That sounds like a lot of power. I hope we’re doing useful things with ChatGPT. 🙃

Pals. Happy caturday!

Last night I had the composition students do group critiques of each other’s work in comp seminar and they were so thoughtful and constructive with each other. The kids are alright, ya know?

Thank goodness for the lovely fuzzballs. Happy caturday!

My biggest complaint with the current era is frankly that there is no moral leadership. I don’t see anyone at any high level making decisions based on the concept of doing what’s right. Of valuing truth, knowledge, empathy, and integrity. Not in govt. Not in business. Not in academia.

Every university that is incorporating AI into their daily practices is morally bankrupt.

Today is the first day of the modal mixture unit in sophomore theory, so I get to share one of my favorites from Margaret Bonds. Gotta love those modal mix amens at the beginning and the end.

The world is too utterly depressing, so I think I’m just gonna keep focusing on cat photos. Like…what is happening in this one? I’m not sure, but it is delightful.

Parallel lines. Happy caturday!

Kind of jealous of our cats’ 9-5. To be fair, they are working hard.

There should be a term for the grief one feels when one’s country becomes unhinged.

This is a banana smoothie appreciation post. One frozen banana blended with two tablespoons of peanut butter and 2% milk and you have created heaven.

It's been a week and I am looking forward to my weekly Trivia meetup tonight with some friends. Gotta hang onto the good stuff.

Giving myself just five more minutes with this one before I need to get moving. Very tempting to just stay here forever and shirk my duties. 😂

We’re up to four students who are out with either Covid (3) or a nebulous sore throat. Really should have gotten boosted this summer. Regretting all my life choices.

Early signs of fall. ❤️

I read the transcript from the first bit of this episode and wanted to scream. So many better follow-up questions should have been asked and weren't. Infomercial is an appropriate description of this episode. Also, Alpha Schools sound utterly terrible.

Talked about music boxes and Perotin in comp seminar today. I love this tiny movement by Oliver Knussen. Gorgeous.

It’s always quite amazing to have a day in which many many fires are raging and/or being put out and you come home and the cats are just doing their thing, utterly oblivious. Must be nice. 😂❤️

Annie Laver performed “Three Meditations for Organ” at the National Cathedral in D.C. this afternoon. Particularly special for me because my parents and some extended family and friends were able to go. Wish I could have been there - glorious organ and space!

Cat or new pair of shoes? Happy caturday!

We built a calculator that doesn't work, but don't worry, it's also a plagiarism machine that will tell you to kill yourself. It runs on the world's oceans and costs 10 trillion dollars.

Last work meeting of the week is done. Week 1 in the books. TGIF, all. 🍹

On the phone with an automated healthcare system this morning and just dreaming of an alternate universe out there where the society demanded more for themselves than this.

Teaching sophomore theory again this fall after not having had it as part of my load for a few years and it's so lovely to be back. I truly enjoy teaching the core classes - working to reach everyone, even (especially?) the ones who aren't the biggest fans of theory, is always rewarding.

Found out this week that folks who teach at IU have to submit their syllabi in advance for public review. Also that K-12 teachers in MoCo Maryland have to submit topics every 9 weeks in advance so that parents can opt out if they don’t like what’s being taught (thanks to the SC case).

You don’t need to send me a story about how it saved you an hour at work or helped you solve a math riddle or even self-diagnose a medical ailment. My thinking will be the same. That is nice and it is still not worth the societal costs.

A feature of this era seems to be that every org and individual I know is pretty much at capacity when it comes to work. 😵‍💫

"when that part of your brain that uses words goes dark, that's a vast area that's very close to your soul"

Lexi is currently embodying my shell shock as I recover from two days of all-day faculty meetings.

🙏🏻

Was reading the news and this was a lovely reprieve from all the other stuff!

all of this is basically a trojan horse for my sinking feeling right now that generative AI will be 'good enough' and that's...potentially a very bad outcome!

Very little depresses me more than the American university system blatantly ignoring the massive environmental costs of AI.

Had to get in our last little micro-vacation before pre-semester meetings start this coming week. It was a beautiful day for a hike in the Adirondacks. ❤️

It truly stuns me how many people who should know better (are critical thinkers, are in the humanities and the arts, are against capitalism, care about the planet, etc.) are little by little becoming completely obsessed with AI.

We are seeing in real time why DC needs the full power and protection of statehood. Deploying the National Guard to a state without a request from state leaders is unlawful. The fact that he could do it in the capital city is a massive vulnerability to our entire national democracy.

What’s your favorite music for calming anxiety? For me, it’s Kate Moore’s Debris & Alchemy. All three mvmts are 💯. I went on a bender of listening to this piece during the last bit of my doctorate. Going back to it recently because yikes the world right now. Would be happy for other suggestions!

Shoutout to my academic friends on here who are drowning in pre-semester emails. A big part of my email volume is probably because I'm chairing this year (😱), but oof it's a lot. On the other hand, I'm *finally* getting to that point where I think I'm ready to get back to it, so that's a good sign.

I’m not sure why, but today might have been the day my inbox died. So many work emails that I haven’t even had time to process the fact that humans think it’s a good idea to put a nuclear reactor on the moon. Def a beer night. 😵‍💫

I know that there are far, far more disturbing things going on right now but what the actual.

I woke up with the dies irae in my head and that checks out for August 1st. 😂

New documentary about the great Meredith Monk opens on Friday at IFC after a sold-out sneak preview on Thursday evening. The trailer makes this film look beautiful and fun, which is also to say accurate and appropriate. www.ifccenter.com/films/monk-i...

Had a migraine since yesterday afternoon and treated myself to a Reuben and a fountain Pepsi today and both turned out to be medicinal. Feeling much better. Sometimes you just need a deli sandwich. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I am doing periodic deep-cleans of various things in the house this summer and today I tackled our spice cabinet and hoo boy check your expiration dates, my friends.

Syracuse friends - get yourselves to Alto Cinco for their July special gazpacho. It’s 💯.

It is literally perfect outside right now - sunny, 70s, and less humid than usual. Puts me in a good mood for the end of the week. ❤️ Once in a while (and only in the summer and fall) Syracuse gets it right. 😂

I say this every year, but I deeply resent the fact that Target (and others, I’m sure) has their back-to-school display fully up right after July 4. Give. Us. Some. Peace.

The hits on higher ed just keep coming.