If we were having coffee, I’d probably oscillate between nervous laughter and tight-lipped silence. Right now, I’m a writer-in-residence at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, a field research station operated by the Iowa Regents Universities. Like many things, this was something I was chosen for last year, but was delayed due to COVID. This year, I wasContinue reading “#weekendcoffeeshare: Oversharing, underperforming”
Category Archives: Life
Recommit
The weeks have been overwhelming. After Spring Break, when ISU had switched to online learning entirely, and would be online for the rest of the semester, I felt capable of staying on top of my work. I streamlined the curriculum of the classes I teach. My professors were working out their own plans for onlineContinue reading “Recommit”
What has been getting me through
Re-watching Sailor Moon on the weekends. Reading: Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino, A History of the Philippines by Luis H. Francia, Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, Lilith’s Brood by Octavia Butler, and readings for classes. Re-reading: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling, America Is Not The Heart by Elaine Castillo, TheContinue reading “What has been getting me through”
#weekendcoffeeshare: Having somewhere to be
If we were having coffee, I would first have to adjust my sound settings because my bluetooth headphones sometimes don’t pick up the mic that well. But then I’d tell you that this week, I’ve been having conferences with my students. Some of them have been one-on-one, and some have been done asynchronously through commentsContinue reading “#weekendcoffeeshare: Having somewhere to be”
I miss
Libraries. Biking to campus on days when it’s nice out. Listening to music on the bus. Hanging out with friends at a nearby bar. Occasionally solo eating at a cafe, reading a book from the aforementioned library. Going to class. Writing on the board in my classrooms. Getting coffee from the cafes on campus. BeingContinue reading “I miss”
What is within my control
I’ve talked about drawing circles and writing down what’s within my control before. It’s an exercise I did at the start of the academic year, and I haven’t revisited recently because I feel like I’ve either been caught up in taking steps towards my goals, or I’ve been having to rapidly adapt to the newContinue reading “What is within my control”
Things will be different
Yesterday was a hard day. I spent a chunk of the evening going into an anxiety spiral. (I’m lucky and grateful to have a partner who helps me out of that.) Today, I spent most of the day doing my best to pick up the pieces from that fallout and continue on. And now, I’mContinue reading “Things will be different”
Woke up before the alarm
on my phone went off. In the past, I’ve tried to tell myself to go back to sleep, get the full set of hours allotted for rest. This morning, though, I felt like I needed to get out of bed. In general, I am a morning person. But so much of that relies on theContinue reading “Woke up before the alarm”
#weekendcoffeeshare: Missed milestones
When I’m not on that high, I try to be softer, accept messiness, and take things step by step. In other words, I still try to be good, and I try not to let my thoughts linger on the ways in which that good falls short of great.
To-do list
I had a poem published yesterday in Backchannels Journal‘s Pandemic Issue, an instant publishing opportunity. I’ve been trying to write a poem every day in April, and the poem published was the one I wrote on April 1st. The poem is sort of a to-do list, or it contains to-do lists that are a littleContinue reading “To-do list”
Caroliena Cabada 