The Writing Conference 2025

 First off.  I'm sorry, BLOG.  I know I've ignored and discounted you yet again.  Please forgive me. You were never far from my thoughts.  I promise to do better. 

Now on to my topic of the day.  Lynda Barry came to Bloomington this week to teach a class and give a lecture for the IU Writing Conference.  I signed up at once.  Love her even more now if that's even possible. She made us draw pictures with our eyes closed and gave us some ideas for generating stories.  She said we were all a bunch of badasses.  High praise indeed. 

I've been going to afternoon classes about fiction, nonfiction and poetry  (Clink these links to find out more about my terrific teachers). 

 My cool classmates have also been a ton o' fun. Why do I avoid meeting new people? My isolationist personality proves to be a  mystery to us all time and time again. 

Speaking of mysteries, I'm writing a poem for my poetry homework this morning.  I don't write poems, but maybe I do now.  We may never know.  Poet Janan Alexandra read a Ross Gay poem. Ode to the Flute.  We wrote it down and then picked a line that stood out to us.  I chose the line "nothing was explained."  This is the poem I'm working on right now that starts with Ross Gay's line.

nothing is explained

in this cabinet of curiosities

you’re on your own, kid

who left this here?

this plastic frog atop the hot sauce bottle

can it be mine now?

baby stares at his dancing hand

does the hand also notice his baby?

is this poem good or bad?

rocks are hurled

answered with flash bang grenades

riddle me this Batman

It is what it is?

Is it what it is?

nothing is explained

The Book called Lucy by the Sea

 I finished a terrific book by Elizabeth Strout yesterday.  Lucy by the Sea.  It takes place during Covid Times. The novel brought back memories and evoked vague sensations of disbelief in this midwestern reader.

As I read I kept thinking, "Oh yeah, and then that happened." We lived through a sad and weird time, my friends.

 Lucy Barton is the main character and she's a woman with two grown kids who don't live with her any more.  She has woes and worries, but she maintains a pleasant demeanor. She leaves New York with her ex-husband William and social distances in Maine for a good long while.  I wish I could take a walk with Lucy Barton along the coast. She goes out twice a day.  I think we would have things in common and maybe she would give me some advice about writing.  

Lucy by the Sea is a great book. This is the 3rd book about Lucy Barton I've read.  There are 2 others.  You should read about Lucy Barton if you want to.  Elizabeth Strout knows what she's doing.  

The Grandson

 

As you both know, I'm going to be a grandmother in September when grandson Franklin is born.  

The distance separating us doesn't have to be an issue.  I'm reading tips on line for maintaining favorite grandparent status staying close when you live far away.  First, we'll need a consistent communication schedule. Obviously essential. 

Eating meals or snacks together is another suggestion that I quite like.  It's common knowledge that food brings people together. 

Sending gifts through snail mail is another obvious part of the plan.  Clearly, I've got that one in the bag. 

If you had or have an awesome relationship with your grandmother, please let me know about it and offer me your own tips for success. 

The Senator Search

 Headed up to the State House to join teachers protesting a harsh bill that aimed to reduce funding for public education. Full disclosure: It passed anyway a few days later. 

Nancer, gb and I  were hoping to join other Monroe County teachers for an official chat with our State Senator Shelly Yoder around 10am.  She's one of the good ones and we wanted to get her insider perspective on the mess we're all in.

We could not find our peeps. We zipped around hither thither and yon, asking people and texting others.  To no avail.  Our frazzled disappointment was palpable, but then Nancer spotted Shelly Yoder! She was talking to 2 young people who looked to be her staff.  I could not say for sure who these people were, but they didn't look like they would mind being interrupted.

We approached Shelly Yoder and told her we had been looking all over for her. She was super pleasant and had her staffer take our photo.  We later found this photo on SY's FB page! One door closes but another one opens.  

We weren't successful with our efforts to defeat SB1, but we'll live to fight another day.  

The Bernedoodle Visitor

We are hosting a friendly bernedoodle.  I frequently worry that she will choke and die on some of the expensive chew toys I've purchased for her, but so far she's AOK.

Yesterday she ate a teabag which was waiting in a mug for hot water.

