Reading simultaneously Elizabeth George’s police procedural The Punishment She Deserves and Anthony Trollope’s The Duke’s Children is a strange experience. Trollope’s world of good manners, complex honor codes, extreme punctiliousness, and a profound sense of dignity that doesn’t depend on wealth is dead and gone.

In The Punishment She Deserves George depicts the world of casual and meaningless debasement where the word dignity isn’t used even as a joke. Her young characters dumbly and repetitively drink themselves into a stupor to have bad drunken sex. Her middle-aged characters drink and drug themselves without even the justification of wanting to hook up. There are no human relationships and no contact of any profoundness. And a murder of a clergyman almost goes unsolved because nobody has been to church and so nobody is capable of noticing an appalling disruption in a service.

But the really funny part is that both Trollope and George wrote about the exact same subject. Both novels depict parents who can’t accept that their children are human beings. Trollope’s Duke is at least trying to not be a total brute to his adult children. George’s characters are not even trying.

So it’s an entirely different world. But it also isn’t.

OK, so I just read through dozens of messages in this local FB group, and people who grew up around here say they never had birthday parties or playdates growing up. Because nobody would come anyway. And people wouldn’t even tell you they are not coming. They’d just pretend the invitation never existed. So you wouldn’t even know if anybody was coming and had to stress out until the last second.

Thank God I’m on Facebook are the words I never thought I’d utter but I just did.

There’s a long discussion on the local FB parenting group about how people invite kids to their children’s birthday parties and then nobody comes. And the kid sits there alone, surrounded by treats, balloons, and activities. And this is happening to local folks who’ve always been here. I’m super sad for the lonely kids but it’s good to know that it isn’t just me. I’m not being shunned because I’m an immigrant. It’s how people around here are.

Klara’s had a great turnout for both of her birthday parties but it took a lot more work on my part than it should.

People are simply grumpy and reserved around here. And it’s not about me. It’s a serious relief, folks.

I always thought there should be more contests for academics that carry a monetary reward and don’t require one to do any extra work. And now that I’m in the leadership of a scholarly organization, I designed and organized exactly the kind of contest I always wanted to exist.

If you are a scholar of Hispanic studies and you have published something last year that has to do with gender, queer studies, or artwork by female authors, send me an email and I’ll hook you up.

I never thought service to the profession could be so much fun.

Nobody needs to do the whole thing, of course, but it surely is fun. The only obligatory component is the last one.

1. First, the face is cleansed with oil wash and foam wash. Don’t do the oil wash if you are prone to acne, though. Here is a good duo. Use the tiniest of dabs and don’t lay into the pump.

2. Then exfoliate. I like Skinfood black sugar. It’s quite inexpensive, too.

3. The first two should be done in the shower. Then you get out, pat the face dry, and tone. My toner is the Bioderma Hydrabio.

4. And now finally comes the most important part which is the sheet mask. I’ve used all kinds, including the million and one Korean brands. In all honesty, my favorite one is the Moisture Bomb by Garnier. But I keep experimenting.

My main problem is that anything I cook turns out incredibly fucking delicious. I just made some pasta with steamed broccoli and carrots, tomato sauce, fresh parsley and young garlic. And now I need to leave the house or I’ll eat the whole pan.

It was a great idea to get a steamer because any dish can be brightened up with a handful of colorful steamed vegetables. The steamer makes broccoli and carrots look very bright and not faded out like other methods of cooking.

An important Cuban artist will visit my classroom on Thursday. I’m not only excited because it’s a great cultural opportunity but also because his vision of Cuba is clearly the opposite of mine, and it’s very useful for students to see that different worldviews exist, coexist, and interact peacefully and respectfully.

Plus, after hearing his Cuban pronunciation, nobody will ever complain that it’s hard to understand my Spanish because I speak too fast.

I was so stunned to discover that rice is being grown around here that I immediately bought a packet. It never occurred to me this was an area where that could be done. Of course, it’s rained for two weeks, so it’s getting close to looking like a natural rice field but still.