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EDWARD JACOBS

Author: Ed Jacobs

  • Saturday, November 21, 2020

    The headlines continue to make one thing so very clear to me: Trump and his minions are vile. Absolutely vile. I truly wish I understood how 70 million people find him a good leader, a good person to hold the seat of POTUS. It seems obvious to me that it’ll take decades for US politics to straighten out, and it’ll take a major crisis to bring the country together; likely a war. I don’t believe I’ll see a day when the country comes together.

    ___________________

    I’m fascinated by this idea of “silent meetings.” I’d like to find a way to use this in teaching. I’ll continue to read up on the role of facilitator of such meetings, and see if I can come up with a way to execute this in a solid pedagogical setting–either remote or in-person.

    __________________

    Joe, et al, are heading north from the Naples visit. I think they had a great time, and certainly Greg and Cathy really enjoyed having these weeks to get to know Jackson at 15 months.

    They’ll make the trip up to NC in two days, today starting with a side trip to visit Bob, Brigitte, Daniel, hopefully Aaron, for lunch. This will be Jackson’s first meeting with them, and I know they’ll all enjoy each other, and it’ll be too short a visit.

    The’ll reach us Sunday evening, I imagine. Not sure if they’ll stay through T-day, but perhaps so. We’ve no real plans for the day, but we’ll see.

    Wishing you a healthy and relatively happy week ahead.

  • Wed., November 18, 2020

    Yesterday was our end-of-semester conference day for composition students. The four comp faculty gather to chat with each young composer, individually. While these sessions are brief (15′ for most, 30′ for grad students), it’s a chance for students to talk about the term’s highlights, how things went relative to their expectations; and for faculty to try to prod them in new directions. Mostly, it’s a chance for faculty who’re not familiar with a particular student to gain some acquaintance, and for students to meet and engage all of us.

    The conferences went ok, about the same as usual, though done virtually, of course. This 4 hour slice of the day is by far the most time I’ve spent with my colleagues this term. In the absence of off-the-cuff meetings that typically happen all through the semester, people stopping in for coffee, just to chat, etc., this was really the only time for us as a comp faculty. In all honesty, it was the only moment during the entire semester that i realized how much i really missed the more typically semester-long engagement.

    I’d thought that this semester was really ok, as I didn’t experience regular interruptions by colleagues who stopped in. Over the past years I’ve actually established a schedule that has no holes in it, at all, so that such meetings can only happen by appt., or when a student cancels their lesson. But, in truth, I realize that I do miss my colleagues. We’ve all got our crap, and I’m generally so intolerant that I’m sure many don’t want to deal with me (though they do keep stopping in…), but my colleagues are truly (almost) as important as our students.

    It’s the students I miss terribly. The challenge of the first eight-week term online at least let me look forward to seeing them three times each week. Meeting comp students and e-comp students over the remainder of the semester (theirs a 15-wk term) was good, but not having them in my office/studio is just so odd. The absence of “this is our bubble for an hour,” our space to go anywhere together, perhaps prompted by something on my desk, perhaps by a score lying on a music stand, or a file open on my computer; I really miss that.

    The teaching/learning just isn’t at all the same experience for any of us, at any level of education, at any school.

    Next semester? I really want to teach in person. But I just don’t think circumstances are going to allow it. It’s possible I may be able to get a vaccine a bit earlier than the students, due to my likely status as ‘high risk’, but I don’t think it’ll be available before the term begins January 19.

    ___________________

    ECU, like so very many other universities, colleges, and community colleges, is looking ahead to some horrid budget cuts. We’ve heard the latest numbers, which make unmistakably clear that the cuts are far beyond our operating budget and will force significant personnel cuts. This will create a very difficult situation for those whose positions are cut, and of course their families, and also for the faculty who remain but will need to somehow cover extra courses and/or larger classes. The staff throughout the university, those who haven’t ever been fairly compensated, will be cut or furloughed; and they’re not likely to have any fat/savings in their personal budgets. In short, so many more will be added to the unemployment rolls, to the casualties of this pandemic and its shameful mishandling by both the current administration, and the congressional reticence to act and provide relief.

    As part of dealing with the enormous budget cuts, the UNC governing body has asked the state legislature for permission to pursue means to encourage retirements, etc. There are many rumors about what that might mean, if anything does actually happen, so no one’s making any plans at this point.

    But Pattie and I did have a meeting last week with our TIAA-CREF retirement advisor. It was a typical ‘annual check-up’, which usually begins with an important question: “any idea of your retirement time-line?” I usually respond to this with estimating age 65. And while that’s a pretty likely age for me (~5 years), I proposed we run a hypothetical of my retiring at the end of this year, spring 2021–just as a thought-experiment, so to speak. The result is that such an action would allow us to maintain our lifestyle for 25+ years (longer than I expect to live, to be honest).

    I don’t expect to retire at the conclusion of this year, unless an incentive arises which is just too good to turn down. But the ideas of a phased retirement (3-years at half-time), or just 3-year timeline (age 63) sure do seem enticing.

