Liz McCausland

@lizmc2.bsky.social

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Who even knows anymore?

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I bought ice cream and wine today and now I am going to tune out, read a book and listen to music. I can only take so much of what my kid calls “the discourse.”

Same, Murderbot, same.

Confession time: I don’t actually know where we are.

My mom sent me a text today that segued from complaining about how everywhere is over-air conditioned so she has to remember a sweater, to how people run their car a/c for 10 minutes before even getting in, killing the planet, to “J. D. Vance, honestly.”

@emilyjanehubb.bsky.social It screams “Girl, run. Marriage doesn’t have to be like that.”

i’m simply shocked that trump would pick a guy for veep who wrote in his own book about his tendency towards violence and abuse.

I am picturing an English teacher cackling in glee at slipping this suggestion by a clueless functionary who believes the humanities are useless.

Maybe THIS will be the dumbest thing I read today: Florida’s education commissioner announced Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice as a book of the month to “highlight the importance of American pride.” Can’t make this stuff up. H/t @ericcolumbus.bsky.social

Also in this particular case the arrogant hotshot CDC doctor was played by a scruffy Luke Perry, which made the whole thing even funnier somehow.

I love watching old medical or legal show episodes with an outbreak. The Feds swoop in with all their high-tech equipment and set up a command centre and yeah, who is going to find that the tiniest bit plausible now?

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Liz McCausland

Fuck, fuck everything, fuck this, fuck me especially.

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Ugh, emotions.

Raspberry season: the best season?

Now back to happier contributions: looks like each cat left me a gift in the night. Or maybe Jinx brought two as a strong hint to get up and feed him breakfast.

OK I’m trying not to add to the political discourse because it’s already more than enough, but it’s . . . rich . . . that a guy who absolutely got where he is b/c of connections made at Yale is performatively anti-university. Fuck off, JD.

Sweet, Mrs T and Mrs V can bond over being an immigrant/child of immigrants married to someone who spouts virulent anti-immigrant garbage. I’m guessing they can tolerate this b/c a) they think he doesn’t mean ME; b) like their spouses, the only “principle” they have is that they deserve power.

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Do not obey in advance.

Second church of the day. Sitting between my friends as they are rooting for different teams. I will be Switzerland.

I read 27 from that 100 best of the century list, but I’ve heard of all of them, thought about reading about many more, once checked them out of the library, etc. I’d prefer a list of people’s recs of books NO ONE ever talked about, “everyone” hasn’t read. The Overlooked.

Stella and I are having coffee and journal-writing on the deck, and a mourning dove is taunting her by flapping around in the tree, so near and yet so far.

I had drinks with a friend from dog park days and she asked if I was thinking about having a dog again “because I have a friend who is fostering a great dog.” And NO, no I can’t take that on right now but also now I can’t stop thinking about it.

Murderbot at its most relatable.

I feel like panicking and I was not in control of this situation and I could see at least ten instances now where I’d made wrong decisions and being in control of the situation was really important because otherwise it was in control of me

Today = reading —> beer & footie —> reading (possibly napping because lunchtime beer). Good way to pass a scorching day.

Just thought I’d put out some non-political content. 😘

And I just finished Sheila Heti’s Alphabetical Diaries; such an interesting experiment. I liked it but it sometimes made me feel like a grumpy old spinster, if you can be that after a 30-year relationship and 2 kids (I think you can, I’m reclaiming my spinsterhood).

Cringe-laughing at my colleague Shashi Bhat’s stories in Death By a Thousand Cuts, and thinking about how they would work in a Gender Studies class. Also enjoying my current book group read, The Weight of Ink (not keeping up with 25pp./day, oops!).

I accidentally let go of my hardcover in my separation move, but recently found a paperback at my local used bookstore, so now it’s on my recent acquisitions TBR shelf to re-read.

Bonnie Garmus’s ballot for that NYT 21st century best books feature includes Ben Rice’s Pobby and Dingan. I LOVED this novella. He doesn’t seem to have published anything else except one New Yorker short story; so sad about that. If you find P & D, read it.

Listen, the really bad thing about that Parkinson’s story is that it refers to “the day before Good Friday.” There’s a name for that day, NYT! 😂

I know we hate the NY Times, but this is fun and fodder for lots of debate (you can also see lots of people’s top 10 ballots). Also—I couldn’t believe some of these books are 21st century and we are so far into it already. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

The 100 Best Books of the 21st Centurywww.nytimes.com As voted on by 503 book lovers — with a little help from the staff of The New York Times Book Review.

Maybe the justices would like to take my first-year writing class, where I teach students to notice the signals that an author is introducing and refuting an opposing view. Although if you’re making these “mistakes” on purpose, that won’t help.

These mistakes originalist justices are making aren’t about disputed interpretations of history, with evidence on both sides. They’re pulling quotes out of context to attribute ideas to founding figures that those figures adamantly opposed. (via @andycraig.bsky.social) reason.com/volokh/2024/...

The Supreme Court's Dubious Use of History in Department of State v. Munozreason.com Justice Amy Coney Barrett's majority opinion includes significant errors, and violates some of her own precepts against excessive reliance on questionable history.

There is just so much research on post-secondary success and persistence that tells us this is a bad idea. In big lecture classes, your TA is the person who knows you and engages with you. That matters.

Also known as “training your replacement.” 😩

Morehouse to be the first university to use virtual AI teaching assistantswww.axios.com The Atlanta HBCU will have AI teaching assistants this fall.

That means it’s also happy 22nd to my younger child, but let’s face it, they aren’t as cute as a box of kittens and anyway they are not awake or willing to let me post their photo on social media.

Happy 13th Birthday (actually last night) to Jinx!