Harpsichordian: Week 25

This was the week my coworkers and I dreaded since late March, when we were told our jobs were secure until at least the end of June. This week the board passed the budget and we learned of layoffs across the university, and I'm still in a bit of shock. Dear friends are forced to leave through no fault of their own. I hate imagining the university as it will be after next week. No one wins. And I know this might not be the end of difficult decisions ahead. I take comfort in the idea of resilience, but right now, it's too early for anyone to think about that.

On Wednesday, our 12-year anniversary all but snuck up on me. We had thought about a picnic for the evening, but a giant storm blew through so we ate at our table, like we do every night, and watched a bittersweet film we've seen before and loved, Mood Indigo (watch the trailer). We did splurge on takeout from Inland Pacific Kitchen and Joel picked up some fancy wine.

How we were 12 years ago

We finally got our picnic on Friday in Peaceful Valley, and just as the anniversary snuck up on me, so did summer, apparently.

I'm not sure what to look forward to this summer, really, but we're starting to have conversations of what this one might look like. There are infinite ways to delight in this season and I intend to hone in on the simplest of them.

Reading

I've been reading The Yellow House by Sarah Broom, a memoir involving her family home in New Orleans. I'm about halfway through and Katrina has hit.

I know this is also not an uplifting read, but if you have a half hour, I highly recommend this article about the rape kit's secret history.

Recipes

Joel made pesto with garlic scapes this week, which was a fun change.