I had planned to write today about a recurring dream I’ve been having, but it has snowed all night and now we are having a rare Vermont thunderstorm. With bad weather inevitably comes a migraine. I dread today anyway. I have a dentist appointment late this afternoon. I think I might just go back to bed.
That being said, here’s you Isabella pic of the week. I missed her when I was in the hospital.
I’ve been so busy this week with classes, preparing for classes, getting ready for another program, and what has seemed like a dozen other things. Have you ever been so busy that you can’t even remember everything that has kept you so busy? That’s how this week has gone. Next week is actually scheduled to be worse than this week because not only will I be scrambling to get everything done, I have a workshop to attend in Burlington on Friday, and I’m judging a History Day competition on Saturday.
Needless to say, I haven’t had time to “stop and smell the roses,” let alone do anything else for personal enjoyment or entertainment, if you know what I mean. At least there is nothing scheduled for the weekend.
I don’t think I posted an Isabella pic of the week last week, so here’s one for this week. I love this cat, even if she woke me up at 3:00 am to feed her (I didn’t get up until 4 am) and then turned her nose up at the food I gave her.
I’m not sure where I read/heard this. It could have been on Facebook, the book I just finished, tv, or somewhere else. I guess it doesn’t matter where this was brought to my attention, but I found it interestingly accurate. Anyway, wherever I came across it, the quote said, “Thursdays are the worst day of the week. You are past the halfway point but not yet to the weekend.” I always say I hate Mondays, and I do, but the logic or illogic that Thursdays are the worst day has some merit. I have a love hate relationship with Thursdays. It’s sort of my Friday because I work from home most Fridays, so Thursdays are my last day in the office for the week. It’s also a teaching day for me, and I enjoy teaching and interacting with my students. However, it’s also just me and my boss in the office (my other coworker works from home on Thursdays), and the more I work with my boss the less I like working with her. There are numerous reasons for this, and I don’t see it getting better.
Anyone know of a museum that’s at a university and needs an educator or someone to manage their public outreach? If you do, let me know. I’m beginning to think I won’t be happy at my current workplace ever again unless we have some staff turnover soon. To tell you how bad it is, I recently applied for a position in the South. Ok, I also applied to that job because it would have doubled or tripled my salary, and it was in Atlanta. If I had to move South again, it would have to be Atlanta or another major city that’s liberal and LGBTQ+ friendly. There aren’t many: Birmingham (but it’s in Alabama), New Orleans, Savannah, or Asheville (NC). Nashville and Memphis are iffy, and Houston and Austin are in Texas. Plus, they are all hot and humid. Yuck! I really like Vermont and New England, and I’d rather stay in this area.
Also, on a completely different note, tonight is the blood moon eclipse (also known as the Blood Worm Moon), a total lunar eclipse when the earth moves between the sun and moon and causes the moon to turn red. I doubt I’ll be awake to watch it since it will take place between 2 am and 3 am, and here in Vermont, it’s probably going to be too cloudy to see much of this rare phenomenon.
Anyway, I’ve rambled enough for today. I hope everyone has a great day, and remember, tomorrow is Friday and the weekend will be even closer.
I almost forgot your Isabella pic of the week:
I had a terrible night’s sleep last night. I went to bed about an hour early, but I was awake at 2:30 am. I tried going back to sleep and may have dozed a bit. However, when I woke up again, it was 3:00 am. At 3:30 am, I was wide awake. I never did fall back to sleep again. I was in that half awake, half sleep mode until I finally got up for good a little after 5:00 am. I also woke up with a headache. If my headache doesn’t improve soon (sometimes it does once I am up and moving around), I’m going to call in sick to work.
Here’s your Isabella pic of the week:
She was such a cute little kitten. She seemed to be all fluff.
“We deserve to experience love fully, equally, without shame and without compromise.” — Elliot Page
Love is one of the most fundamental human experiences, yet for too long, LGBTQ+ individuals have been told that their love is something to be hidden, altered, or diminished. Elliot Page’s words remind us that love should be free from fear and compromise. No one should have to justify their identity or fight for the right to love openly and authentically.
This quote speaks to the importance of equality—not just in legal rights, but in the way love is valued and respected in society. It’s a call to reject shame and embrace pride, to push back against narratives that suggest LGBTQ+ love is anything less than beautiful and valid. Whether in relationships, friendships, or self-love, everyone deserves to experience love without barriers. Today, let this quote serve as a reminder to support, uplift, and celebrate each other in our journeys toward full acceptance and joy.
Since it’s Thursday, here’s your Isabella Pic of the Week:
This is about as close as I get to her cuddling. She’s not a cuddly cat, and she also seems to not like her picture being taken.
If I didn’t have a class today, I think I’d call in sick, not really because I am sick, though I probably do need a mental health day, but because I just want to crawl back into bed. Isabella started early this morning trying to wake me. I swear this cat knows when it’s a salmon day. I rotate through salmon, tuna, and chicken. Chicken is her least favorite and some days she turns her nose up at it, but salmon is by far her favorite. She’ll occasionally refuse to eat what I give her, but only once in all these years has she ever refused to eat salmon. It always seems like she’s most persistent to wake me in salmon days. Anyway, whatever the reason for her continued persistence this morning was, I’m awake now and will soon have to start getting ready for work. Thank goodness tomorrow is a work from home day.
