December 13, 2011

Liminal

The semester is winding down. My older two kids have moved back home for winter break, but none of us are quite in vacation mode yet.

My daughter, sitting by the fire, has her computer open and a stack of papers in her lap. She’s preparing for her thesis proposal defense – something to do with social norms theory and the sexual behavior of college-age women. With-a-Why, at one end of the couch, is writing a paper for his graphic novel class. He’s arguing that Batman represents conservative values while Superman represents liberal values. Boy in Black, who has claimed the other end of the couch, is studying for a physics exam. Smiley Girl is preparing for her dendrology final by flipping through index cards filled with facts about trees. Shaggy Hair Boy is writing a paper about how he considers jazz a sacred music. My husband is checking graphs that show what the stock market is doing, and muttering about a “head and shoulders” pattern.

After a day of long meetings on campus, I came home to make veggie lasagna so that we could all eat together before getting back to work. I’ve got a stack of portfolios in my office, but I need a good night sleep before I tackle them. I’ll start grading them tomorrow.

5 comments:

YourFireAnt said...

Trade ya some lasagna for some a' that potato salad ya like.... ;-)

jo(e) said...

The lasagna is already all gone. It doesn't last long in this house. But hey, now that my classes are over, I'm available for lunch ....

YourFireAnt said...

OK. Lunch. How about Friday?

This coming Friday, the 16th.

sherry said...

Jazz is sacred music. My husband (the jazz musician/doctor) gave an entire sermon about that once. It is the only thing about which he would ever preach.

Ink said...

Loved the "Still Life With Topics." Could just see it (and the topics were interesting to boot).

Sounds like it was an excellent family time!