Five Things that Don't Suck, Belated Saturday Edition

1. not having to really shovel anything
2. cocoa
3. being a cool aunt
4. not having to get up for anything today
5. sketch books

Five Things that Don't Suck, End of the First Week Edition

1. crisp air
2. fleece-lined anything*
3. short, productive days
4. getting to know my new students
5. not having to grade anything yet

*technically theoretical, but I have yet to meet an item of fleece-lined clothing that wasn't super-comfy and warm

Five Things that Don't Suck, Calm Between Storms Edition

1. feeling the tension drain out of my shoulders
2. being able to freely move my jaw again
3. hugging a giant greyhound*
4. waggy tails
5. breath


*or one of any size, but only if the greyhound in question actually enjoys hugs**
**mine both request them. Your mileage may vary

Five Things that Don't Suck, Back on Campus Edition

1. walking through the library stacks to get to my office
2. the stacks
3. meeting new students who have no idea how much fun they're going to have
4. or how much learning they're going to be able to do
5. hearing students say, "Professor!" and be all excited about it

Five Things that Don't Suck, Last Day of Break Edition

1. not getting up with an alarm at 6:30 in the morning
2. comfy warm blankies
3. leisurely cups of coffee while surfing the web
4. time to create and think and create some more
5. being rested and ready to get back to it

Five Things that Don't Suck, MLK Jr. Day Edition

1. dreams and people willing to work to make them into reality
2. how far we have come
3. acknowledging how far we still have to go
4. the content of so many people's characters
5. getting to know people from as wide a swath of gender identification/race/ethnicity/culture/socio-economic class/sexual orientation/religion/etc. as possible

People, hatred is born of fear, and fear is born of ignorance. Get to know--truly know--one person from a group that you hate or fear or simply know nothing about, and you will open yourself to a new world, not of tolerance but of acceptance. It is extremely difficult to hate people of color if you come to know and love a person of color--even one. Same goes for homosexuals, people of a different faith (or of no faith or of a questioning faith or of a faith if you have none), the under-educated, the homeless...you're smart people. You get the picture.

Five Things that Don't Suck, Trying not to Think About Football Edition

1. strong, powerful rhinos*
2. tall, unstoppable superheroes**
3. kick-ass ninjas***
4. steam locomotives that just keep driving forward****
5. focused, precise frikkin laser beams*****

* like, say, Vince Wilfork
**or maybe Rob Gronkowski
***named Julian Edelman
****sorta in the LeGarrette Blount mold
***** Dr. Evil's Sharks Tom Brady