Here’s your Isabella pic of the week (sorry that I forgot to post one last week). This picture clearly says, “Why? Why did you wake me? Why are you taking my picture? I’m going back to sleep!” If only she’d let me go back so sleep some mornings.
Today is going to be an ugly weather day. It started out at midnight last night at -4 degrees. The temperature has risen to 2 degrees and temps will climb throughout the day ending at 32 degrees by midnight.When the temperature rises like this, it usually means a nasty weather front is coming in. It’s dry outside right now, but around mid-morning snow and mixed precipitation should begin. According to our local meteorologist, the snow has a chance to turn to freezing rain on my commute home. I hate freezing rain. I can handle snow, sleet, and rain, but not freezing rain. If you’re not familiar with freezing rain, it comes down as supercooled rain that freezes when it contacts any surface, which means it leaves a glaze of ice everywhere. Ugh! I hate freezing snow.
Anyway, I wish I could just stay home and snuggle up with Isabella. She seems to always find a warm place to nap. The other day, she finally discovered a place that I’ve wanted her to try out for years. Several years ago, I bought her a little cat house, which she has always ignored. The most she has ever done is stick her head in and turn around and walk away.I also bought her a nice cozy looking, fluffy cat bed, which she has never even contemplated using. She prefers a fuzzy blanket. The other day, I looked up, and she was in the little house I’d gotten her. With her eyes closed, you could barely notice her, so I made a noise to get her to open her eyes. I took the opportunity to take the picture below. It apparently pissed her off that I saw her in there, and she crawled out and stomped off never to return again. Such a stubborn little girl!
I wish I could go back to bed and just sleep through today. I’m just tired today, but thankfully, tomorrow will be a working from home Friday, and I can sleep late if I want. However, today, I have work that needs to be done, and there’s no rest for the weary. I wish I could be a cat and just sleep the day away like Isabella does. In this Isabella pic of the week, I’m getting the side eye from Isabella for disturbing her even though all I did was take a picture.
I wish I could stay home this morning, but I have a few things I need to be at the museum to do. If I had my work computer here, I’d call in sick. I left at lunch yesterday because I had a migraine. This morning, it’s not much better, in fact it’s not better at all. I may only go in for a partial day. I need my work computer to do much of what I need to do today. I have a school group coming today, but my boss could handle that. However, I need my computer for the rest of what’s on my agenda. I have some emails to answer; I need to prepare for my classes next week; and I need my computer to be able to work from home tomorrow. I could do all that at home on my personal laptop, but it only has Microsoft Word, not the rest of the Office Suite. I could access it through the online Microsoft 365, but I hate using Office through my browser. It always feels clumsy to me. Anyway, I’ll go in today for whatever length I need to, then, I’ll work from home tomorrow.
Here’s your Isabella pic of the week:
I’d rather be doing this today: laying on my couch with Isabella on my hip. I wish she’d lay in my lap or down my chest and stomach, which she’ll do on rare occasions, but her preference is my hip with me laying on my side. Sometimes, this is how I fall asleep at night, with her on my hip.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
—Mark Twain
The above quote by Mark Twain emphasizes the transformative power of travel in broadening one’s perspective and combating ignorance, prejudice, and narrow-mindedness. Travel exposes people to different cultures, customs, and ways of thinking, which challenges preconceived notions, stereotypes, and biases. It fosters empathy and understanding by showing the diversity and complexity of human experiences.
Twain acknowledges that many individuals remain confined to their limited worldviews because they have not had the opportunity—or the inclination—to step outside their familiar surroundings. He suggests that travel could help these individuals overcome their prejudices. By encountering different perspectives and lifestyles, travelers develop a more inclusive, kind, and generous attitude toward others. This openness leads to a deeper appreciation of humanity’s shared values and differences.
Remaining in a single place or within a single worldview limits personal growth and understanding. Twain suggests that staying in a “bubble” leads to stagnation, whereas exploration brings enlightenment and growth. In essence, Twain is advocating for travel as a means to expand one’s mind, challenge ignorance, and promote a more compassionate and inclusive outlook on life.
I have not had much of a chance to travel recently because I am not counting going back to Alabama for the holidays or traveling to conferences for work. I would love to get away and spend a few days in Montreal or go on another gay retreat like the one I went to a few years ago at Easton Mountain. When the weather gets warmer, I would love to visit Ogunquit, Maine, or Provincetown, Massachusetts, both towns known for LGBTQ+ tourists, with numerous LGBTQ+-owned and -operated hotels, restaurants, and bars. I haven’t taken a gay themed vacation in a while and would love for the chance to do so. Of course, I wish I could take a trip to Europe, but I definitely can’t afford to cross the Atlantic, but a boy can dream.
I have not posted an Isabella picture of the week in a couple of weeks, so here you go:
 | noisilycool3bc985058… on Dr. McDreamy |
 | Joe on Dr. McDreamy |
 | poetrybeautiful3d840… on Dr. McDreamy |
| Joe on Dr. McDreamy |
| noisilycool3bc985058… on Dr. McDreamy |
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The Closet Professor 