How it's Going

Hello, my dearest folks. 

Today I am having a very happy, contented day. I am done with the semester, and the summer session-which I will be working-is not yet begun.

Today is super windy, which normally has me on edge and unsettled. But today, it feels invigorating. I said hello to my new neighbor across the street! She bought the house that, you may recall, Ken and Barbie were living in.

Maria is a soon-to-be-divorced woman whose ex's girlfriend is a bit psychotic and stalker-ish. So she has security cameras around her property. I'm glad to have met her so that I don't feel too paranoid about that! She seems quite nice and down-to-earth. I'm pleased. I feel like we are settling into the immediate neighborhood, after a fair amount of time!

I'm looking forward to being able to do a lot of work on the house this summer. I already ticked one thing off my list. I bought an extra long twin mattress online. The plan is to have two of them that we can either put together or sleep separately in, so that we can adjust according to the kind of night each of us are having. 

I have this pattern of how I buy things. I research for a long time, and let the dust settle. Then when I see a sale or the right conditions, I pull the trigger quickly. This was just such a time. I look forward to updating you when I get it in 2-3 weeks' time! Next: a tent.

I told Henry I was doing a social media fast and he needed to call me instead of our usual Twitter DMs. So he DID!! He has finally hit that 25 year old mark of maturity where he is willing to meet me halfway. I am very happy about this. Our relationship is heading into adult territory. Super satisfying!

And also, this is the territory Ben and I were getting into before he died. So, there is grief at that. There is always grief at every happy turning point. They never tell you about that. And honestly, they should not. If someone told me what I was in for, I'd have killed myself in 2014. But here I am, with some life left to figure out.

Speaking of which, I was looking at the alumni magazine from one of my alma maters, and the death notices were some bullshit. 72, 70, 71, etc. That is a terrible age to die. I really don't want to die at the age where you've just started retirement. If I do, you are all welcome to tell God to go fuck Himself, as I have done many times. In fact, that will be the theme of my funeral, if you can manage it, thanks.

There is a lot more to say, but I am just getting back into long form *everything,* so I don't really have it in me to say more today. Oh, just one more thing: I read a book! It's work-related. "Ungrading" by Susan Blum. A chapter is written by a friend of mine, Laura Gibbs. I'm teaching the first year college student course again next fall--why do I do this to myself??-but, damn, those 18 year olds are just so addictingly wonderful. Anyway, I am further going down the rabbit hole of radical teaching practices. Bell hooks knew it all back when I had no clue. God rest her soul. I need to reread her stuff as well. Delightfully ready to plumb the depths again.

XXOO

Liz