Honestly, I'm mixed on this. On one hand, this is almost like white hat hacking, you know? Down with capitalism! On the other hand, this really does punish the students who are working hard and earning their grades. Also, I'm mildly inconvenienced, although I suspect many, many of my co-workers are much more than mildly inconvenienced.
The Time for Change
A girl in the world
Friday, May 08, 2026
Five for Friday, Edition #42
Honestly, I'm mixed on this. On one hand, this is almost like white hat hacking, you know? Down with capitalism! On the other hand, this really does punish the students who are working hard and earning their grades. Also, I'm mildly inconvenienced, although I suspect many, many of my co-workers are much more than mildly inconvenienced.
Thursday, May 07, 2026
What I Spent: April 2026
As a reminder, my husband pays the "big bills" like mortgage, phone, car, and electricity. I pay for groceries and the pets and that somehow evens things out. I spent a lot of money this month, but have no regrets.
Travel ($6.75, <1%) - public transit on my trip to Chicago
Technology ($29.99, 1.2%) - cloud storage for the year
Bills ($158.83, 6.5%) - insurance, home and car
Eating out ($170, 7%) - This is a lot for me. I ate out with Sarah for our buddy read a couple of times, had meals out when I was in Chicago (and twice in my own town when Bestest Friend was here), and got coffee a couple of times.
Entertainment ($184, 7.6%) - Spotify membership and tickets to the Field Museum when I was in Chicago. Oh, AND I ordered my Advent calendar for the year ALREADY.
Personal care ($191.84, 7.9%) - I had to stock up on some basic makeup supplies, including foundation, eye shadow, and some new lip stain. I mean, maybe I didn't "have to," but it feels like it's necessary. Next month I'm going to start adding regular pedicures to this category, so I have a feeling it will go up.
Pets ($238.18, 9.8%) - Can you believe how low this is? Don't worry, it won't stay this way. Hannah the Dog is going to the vet on Tuesday because she needs to be vaccinated.
Savings ($200, 8.2%) - You know what? I already added more than this in May. I will do better by the end of the year. (she says to herself)
Clothing ($544.25, 22.4%) - Okay, this seems like a lot, but it really is all necessary. I bought three pairs of summer pants, including these amazing linen pants that were on sale at Athleta. I cannot wait to show them to you if it ever warms up enough for me to wear them. I also bought new sports bras because that has been a for real problem. I also bought new cross trainers AND insoles because my feet and ankles were not having it when I had any impact with my old shoes.
Oh, and I bought a couple of summerweight scarves while I was in Chicago and this is the category where I put my nose piercing. When I type it all out like this, it actually doesn't seem like a ton per piece. (For those of you asking if I need more scarves, the answer is always YES.)
Next month I'm on the search for new sandals and probably some lightweight professional tops to wear with those amazing pants. And then I'll be all prepared for summer.
Groceries ($709.52, 29.2%) - We still gotta eat. Every single month.
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How appalled are you by the amount of money I spent on clothes last month? Anyone else want to buy bright pink linen pants (they are very pink! it's awesome).
Wednesday, May 06, 2026
Day In the Life, 5/4/2026
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| Poor baby does NOT feel good. |
Work stats for the day:
Tuesday, May 05, 2026
April 2026 Accountability Buddy
15-minute stretch class at lunchtime
Monday, May 04, 2026
What I Read: April 2026
4/4: The Book That Matters the Most by Ann Hood (library audiobook narrated by Nina Alvamar, 2016) - I don't know. There were things I really liked about this book and things I really didn't like. Confusing. 3/5 stars (is that a good star rating? I DON'T KNOW.)
4/11: Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler (library, 2012) - Teen love triangle with ice skating and hockey. Look, I have GOT TO STOP READING YA. Not for me. 2.5/5 stars
4/11: The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz (library audiobook narrated by the good and great Julia Whelan, 2022) - Props to Korelitz for writing a book in which every character is terrible, but you somehow want to keep reading more. 4/5 stars
4/15: The Martian Contingency (Lady Astronaut #4) by Mary Robinette Kowal (library ebook, 2025) - I really liked the first three books in this series and was excited to see Kowal was continuing the series. But I thought this book was like 800 pages long because it was taking me so long to read it. It's not that long, but it was boring. Just read the first three books. 2.5/5 stars
4/17: We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida, translated from the Japanese by E. Madison Shimoda (library, 2023) - Book club book. What the hell did I just read? 2.5/5 stars
4/18: Ruins by Lily Dalton-Brooks (library, 2026) - Good Morning, Midnight and The Light Pirate were such great books. I was PUMPED for this one. And it was...not my favorite. 2.5/5 stars
Sunday, May 03, 2026
Happy Birthday to Nance!!
Today is Nance's birthday! Let's all head over there and wish her a happy, happy birthday.
Nance is from the same area where my Bestest Friend is from, used to teach English in high school, and one of my favorite things on the internet is her comment section. In a recent post, we went from a comment in which I was complaining about signs targeted at dog owners to discussing the ambiguities of the English language. Where else can you get such value in 2026? Only at the Department.
| Available at Bike Parts on Etsy. |
Because of Nance's influence, I try to bring up Moby-Dick once a month or so. Notice how Moby Dick isn't hyphenated in the above graphic? THEY DON'T KNOW THE RULE ABOUT THE HYPHEN. Nance knows.
Everyone go wish Nance a happy birthday! She's had a rough year and I just know this next year is going to be amazing.
Friday, May 01, 2026
CBWC April 2026: Week 4
It's Cool Bloggers Walking Club (CBWC) time! Hosted by Elisabeth, we're trying for ten minutes of intentional movement every day. This the last week and Hannah and I tried to make the most of it.
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| The mighty Rock overflowing its banks. |
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| That is the stance of a dog who is pissed at this photo taking bullshit. |
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| This is Hannah's take on Abbey Road. |
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| This is always what Hannah would prefer to be doing instead of walking. Look at how grey her muzzle is!! |
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| These geese were mad that we were there. |
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| It's lilac season, motherfuckers. |

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