Gratitude: ha ha ha
I keep meaning to write a gratitude post. Since the last one I posted, I have, in fact, written one that I haven't shared because its gratitude is not pure enough. It is griping and worry and finger-pointing posing as gratitude. But I've saved it for myself as a record of my gripes and worries and some related actual gratitude.
Anyhow, here are some things I am grateful for, mixed in with some things to be proud of:
- For instructions on the internet. (Here comes the pride:) I have created my first MS-Word macros. (I've only been using Word for DECADES.) They give me keyboard shortcut for swapping the proofing language to US English (CMD-$) or UK English (CMD-£), which is fantastic for editing/marking since it's a real faff to change language within the comments area (on other people's work) so that it STICKS. So many people whose work I need to comment on are using Word with system settings in another language. (They've set their document to English, but comments are still proofed as whichever language their computer speaks.) I've discovered/implemented so many ways to be more efficient this term—the feeling of satisfaction is thorough.
- For a colleague in another department who stopped me on at the station to say that a student of hers was raving about my first-year class. So nice to hear!!
- For people in the school management team that I have real faith in. This is inspired this week, in large part, by a slide in a presentation that I thought was excellent. (But also other things.) They are speaking the visual language of bureaucracy in a way that serves us.
- For radiators and the fact that ours behaved appropriately when roused from aestivation.
- For G's oft-stated appreciation of her parents. Soaking it up for as long as we can. (I think she's secretly appreciative of some boundaries we've set too.)
- For 5-weeks-post-birthday presents. A fun assortment from Allison (some of which is pictured below) and a night out to see Sindhu Vee from Phil. There's something about Sindhu Vee that makes me want to have her as my friend. Not going to happen, but it's nice to feel like "there's someone out there who approaches the world in a way that I get".
