Of Walking on Ice. This book by film director Werner Herzog came in the mail on Thursday. It’s a new edition published by the University of Minnesota Press. I’ve admired Herzog’s work (especially Grizzly Man) and I look forward to getting a further glimpse into his quirkiness and his thought process. The story recounts his journey, on foot, to visit a deathly ill friend. Herzog figured if he walked, rather than flew or took the train, his friend would live.

The end of the semester. I’m truly loving the teaching gig for many reasons, but a clear beginning and end to each semester is a major benefit. Just when you are getting burned out and tired of the routine, it ends. No more. You get a clean slate for the beginning of the next semester. My semester is not over yet (loads of grading ahead of me), but class meetings are done and that’s a major milestone.

PBS. I get a lot of channels, and I’m sorry to admit I don’t watch PBS as much as I should. But watching its Vietnam specials this week two nights in a row made me realize I should make a better effort to tune in. If my TV got nothing but PBS, I think I could live with that.