Riffday: It. Starts.

So first of all, Nell says hi, and she will tell us about NZ when she gets back.  She just finally read that post a couple of days ago, but she can't figure out how to comment on her phone, which is the only computer she has at the moment.

Classes started today.  My usually-beautiful drive was not so great today because it is so smoky.  I'm listening to Ship Breaker on audiobook as I drive.  It's one of the ones I have to read for class this semester.  It's yet another post-apocalyptic. I'm curious about why there is so much post-apocalyptic stuff these days-- books and movies.  Maybe we will discuss that in class.  If you have any ideas let me know.  Are we so hopeless?  All we can imagine for the future is despair?

It remains to be seen if this guy can do something different with it, because honestly, I'm not all that excited about reading yet another book where civilization has fallen apart and it's a dog-eat-dog world out there.  yadda, yadda, yadda. end of the world, people killing each other to stay alive, institutionalized savagery-- yawn.  been there done that, got the t-shirt, ate the cupcakes.

It made me very happy to be back on campus.  Usually I'm not there on the very first day of class.  Even the remote parking lot was full, and there were lines everywhere.  Lots of excited energy, though.  The YA class looks like it will be great.  And I got to stop on the way back and get good bagels.  Have I whined about that before?  There are no good bagels in our town, so when school is in session, I make a weekly stop at the bagel store in U-Town. 

Also, like most bloggers I occasionally get e-mails from people wanting me to promote something. Usually I just delete them, because they are so obviously mass-generated e-mails, the equivalent of getting a form letter.  But recently I've received several from someone who sounds more sincere, so here is the link to a page on her site:  18 Ways Going Back to School has Changed (link removed at site manager's request, you can probably google it if you're interested).  It is more general than just adults going back to school-- the information on that particular page goes from grade school all the way up to college. It's kind of a fun article.  Check it out if you're interested.

The Chicken update.  I got a picture text from MadMax when I got out of class -- there were SIX eggs today.  That's the first time all six chickens have produced in one day.  MadMax named one of them Larry, and although a chicken is clearly a she, we've all accidentally called Larry "he" on occasion.  So I've accused MadMax of giving him-- I mean her-- a gender identity crisis that made it so she couldn't produce eggs.  But apparently today she did!  Go, Larry! 

Photographic evidence (sorry if this bores you to death-- it's sort of like posting endless pictures of your child's band concert-- but I just can't get over the fact that our chickens are laying eggs! woot!)