1. Groceries. Appointment for the car. Other household jobs. Done.
2. I listened to Stephen Greenblatt, Harvard professor, open a lecture at the Harvard Bookstore by giving a ten minute explanation why he wrote the book he was reading from, as well as his previous book, in language anyone could understand. That's right. He felt compelled to explain himself, to say that a book written in understandable language is still an intelligent book. As far as his academic career is concerned, I think I know he could not have published such books, readable ones, until he had advanced to full professor. Having no other academic position to rise to has left him free to write books in everyday language. This is exactly why I never had a stomach for academic publishing. I've never been at home with the specialized language of academic writing. I really can't do it. Luckily, to keep my LCC job, I never had to.
3. The Deke and I met at 16 Tons for some conversation about family matters, and, having taken care of that, talked about the beauty of and our love of language, about its power.
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