Southwest implementing its no free checked bags policy before implementing assigned seating has created an absolute hellscape of plane boarding.

what are the best staplers? the ones that never jam and aren't finicky, even if you're someone who has weak grip strength and likes to hold them sideways and staple in the air instead of using the table?? I would pay good money for the perfect stapler.

Sometimes I wonder if the overwhelming scale of #SBLAAR25 is worth it. But then I go to a panel on a topic tangential to my work but w/presenters who are just good thinkers & writers & question-askers, head back to my room, and bang out 750 words for a paper I'd been struggling with for weeks.

If you’re at #SBLAAR25 and looking for a hearty breakfast/brunch, let me recommend Thornton’s. Huge portions, reasonably priced for a place walking distance from the conference center, quick service, and generous with the coffee refills.

Last night’s Amazing Race episode had a Greek alphabet memorization challenge, obviously in honor of #SBLAAR25

Which books need to be on my shopping list for #SBLAAR?

People grouse about colonoscopy prep, but honestly, the week before when you cut all the healthy fibrous veggies and whole grains and have a good excuse to eat nothing but meat, cheese, pasta, and dessert is pretty top tier.

Fall break means my university inbox is at zero, so no one is allowed to email me for the rest of the day.

My 2yo is learning the Lord's Prayer and somehow got it into his head that the line is "deliver us from people," and you know what kid? fair enough.

Is there a pdf of the 2025 SBL/AAR program available? I find the new online program book less convenient to navigate than a good, old-fashioned CTRL+F.

Looking forward to seeing how many of the 18 year olds who lapped me on the track this morning are in my classes today!

New achievement unlocked (if I ever say I want to go back to school again, please give me a good shake)

Well, we somehow managed to win the academic lottery—my spouse will be moving into a tenure track role at Pepperdine this fall! Feeling super proud and super lucky.

Using a tablet and e-pen to offer feedback on writing is such a game changer, and I can’t believe I’ve waited so long to get on board. All sorts of ways to annotate that reviewer mode in word just can’t replicate.

A high schooler just complimented the way I was wearing my shirt, so either she was making fun of me or move aside Gen Z, Gen Alpha is bringing back the French tuck.

The other Dr. Estes’s robes are here! Totally customized and look great, with/slight differences between his and mine noticeable only side by side If you’re a PhD student looking for a more reasonable alternative but want your school’s colors instead of generic black, check out Cap and Gown Direct!

Greater love hath no man than this, that he do an LAX drop-off for his friends.

Vacation = reading time = finally getting around to @andytobo.bsky.social’s contribution to the Elements series. First chapter is a lovely, accessible summary intro to recent approaches to ethnicity that I wish I’d had to assign to students in my Ancient/Medieval Christianity class last semester!

It looks like I'll be in Durham for a workshop in December. Right now the plan is to fly in via Edinburgh, make my way down the coast with a stop at Lindisfarne, then spend a few extra days sightseeing. What must I be sure to see/do/eat in Northern England?

Me to Disney.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that if you're waiting for reviewer feedback it WILL come in the day before you leave for a vacation.

I'd love to hear from folks who teach online courses to learn how you're creating assessments and discouraging cheating. It's always been harder online, but in the last two years it's just seemed impossible. I've liked picking up an extra course in the summer, but it's been so discouraging lately.

Doctoral regalia has gone up even MORE since I defended (now nearly $1200 after tax!!), so spouse has decided to take a gamble and use one of the knock off custom regalia providers for 1/3 of the price. I'll compare to my robes in 6-8wks and be back with links if they turn out well!

Ah, closing day for Malibu Little League, when all the teams and coaches are named and recognized and you realize one of the other AA teams was coached by a guy who played in the majors for 12 years.

Spent the first hour of my workday on a three-way phone call with insurance/hospital billing, so there goes any chance of getting anything else done today. (0/10 would recommend having a kid break a leg out of state)

Did I just spend two hours trying to read a medieval catena manuscript? Yes. Am I any closer to answering the original question that brought me to said ms? No. (If they find me dead in my office, tell them the medieval Greek scribes and their infinite ligatures and abbreviations did me in)

It's the first time I'll stay at a conference hotel instead of camping out on a friend's couch in Boston for #SBLAAR2025. Do we have a favorite hotel?