Caffeine is poisonous for canines, so we were on high alert for hours.

I've learned from extensive research that many dogs across the land have worried their humans by eating teabags.  No one knows why they do this. 

There's a lot we don't know about our mysterious canine friends.

 

The Exposition

If you like Wes Anderson movies, you should probably get over here to Paris to see this exhibit at Cinematheque Francaise.  Top Notch.

Each room was dedicated to a different movie.  The amount of detail that goes in to a Wes Anderson film is mind boggling.  But maybe that's true for all films.  I thought Wes might drop in to the exhibit to connect with his fans, but I didn't see him anywhere.  I love Wes Anderson with all my heart, but I have to admit that I wasn't super crazy about his last two films. I would have loved a brief chat with Wes to give him some feedback and get him back on track. He has an apartment in Paris, so I could still run in to him at any moment.  

We've been walking hither thither and yon all over this great city. Husbandman complained that our walking was extreme yesterday.  He said he was thinking about consulting a divorce lawyer, but cheered up when we had a rest break with eclairs.  

 

The Profiteroles

We're walking about Paris for spring break.  Enjoying museums and parks and churches and restaurants.

  Last night we went to a fave restaurant for dinner.  Our evening was slightly marred when we were led to a table painfully close to 4 men out for a business dinner.  Come to find out, these men are in publishing. A New Yorker and a Brit yakked LOUDLY while their 2 Asian colleagues reasonably stared at their phones.  

  New Yorker and Brit worked on one-upping each other throughout the meal with their extravagant travel experiences.  We ignored them as long as we could, but toward the end they broke through our privacy wall,  peppering us with questions about our identities.  

Our Indiana residency confused them.  What's Indiana known for?  What do you do there? Where is it? 

 After some chitchatkittykat repartee, Husbandman and I went back to ignoring them and decided to share a dessert. When profiteroles arrived, these 2 flipped their lids.  "Wow! Profiteroles! Look at you 2 ordering profiteroles!" and "Well, I just can not believe that people from Indiana could make such a sophisticated order!"  

Don't you think that's a bit on the rude side?  Geez Louise.

Aside from this annoyance, the trip is going splendidly.  As usual, we're doing our best and forgetting the rest. 

  

The Thanks

 I have remorse about neglecting the blog and you, Dear Reader.  But life's been choppy.  At this moment in time, I'm working on day 9 of nasty pneumonia.  Let me tell you, pneumonia does not come to play.  It kills over 50,000 Americans each year.  

 I'm neither hale nor hearty at this point, but I'm on 2 antibiotics and only coughing 15 times an hour versus 60 to 110 times an hour.  We are trending upward.  

Heartfelt thanks to Dr. Alexander Fleming who accidentally discovered penicillin in 1928.  It would be decades before it could be manufactured in enough quantity to help people like me and it was a team effort.  Howard Florey and Ernest Chain shared the Nobel Prize for Medicine with Fleming in 1945.  I'm not on penicillin because I'm allergic to it, but Fleming's discovery started this whole wild ride of bacteria killing. I also have to recognize the contributions of The Penicillin Girls, the Rotting Cantaloupe, the quantities of Recycled Urine, and of course our own Iowa Corn-Skeet.   BE PROUD, IOWA!

To learn more about the amazing story of penicillin, you should read this important article if you feel like it.  

The Thing

Dear Auntie Max and Uncle Drew,

Sorry I didn't make it to your anniversary party.  65 years. WOW! Dad told me I should call and apologize, but I'm sending you this letter instead because every time I talk about what I've been through I get worked up and Dad says I need to move on. 

I went to an ice sculpting workshop in St. Paul but I had every intention of being back in time for your party.  The workshop turned out to be a total fiasco. It started off okay.  I got a ride with my roommate's cousin Nils. Remember he came to your barbecue last summer? He agreed to drive me up to Minnesota if I paid for all the gas, which wasn't completely fair because he had already planned to go visit his ex in Frazee for the long weekend.  But anyway, we drove all night and he dropped me off around 9 and took off for Frazee. At this point I was excited, but when I met up with the folks at the registration table things took a steep downhill turn.  

