Superstition says itchy palms means money; the left means money paid out, and the right money coming in. But what if your whole body is itchy? I think it’s time to buy a humidifier for this dry apartment. //

I had the thought upon waking that my absence from home would not be such an issue for my cat if I could have constant laser pointer beams going at different intervals, heights, and directions. //

There is a non-place outside of the graduate assistant office that I have been paying increasing attention to. It is not quite a room, but a space with two tables and four chairs that leads forward to a room, or to a hallway of many rooms. I assume it is meant for meeting with students because entering the doorway to it will place you right outside the door for the GA office; take a slight left, and you are headed into English faculty offices. Some of the graduate assistants hold conferences with students there because our common space can get crowded. A few GAs or adjuncts use the tables to work at because desk space is at a premium. Lately, I’ve found students hanging out there before classes alone, in pairs, or in small groups. This week I watched a small group review materials of a presentation that they had due in class. Another student sat quietly reading while eating his lunch; he subsequently left his book on the table (I wonder how long it will be there?) as well as his lunch garbage. A pair of students that had the same class remarked that they didn’t want to walk home just to walk back before their next class, so they sat eating. One potato chip was left on the table. I suppose what interests me the most is that it is not designated as any place, but the outside of the doorway that leads to it has signs about the upcoming space being GA offices. But the furniture there is not occupied, it shows no signs of use as office space. It has no personal touches or person objects there. The furnitiure is of a different design than the desks/chairs in the classrooms, the desks/chairs in our office, and the tables/chairs in the cafe downstairs. I wonder what is signaling students to use this non-place as a space? What are the cues that invite them in? //

Books for composition that are capturing my attention: 642 Things to Write About, 642 Things to Draw, Listography: Your Life in Lists, How to Be An Explorer of the World. I am increasingly drawn to the possibilities in short form noticings, collecting, archiving, and inventorying. Composition as action.

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