Alas, I moved a footnote to the main body and expanded it quite a lot, which means.... I now have to cut something. 😭

If the article was at 7.9k words before I started filling out the sparse foonotes... what are the chances it stays under 10k total?

This is completely anecdotal, but I've been struggling to edit/wrap up an article and I just changed the font from Calibri to Garamond and it's a whole new ball game. Does anyone else have silly little hacks like this?

In the latest effort to slowly drive me batty: it's mandatory password update time and my uni has just upped the required length from eight to FIFTEEN CHARACTERS LONG.

You can tell I am READY for summer break, because I've been insanely productive at grading. Just two late projects and a makeup exam to go and then I'm FREE!! I'm going to read so much for fun, it's going to be lovely!

Feeling particularly bummed today, as I've learned that some students are not even using ChatGPT to write their papers/presentations, they're just copy-pasting paragraphs from the google AI Overview. One even cited it as a source, which is something, I guess? sigh.

Southwest just announced that it's going to start charging to check bags and will no longer let you make changes to your itinerary w/out a fee on basic fares. Which means Southwest is getting rid of all of the things that made it great, and I don't anticipate flying with them in the future.

While browsing primary sources for my ancient/medieval Christianity class I ran across Hucbald's "In Praise of Bald Men," a 146-line poem extolling the virtues of baldness in which every letter begins with the letter "c," and why have I never heard of this before??

My 2yo often subs a very emphatic guttural for other sounds. Yogurt-> YogUCH, duck -> duCH Guess it’s time to start him on Hebrew? 🤷🏼‍♀️

It’s that time of year again when I read up on heretics while watching baseball practice. They say it’s the best view in Little League, and I’d believe it!

Friends, I have start up funds that will disappear if I don't use them by July--what new or upcoming book releases should I buy? (I'll take any requests, but especially late antique Christianity, Syriac, Christian-Jewish-Muslim interaction, biblical studies, Greek teaching aids)

"I hope this email finds you well..." No, your email does not find me well, between fires and mudslides and illness, my kids have both been in school for a grand total of *2 days* since December 10.

I have a student in my Early/Medieval Christian History course who wants to write his book review assignment on something related to early Armenian Christianity. We're reading primary excerpts from Agathangelos +Sebeos. Any suggestions for good book-length overview of early Armenian Christianity?

Yes, that sign of relief (exhaustion? resignation?) that you just head was me biting the bullet and hitting "submit" on my third-year review file. It's like a tenure review, except I get to do it all over again at actual tenure review. 🙃

Does anyone else have their own personal #sblaar24 bingo? Like every year I keep an eye for this one European scholar who walks around chugging a 2 liter of Diet Coke. (no judgment, honestly this is probably the greatest celebration of American cuisine and consumption)

On the train from LA to San Diego for #sbalaar2024 and remembering what a delightful way this is to travel.

you guys, my department gave me a box of like 500 business cards and I never remember to bring them with me anywhere, so if you see me at #sblaar24, please ask me for a business card so I can feel fancy and professional, thx

If you fear you will be too jet-lagged to stay up for Saturday night receptions (or just want to start your socializing early), come hang out and enjoy snacks and beverages on my alma mater's dime!

1) Christian construction of religious others (esp. Jews and Muslims, but also pagans and heretics) 2) the move of the manuscripts of Rabban Hormizd Monastery to Notre Dame des Semences + subsequent copying/spread of its collection had big impact on European/American reception of East Syrian sources

I've only just begun perusing the program for #sblaar24, a testament to just how busy this semester has been. Share with me any panels or presentations you're really looking forward to!

Any advice for this error when trying to use the Biblia Patristica online search? I've tried different devices, different browsers, but no dice.

Checking my list of potential journals... where would you submit an article on textual transmission/translation of Daniel and its Christian (+ Jewish and pagan) reception/interpretations?

If you were developing an upper division course that covers Christian History/Theology up to the Reformation, what would you assign as reading? Planning on lots of primary texts and material culture, but also hoping for some sort of general textbook as a supplement.