Some of my series are back!

Y​ou can see my complete TBR list on Pinterest.
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*Items featured here are Bookshop.org affiliate links.

It's (finally!) windows open season in DC, and it is glorious. After the most humid summer in memory, the temperatures have cooled and the dew point has plummeted.

Do I enjoy the lingering pollen blowing inside? I do not. Is our robot vacuum working overtime to keep the dust down? Indeed it is. Do we sometimes have to deal with alley traffic noise and angry squirrel chittering? We do.

But we've also got gentle breezes and pleasant temperatures. I am going to enjoy them for as long as mother nature will allow.

It still warms up during the day, but the thermostat drops into the low 50s overnight. Perfect sleeping temperatures.

I might not be able to drag my work outside, but at least I can let a bit of this weather in.

The Odyssey
Homer (author), Emily Wilson (translator)

I just finished the epic! Honestly, the story was fine. No shade on Homer or Wilson's translation, I just didn't care for Odysseus as a character. He was too smarmy. 

But I am excited to read the end matter. I live for explanatory end notes and indexes! I loved Wilson's introductory material, so this should all be great stuff too.

*Books shared here are affiliate links for Bookshop.org

Last week, I was going through our small wine fridge to see what reds we had on hand. In the summer, we default to white and rose. Our stores of red were paltry. Just four bottles. On closer inspection, all of those bottles turned out to be from 2017 to 2019. We've accidentally aged a bunch of wine from a vineyard we used to frequent.

I have this problem where I want to save our "good" wine for appropriate times. But, when we have "appropriate" occasions - either in cuisine or company - we always go out to buy wine special for those moments. That left these bottles lingering in our fridge.

This week I said, "Screw it."

On a random Monday, we opened a nearly decade old bottle of wine while I was wearing pajamas and our only occasion was watching Monday Night Football. The wine far outstripped the moment, but who cares.

Sometimes we can make an average day just a little bit fancier.
 
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NOTE: No Wrap next week. We're out of town for a family wedding that we're turning into a vacation.

The Odyssey
Home (author), Emily Wilson (translator)

Odysseus is about to show the suitors exactly what he thinks of them. It's been several (dozen) pages of build up to this point. But, sadly, the denouement will have to wait. We're about to travel and this book is way to thick to pack in my carry-on. I'll be taking a break (with what book, I don't know), but I will pick this up when I get back. I'm still excited to read all the post-script material cause I'm a nerd like that.

*Books shared here are affiliate links for Bookshop.org

I started working at The University of the District of Columbia in 2018. After a decade at another university, I took the chance to hop into an outreach librarian position that was, literally, my ideal job. Every day, I get to do a mix of creative, scholarly, and  service work. 

During my research into the role and position, I learned a lot about the history of the institution and the community it serves. What I discovered showed me that this University was the place I needed to be. UDC is a mission driven HBCU that is the only public institution of higher education in the city. The student body is diverse which means I get to connect with students from all walks of life. 

Last spring, I happened to be around while The College Tour was filming an episode about UDC. On Friday, I finally got to see the show. Honestly, I teared up. The show features not only the story of our University, but the personal stories of some of our students. They are all amazing.

For years, UDC's reputation has not been the best in our city. But that reputation is not the University I know. It is not the students I know. We may be small, but we are mighty. Our students are driven, and they take what they learn back into the greater community. The College Tour perfectly captures the University I know and love.

A university doesn't need an Ivy league name to make an impact. I am proud to support our Firebirds, every day. 

I'm just going all in on Emily Wilson at this point.

Y​ou can see my complete TBR list on Pinterest.
​
*Items featured here are Bookshop.org affiliate links.

I was used as a primary source this week.

I went into a writing class to introduce myself as their embedded librarian. I was there to talk about how I can help them navigate the information landscape.

I was unprepared when the professor, at the end of my introduction, asked me to share about my experience of September 11th. Her students, most of whom weren't even born in 2001, were doing exploratory interviews and writing about the tragedy. The class stared back at me. 

"The sky was so blue."

I was a senior in high school, sitting in my civics class, when a teacher rushed into the classroom and turned on the television. It was one of the few in the school that got cable. Then the second plane hit. I'm sure the teachers probably thought they should turn off the TV, but neither of them made a move to do so. The bell rang. We slowly packed up our things and went to our next classes.

The rest of day, information and rumors passed in the halls. I lived in upstate New York and most of my classmates has some connection to New York City. Some shared confidently, others in hushed tones. Few had cell phones so no one could, for certain, say what had happened.

I'm not sure what I did after school ended that day. Likely, I walked home, turned on CNN, and sat there until it was time to go to bed.

But the sky had been so blue.

It had been a perfect fall day. The first of the season. The air was crisp. A light breeze blew through the trees that were already changing colors.

The sky was so blue.

The Odyssey
Homer (author), Emily Wilson (translator)

I'm nearing the end (I think) of the actual epic story. Gotta say, I don't like Odysseus. Not sure if it's the character or the translation, but he comes across as a egotistical man-child. If he was in my life, I would be much annoyed by his attitude and antics. Penelope can do better!

I'm looking forward to reading all of the end notes. Context and history will be an interesting addition to this reading experience.

*Books shared here are affiliate links for Bookshop.org

There were two days in a row this week that I woke, unexpectedly, from a deep sleep before 6am. Pair that with an unplanned late night because of a rowdy thunderstorm and my brain was complete mush.

​I dragged through the work day on Friday. Thank goodness it was a work from home day. I stayed in cozy clothes and drank some extra coffee. At one point, I caught myself just blinking at my laptop screen without comprehending anything. It was not the best day.

But now it's the middle of a long weekend and we're trying to soak in some extra pool time. It's not the last pool weekend of the season, but it might be the best chance left to savor a cooling dip in hot weather. Then again, DC always has a week in October that feels like July. 

I'm still catching up on sleep so maybe a nap in the lounger by the pool is also warranted.