Do you believe in magic?
I do… sort of. Not a magic than can be controlled or manipulated, or one that demands slavish devotion or servitude. But I believe that there is mystery in the world. There’s a lot that is incomprehensible, and while I’m not saying that I think we shouldn’t try to understand it, I think it’s okay…
The Bar for 2026 is Low
In 2025, I completed almost half a little more than a third of the units of my graduate degree. I have one calendar year left, with one class in the spring, one in the summer (ugh), and my ePortfolio in the fall. When all is said and done, this will have been a four-year endeavor.…
Teaching with AI
I’m not a fan of using AI for day-to-day activities, or for art. It’s not that I think that nobody should use AI, or that AI isn’t useful in some circumstances. I just… don’t use it for the research and writing that I do (most of the peer-reviewed work I reference lives behind paywalls). And…
This summer sucks.
Confession: a big part of that is on me. [I am in a mood today, and I feel like screaming into the void. (Sorry, not sorry) This post is even more skippable than most.] I mean, for a little bit of context, am I the one snatching legal residents from the streets of Spokane? No.…
Leftovers
July 4th ended up being a very busy day. I had an early volunteer shift that had morphed into doing animal care for the whole place (instead of just the birds) — for me that adds more than an hour to my shift (I’m not terribly efficient with the other animals because I don’t work…
Summer School
I made a couple of miscalculations this summer. Last year I took a MySQL course, which is only taught during the summer at SJSU. It’s designed to run as an intensive 10-week course. And yep, it was intense — the kind of situation where you end up knowing about 1000% more than you did before…
Get the Useless Degree
Get in losers, we’re going for a trip down memory lane, via my current grad school classes. I’m feeling salty today, for reasons, so there might be some swears. (Here’s a photo tax.) I’m an MLIS student (Library and Information Science), and this summer I’m taking a one-month seminar on copyright for cultural institutions, and…
Black History Year
I did not get through my ambitious syllabus in February, so I guess 2025 is going to have to be Black History Year… I’m not mad about it. One thing I did do: cook using recipes by Black recipe developers. First up: Bryant Terry. He specializes in vegan food, which I enjoy, and the cookbook…
Black History Month: Kadir Nelson
Kadir Nelson is a talented, prolific, accomplished artist. I became aware of his work because of his New Yorker and Rolling Stone covers, which are… just… breathtaking. In addition to his incredible skills as a painter, his narrative chops are second to none. He has a website, with a gallery and store: https://www.kadirnelson.com/ In 2022,…
Black History Month: Augusta Savage & Annie Easley
This morning I learned about two extraordinary Black American women: sculptor, poet, teacher and gallery owner Augusta Savage (1892-1962), and mathematician and computer scientist Annie Easley (1933-2011). [The New York Public Library has a great libguide for Augusta Savage.] Thank you to Mariame Kaba (@prisonculture.bsky.social) for posting a link to a PBS American Masters segment…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Follow My Blog
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
Carmen Yount 