    So I’ve brought up our “what would we do if I retired this spring” question with Pattie. More thought-experimenting. Move? Where to? So much depends on what happens with Joe/Cristin and their pursuit to come south. We know they want to come this way, also have incentive in her sis’s family planning to move to Richmond next fall. And with Pattie’s folks here, Christine/Stephen in VA, Tim/Tara here (for now), Pattie’s two sisters in Raleigh, her bro at the coast, there’s lots of gravitational pull to this area if Joe/Cristin are able to get here. My sibs are too geographically dispersed to help in any decision about moving; Indiana, Boston, NY, Florida…we know we don’t want to move to the cold, and we really haven’t found any place in FL that appeals to us. Discussions continue, but perhaps with the awareness that looking at things in the Raleigh area might provide occasional distraction.

    ____________________

    Monday brought another session with the h.s. musicians in Fayetteville, and I’ll have another next Monday. This time with them always reminds me of what gives me a good jolt–young minds, curious and open, exploring the potential of their own ideas, hungry to do so more, to build, to try things. These particular students are really wonderful; their teacher clearly loves them, and they her. There’s so very much support and encouragement during these sessions, and it’s such a gift to be a small part of their curriculum. I do hope that interactions like this, wherever I am after retirement, will continue both in person and virtually. Perhaps the silver lining from all of these past months is the awareness of what is possible via remote-connecting.

    Looking forward, it seems. And hope to keep eyes on these matters, rather than the discouraging headlines, in the days to come.

    Jackson’s got it right, still enjoying his Florida time.

  • Monday, November 16, 2020

    An anniversary today, of ma’s passing ten years ago. A relatively brief illness–fifteen weeks from emergency room visit to her death–that sent more than one type of tremor through our family. Tremors that didn’t only make us all orphans, but also leave still-gaping wounds, some deeply unexamined and unlikely to be healed through time, it seems.

    Our parents’ generation, born in the 1920s, was raised by 19th c. parents of the ‘old world,’ lived through a horrific economic depression, and served and sacrificed family and friends in an even more horrific world war and genocide. At least for our parents, it’s no small feat to have raised five relatively healthy children, put us through schools, and set us up to understand enough to be good parents ourselves.

    It’s odd that I’m offering a measure of their success in terms of what they did for their kids. What’s even more odd is that I don’t think I know how they would have measured their own successes beyond raising kids. I know more about my grandparents’ goals and achievements (grade school biography assignments, no doubt) than I do my parents. Was I just that clueless, unaware, and self-centered? Well, yes.

    Getting to know ma in the 24 years following dad’s death, seeing her emphasis on friendships, service/volunteering and, of course, family, did help me understand her perspective some, to be sure. Lots of good chats on the rides b/t Boston and Clearwater each spring and fall, some good memories of growing up with her brothers, their childhood trials during the war, and more. But I suppose I just missed out on such exchanges with dad, as I was barely an adult, newly married, and on the opposite coast when he passed in ’86.

    When he passed, I know there were issues lying unresolved for some of us. And that lead to working hard to open up lines of communication with ma, trying to say things that were always left unsaid in our family. In time, I think that worked for most of us, though perhaps for some not until nearly the end. It’s too bad that the same craving to communicate hard stuff didn’t permeate us, the siblings, as that might have prevented later ruptures.

    Hold ’em tight if you’ve got ’em to hold. And talk to them. Look them in the eye and make your love unmistakable. Do it now, do it again, and again.

  • Sunday, November 15, 2020

    The week just passed has brought increased activity to the house, as Ellie has been with us. Joe and Cristin adopted Ellie, a true mutt rescue, about 3-4 years ago from the SPCA in Queens. She’s an easy, older dog, about 7 yrs old or so. As Cristin’s folks’ place isn’t conducive to dogs, we’re keeping her with us until Joe/Cristin/Jackson pass through again on their return to NY, some time next week. At home in NY she doesn’t play all that much, but here, Frankie is constantly pestering her to play, and she’s really come around.

    Play with me!!
    A good exhibit of puppy vs. older dog energy

    And we’ve been getting some basic puppy training (more like puppy-owner training, to tell the truth) the past four Saturday mornings. Yesterday was the last class–

    Graduation day!

    The new graduate, and her older companion, are getting used to each other’s energies, for sure:

    Buddies waiting for dinner

    Dogs really are a great diversion, such wonderful and loving energy.

  • Saturday, November 14, 2020

    Posted this image in the spring, and now, here we are, seeing this massive 2nd-wave surge:

  • Thursday, November 12, 2020

    Jackson made it down to his grandparents in FL. Having not seen each other since last Thanksgiving, I know they’re in heaven as they get to see him thriving. (and he’s loving the pool!)

    And a brief video displaying the bond Jackson formed with Frankie while here in Greenville…they’ll stop by again on the way back north, some time next week.

  • Tuesday, November 10, 2020

    Spot on Op-Ed by Margaret Renkl

    and with this, the completely ethically vacuous McConnell takes the next step towards encouraging a civil war.

    I am truly astounded at how bereft of perspective these so-called patriots are.

  • Monday, November 9, 2020

  • Saturday, November 7, 2020

    ‘Nuf said.

  • Thursday, November 5, 2020

    A wonderful visitor joins us in Greenville, as Joe/Cristin road trip to see her folks in FL for the first time since last Thanksgiving. No doubt they are absolutely chomping at the bit to get their hands on Jackson and give him some loving.

    So they’re here for a few days to break up the long drive, and we’re enjoying each other, despite Jackson’s first head cold.

    Here’s the man, not so sure he’s ready for the open road just yet and, below that, showing us his one-man-band technique!

    Jackson on the Triumph with Pappy
    Shakin’ it up!
    Taking Frankie for a walk around the living room.