AmiMaxine

Rose – A Re-Homed Library Book

I spent so many hours in my youth amongst the aisles of the children’s books in the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, selecting that week’s stack of books that would accompany me home. We also had a bookmobile that would stop at the other end of our block (do those even exist anymore…?), and I’d traipseContinue reading “Rose – A Re-Homed Library Book”

Slow Mornings

I’m sure I’ve written somewhere about the joy of slow mornings that I’ve been experiencing the last couple years. How I actually eat breakfast. Every day. How I drink coffee every morning now, too. (Though that was still generally done while working.) I didn’t used to take time in the morning for such things –Continue reading “Slow Mornings”

A Story a Day: Month One

I went back and forth when picking stories for this month. I was trying to decide whether I’d allow myself to reread any stories – or if they had to be 365 brand new stories. I finally decided that I wanted this to be all brand experiences for me. If I opt to reread anything,Continue reading “A Story a Day: Month One”

A Resolution?

Traditionally, I’m not one for making resolutions. I’m not big on “starting fresh” just because I swap the calendar that hangs in my kitchen. According to several articles I’ve read, studies show that only 8% of people keep their New Years Resolutions all year long. (I should note these articles didn’t provide citations for saidContinue reading “A Resolution?”

Alice Hoffman

In March of 2013, I found myself, thankfully, in Boston, Massachusetts for AWP. I say “thankfully” because Chicago was getting hit with a snow storm the day I was supposed to leave, and I was fairly certain my flight would be cancelled. But I got out in time – and then the storm caught upContinue reading “Alice Hoffman”

I Put a Bow On It

To say that this semester has been the hardest of my career feels woefully inadequate. Yes, it was worse than Spring 2021 when we had to shift mid-semester to fully remote teaching. Honestly, that semester seems like a breeze in comparison. And I’m sure you’d think that after that plus an entire other academic yearContinue reading “I Put a Bow On It”

Save Me From Myself

When you know it will be at least six weeks, probably several months, before you’ll get a response, but you can’t stop checking your email.

And So It Begins. Again.

Two weeks. Two weeks until the end of the hardest semester of my thirteen year teaching career. Yep, even harder than that semester when we had to shift suddenly to fully remote teaching in Spring 2020. This semester has sort of been like those scenes in films with the trick lens where someone is sprintingContinue reading “And So It Begins. Again.”

You Never Know Where Learning Can Lead You

There is little more that I love than learning new things. I haven’t always enjoyed sitting in a classroom learning, but after about four years out of grad school, I found I did miss that, too. So in 2012, I began taking classes to earn a couple of graduate certificates over at Northern IL University.Continue reading “You Never Know Where Learning Can Lead You”

A Long Overdue Love Letter to Coffee

For the first three decades of my life, I couldn’t stand coffee. I didn’t like the taste. Couldn’t stand the smell. I have memories of my sister and me tagging along to the bowling alley where our mother participated in league. (She once bowled a perfect game. They gave her a mug and all relatedContinue reading “A Long Overdue Love Letter to Coffee”