Weeknotes: October 5–9, 2026
Monday, October 5
From halfway up the block, a slender stream runs down Forest Avenue. The utilities authority has placed an orange traffic barrel at the source, as if to say "yes, we know," and yet they’ve allowed the leak to persist for over a month. It's wasteful, of course, but I also find this clear little stream beautiful.
It’s like a pop-up water feature. An ephemeral waterway, caressing the curb and ferrying locust leaves down to the intersection where they pool in a damp amber mat. I stop for a while and stare, mesmerized. It's the same feeling I get from watching a fire. Flickering flames and moving water. There is so much artifice in the world, but it’s the basic elements that always draw us in.
Weeknotes: August 31–September 4, 2026
Monday, August 31
Fall semester begins. From now until mid-December, my weeks will be front-loaded — a three-hour online Michigan History course, Monday nights, followed by Foundations in Digital Video, Tuesday and Thursday mornings, on campus.
I laid low in August, savoring my free time as summer faded out. I thought I was ready, but now I’m not so sure. After working all day on a screen, I wonder if I’ll have it in me to tack on three more hours at night.
I log in to the Zoom classroom. It's very casual — I’m glad I’m not the only one trying to keep a dog entertained. The instructor is getting over a cold. About two hours in, she starts pausing every 30 seconds to take a long drink of water and cough. I can hear her voice going ragged, and it triggers my own sore throat anxieties. We end early, a mercy for her and the students.
Only two semesters to go. In eight months, I think to myself, I will be done with all this.