Syllabus #30

The end of Daylight Savings was the death knell of my motivation and productivity for the foreseeable future.  I was all about that extra hour of sleep so I popped a melatonin to really get into it.  Unfortunately it seems to have given me the rage.  Instead of waking up feeling rested and ready to get cozy with the impending holiday miasma, I woke up Monday feeling exhausted, with a long and detailed list of everything I currently find irritating looping through my brain like my amygdala is on a stupid hamster wheel.

Monday was the kind of day they write books about.  It's funny when this crap happens to somebody else.  A rundown of my day reads like a parody of Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day, which is ironic because one of the contributing factors to my very bad day was the rejection of just such a parody from a publication to which I had recently submitted it.  It's fine, I am not faulting the publication in question and I trust their editorial process, but THE DAY WAS ALREADY GOING SO WELL.

I woke up more exhausted than when I went to bed, after tossing and turning and ruminating and sweating and listening to the cat barf multiple times in hard-to-clean locations.  I had a headache and remained starving all morning from about the moment I finished eating breakfast.  Due to a steady stream of student traffic (which is honestly a good thing) I was unable to pee all morning until around 12:30.  At some point in there I saw the rejection email, then I had to proctor a computer based benchmarking test to a class that was doing their best to drive each other, and by proxy, me, insane.  After work I had a dentist appointment and they found two cavities!  When I got home I tried to empty the dishwasher and broke my favorite mug, and then some other random irritating stuff went wrong and it was just one petty stupid minor thing after another.  Thank you for the free talk therapy, please do not bill my insurance we agreed this was on the house.

Here's what else is on my mind this week:


Sometimes justice prevails.

See also.

This woman's mugshot is the face of someone who is so excited (about the irony of the circumstances of her arrest) and she just can't hide it.  Arrested on Halloween for assaulting her boyfriend with a broomstick?

You had me at garlic and brussels sprouts.  The two foods that can best ensure that people respect my personal space.

This is Japanese Halloween party concept is utterly delightful.  I would go as 'woman who is trying to hold in a fart until she finds a location to release it discretely'

This podcast about the origin and grotesque evolution of gender reveal parties was illuminating

I can guarantee that not a single librarian would attend this adult book fair.  It would be very triggering and I would need my emotional support cat for sure.

Analog Reading:

(ironically) Because Internet by Gretchen McCulloch

Sick in the Head by Judd Apatow

(just picked up) Little Weirds by Jenny Slate


Go forward with dignity, friends.