First off, you probably don't know this, but the whole reason I saved blood sweat and tears for this workshop was to work with Yukio Matsuo.  He was scheduled to teach all four days.  I know you most likely don't know who he is, but he's from Japan. This guy has been a huge influence on me ever since I  figured out a ways back that ice sculpting was totally my thing. Everyone in the family knows how important it is to me.  Anyway, long story short, Yukio didn't show up.  The registration guy dropped the news. Some guy from Alaska was now teaching because Matsuo got covid and was still in Japan.  

 I was in shock. Matsuo's book's been like my bible for who knows how long. I asked if there would be any discount or refund but the guy blabbed on about how they don't actually make any money off of the workshop (yeah, right). Claimed everyone was warned of  "unpredictable changes to the programming." (I wasn't).  It was useless arguing with him but I tried.  Believe you me. You know I get loud when I'm passionate about something, but I was getting nowhere so I turned heel and went off to find my team.  I was put with 3 teenagers who had never even heard of Yukio Matsuo.   Idiots.

The Alaska guy was a complete joke. He couldn't teach a kid how to refill an ice tray, let alone lead teams through four days of "advanced artistic sculpting."  As the day went on he royally cheesed me off.  Ignored me whenever I raised my hand and cut me off whenever I gave tips to the teens. Those kids needed my help let me tell you.

At the end of the day the registration guy pulled me aside. He said that he had good news and the workshop organizers had decided to return my fees after all. I told him I only wanted a partial refund. Told him I planned to stay, but he said my credit card had already been reimbursed and that I should leave right then and there.  Didn't even let me stay for the dinner.  JERK!

Nils came back to get me and I spent the next ten days sleeping on a couch at his girlfriend's house.  (They got back together. so Nils extended his stay).  Frazee doesn't have a lot going for it, aside from Big Tom, the world's largest turkey, so I didn't do much up there.  Watched Netflix mostly.

Anyway, I'm home now and I plan to make this whole thing up to you. Maybe I can come over soon to watch a Vikings game.  I'll bring a bucket of chicken.  

Thanks for understanding.  You 2 are the best.  See you soon,

Jackson

The Orchid

 These are air roots.  I think the orchid is okay.  The stuff I'm reading online is unclear.

The Recognition

 

With 2 good sized snows this week, we only attended real school for 1.5 days. At the beginning of the week kids played outside and teachers stayed in jammies, but by the end of the week we were required to e-learn. That's where everyone simultaneously attempts to get on a digital meeting in order to learn.

E-learning days are stressful for people like me who tend to stress over things whenever possible.  This one had its ups and downs, as per usual. Some kids could see and/or hear me, some could not.  Some kids easily joined the meeting, others had parents emailing me repeatedly that they could not join the meeting. Some kids cooperated, other kids held up cats and toy cars to the camera while making random noises. One kid was disappointed when I denied his request for a tour of my home.

With the kids who were present both physically and emotionally, we read and wrote and mathed.  Learned a bit about tundra swans. Looked at some fossils.

I gave the morning a 4 on the fist of 5 scale, but the majority of 3rdLanders held up all 5 fingers.  One cheerful boy said, "I love e-learning.  We're all together.  I actually feel a little sorry for my sister 'cause she does e-learning just on her iPad. All by herself. She doesn't get to have what we have--- all this!"  He waved his arms around strangely. I've got to borrow this kid's positive attitude I thought, but mostly I wondered how his sister's teacher was spending the morning. I was forced to remind myself yet again to mind my own business and to move along. 

After the meeting ended, I waited for recognitions to roll in. Surely someone would want to compliment me for  educating our nation's youth on a glitchy, developmentally inappropriate platform with snow falling and calling from right outside the window. Where were the bouquets and statuettes?  Simple emails of gratitude?

 It took awhile to get my head on straight, to realize I would receive no rewards that day.  

I made a cup of tea, pulled the big chair over near the bay window and gathered my notebook and tome stack. 

An afternoon off would have to be almost reward enough. 

2 plastic mastodons are buried under this snow.  Just like the ice age.

Note the absence of gift packages.