S oft air, partly sunny, and quiet following the Young Master's departure for school aboard the big yellow bus this morning. Perfect for another cup of coffee and then a trip down the road to the supermarket for the week's groceries. Normally, the Grand Duchess handles this particular chore, but she is away at a conference in South Korea this week, so yours truly is picking up the slack. In any case, a good excuse to get moving today, brush my teeth, dress presentably, and take care of things before lunch. That frees me up for re-mulching duties this evening after dinner once the Young Master plants himself in front of the TV for an hour or so before bedtime. I'll don some older clothes for that particular task of course. Classes have been finished for just over two weeks, final course grades were submitted last Monday, and the Spring 2025 semester/term is now well and truly over although one failure contacted me just a few days ago to ask abou...
W ith the possible exception of lawn care activities, cleaning out the garage, or changing the oil in your car, there's never any reason not to look reasonably presentable. People can argue to the contrary all they want in 2025, but I will stick to my guns on that one. Looking as if you have perpetually rolled out from beneath Oscar the Grouch's garbage can two minutes ago is not how to go through life. The mindset and habit neither make (nor maintain) a decent impression, do not instill confidence among others, and do not encourage people to take seriously anything that one might have to say. Of course, I recognize and revel in my outlier status. With this particular contrarian approach to personal appearance in mind, I took the opportunity to attire myself as usual for the first session of a summer writing group on campus Monday morning. About 10 of us will meet once a month between May and August to work in each others' proximity on campus, have lunch, ...