Odds and ends

[For Lindsay] Many, many thanks for sharing your thoughts and insights on this blog. It was such an honor to host your debut. Your contributions fit in seamlessly and I loved getting a bit more of a peek into your interior life. Writing publicly can be scary, yes, but the possibility of human connection makes the tradeoff of exposure worth it. You are always welcome to blog here, though I hope you undertake a bigger project of your own in the future.

[For Amy and Brian K.] Speaking of which, let’s get those blogs going. [Also for Brian K.] Someone arrived at my site by Googling your name!

[For those who arrive at my site by Googling Louise Erdrich/”The Shawl”] Are people all over the US world teaching and writing papers on this story? This has consistently been one of the most popular posts on this blog, which really surprises me.

[For Dale] In a nutshell, County Wicklow is super charming (sheep galore) and Belfast is a trip. You will have to wait for a more elaborate update over the phone, but some photos and stories can be found here. Cartesian Faith is no longer just for robots. Beep boop.

[For linguaphiles] “Yous” is a perfectly acceptable form of the second person plural in Ulster, as in, “Are yous all done then?” Apparently it comes from the Irish.

[For rock hounds] I come bearing souvenirs from Ireland.

[For bird nerds] All the birds in Ireland are different. Even familiar birds—robins, starlings, pigeons, crows—all look different, save the magpies. They look the same as the ones out in Colorado (i.e., nothing at all like Heckle and Jeckle).

[For hostaholics] Ireland was, disappointingly, a bust. I was hoping to see an impressive hosta walk, if not some interesting specimens, but all I saw the entire trip were snail-ridden, sun-burnt examples of the most common varieties.

…Off to chip away at my inbox. It’s good to be home.