012

It’s funny how humans can wrap their mind around things and fit them into their version of reality.  (from The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan)

Time’s Fool April 22, 2012

Time is making fools of us again. (from Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J K Rowling)

Every semester, as the academic cycle draws toward its end, the final weeks seem to rush by with indecent haste. And that is exactly where I find myself now, time’s fool, rushing madly to finish all of my projects by their respective deadlines. Sorry I’ve dropped the ball lately. Thanks for still reading.

What you do April 1, 2012

Love isn’t how you feel, it’s what you do. (from The Wind in the Door by Madeleine L’Engle)

The dandelion in the spring March 31, 2012

What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. (from Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins)

Winter in the northeast was mild this year—considerably milder than last year when this Texas transplant felt like she was frozen over heart and soul. I remember that when the first flowers began to bloom last year I was overwhelmed by a sense of relief. Life washed over me in waves of cheerful color, mild fragrance, the sound of birds singing. The heaviness and dirtiness and emptiness of winter peeled back to reveal renewal and hope and promise. This year, I feel it less acutely, but not less significantly. There’s no other way to say it—I love spring. And I need it. I need the hope it brings and the freshness. I need clusters of dandelions that make me believe in possibilities. I want bright tulips and daffodils to remind me that warmth follows austerity. That all of life flows through seasons and changes. I think we all need that.

Confidence is ignorance March 18, 2012

Confidence is ignorance. If you’re feeling cocky, it’s because there’s something you don’t know. (from Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer)

When I’m writing papers, this is usually how I feel. I’m a raving perfectionist, and I’m always convinced that I’ve missed something I should have read or researched or included. It’s something that has made my academic life much harder, because I inevitably do way more than is ultimately necessary, and also better, because I also inevitably do pretty good work. Now, here’s the problem. This paper I’m working on right now? I feel pretty confident. Which has me wondering what I’m missing . . .

Leprechauns March 17, 2012

Well, leprechauns. You know they’re not real, don’t you? (from Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer)

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh! That’s happy St. Patrick’s Day to you non-Irish speakers. Which I know is probably all of you, and that is exactly why I’m foisting that lovely language upon you. I love St Patrick’s Day mostly because it’s a day when everyone thinks about how awesome Ireland is. Since I study Irish literature, I spend a fair bit of time thinking about how awesome Ireland is (and especially how awesome Irish writers are). And Ireland is one of my favorite places in the world, second only to Texas. Normally, I celebrate this day by cooking and eating delicious Irishy things, but I don’t have time to do that today because I’m working on a paper that’s due tomorrow. Well, at least it’s about James Joyce’s novel Ulysses; if I’m going to spend the holiday writing, it may as well be focused on Ireland’s most important writer.

And the quote today comes from my favorite Irish children’s novel series, Artemis Fowl. Enjoy! Oh, and in case you’re still trying to sound out the author’s first name, it’s pronounced “Owen.” Betcha didn’t know Owen was an Irish name, did you?

The more places you’ll go March 5, 2012

The more that your read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go. (from I Can Read with My Eyes Shut! by Dr Seuss)

This is becoming a literal truth in my life. I’ll be moving to Atlanta this summer to start my next, last (probably) degree at Emory.

Funny Things February 26, 2012

From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere! (from One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr Seuss)

You know, the older I get the more I value having a good laugh. Dr Seuss is right. Funny things are everywhere, and thank goodness for that!

Open hearts February 25, 2012

Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.(from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J K Rowling)