E. A. Fredericks
@efredericks.bsky.social
West Coaster in exile, pining for sunshine & teaching literature to college kids in the Midwest. Books, baking, baseball (3rd generation Dodgers fan), film, #toastie.
Giving the new East of Eden series a try and OF COURSE the night scenes are so dark one can scarcely discern anything that's happening.
October 4, 2026 at 9:57 PM
Giving the new East of Eden series a try and OF COURSE the night scenes are so dark one can scarcely discern anything that's happening.
Just grading and watching baseball at 30,000 feet.
October 3, 2026 at 10:58 PM
Just grading and watching baseball at 30,000 feet.
Coming back from spending fall break in New England, though rather than being a tourist trip, I was helping my sister prep for surgery & didn't take a lot of pretty pictures. But we did have a couple nice walks and I squeezed in a beautiful run (plus lots of coffee, bookstore & gallery breaks).
October 3, 2026 at 8:37 PM
Coming back from spending fall break in New England, though rather than being a tourist trip, I was helping my sister prep for surgery & didn't take a lot of pretty pictures. But we did have a couple nice walks and I squeezed in a beautiful run (plus lots of coffee, bookstore & gallery breaks).
My only desires for the wild card games are for the Cubs to beat the Padres, but especially for the White Sox to beat the Astros. Look, in addition to undying enmity for the Astros, I just want to see Munetaka Murakami be incredibly drunk and joyful about his team advancing again.
September 29, 2026 at 11:34 PM
My only desires for the wild card games are for the Cubs to beat the Padres, but especially for the White Sox to beat the Astros. Look, in addition to undying enmity for the Astros, I just want to see Munetaka Murakami be incredibly drunk and joyful about his team advancing again.
Me when a human being tells me they're training on something and may be slow/make a mistake: oh that's cool, I'm not in a rush! gotta learn sometime
Me when an AI phone agent says they're learning and may make mistakes: CONNECT ME TO A HUMAN AND THEN GO TO HELL
Me when an AI phone agent says they're learning and may make mistakes: CONNECT ME TO A HUMAN AND THEN GO TO HELL
September 29, 2026 at 12:58 AM
Me when a human being tells me they're training on something and may be slow/make a mistake: oh that's cool, I'm not in a rush! gotta learn sometime
Me when an AI phone agent says they're learning and may make mistakes: CONNECT ME TO A HUMAN AND THEN GO TO HELL
Me when an AI phone agent says they're learning and may make mistakes: CONNECT ME TO A HUMAN AND THEN GO TO HELL
I'm home, I'm exhausted, but I have (I think?) survived my MONTH OF DEADLINES
though apparently now I better immediately start turning this conference paper into an article because one of my friends pretty much shoved me and a journal editor together yesterday & went "you two need to talk"
though apparently now I better immediately start turning this conference paper into an article because one of my friends pretty much shoved me and a journal editor together yesterday & went "you two need to talk"
September 27, 2026 at 10:28 PM
I'm home, I'm exhausted, but I have (I think?) survived my MONTH OF DEADLINES
though apparently now I better immediately start turning this conference paper into an article because one of my friends pretty much shoved me and a journal editor together yesterday & went "you two need to talk"
though apparently now I better immediately start turning this conference paper into an article because one of my friends pretty much shoved me and a journal editor together yesterday & went "you two need to talk"
I have had very positive feedback to conference presentations before but honestly never like this one. Like I know we say "I enjoyed your paper" as easy small talk in this setting but I have had multiple long conversations with people about it today.
September 26, 2026 at 11:40 PM
I have had very positive feedback to conference presentations before but honestly never like this one. Like I know we say "I enjoyed your paper" as easy small talk in this setting but I have had multiple long conversations with people about it today.
And I have a finished draft of my conference paper. Plenty of time before presenting it tomorrow at 11 am!
September 24, 2026 at 8:42 PM
And I have a finished draft of my conference paper. Plenty of time before presenting it tomorrow at 11 am!
I am so sorry, Phillies fans, I tuned into the game and as soon as I did, Brewers started hitting home runs off Nola. It's my fault. I just wanted some background baseball while I worked on my conference paper!
September 24, 2026 at 2:02 AM
I am so sorry, Phillies fans, I tuned into the game and as soon as I did, Brewers started hitting home runs off Nola. It's my fault. I just wanted some background baseball while I worked on my conference paper!
The LA Queens won the WPBL championship last night and the Dodgers beat the Padres, so my family group chat is feeling very cheery this morning.
September 23, 2026 at 2:16 PM
The LA Queens won the WPBL championship last night and the Dodgers beat the Padres, so my family group chat is feeling very cheery this morning.
I know I've been using flowers for most of these posts, but September has really been the month of cute frogs, like this little spring peeper, who showed up with the rain to spy on my reading progress. I have been reading, I swear! Here's some September books. 📚💙
September 17, 2026 at 8:43 PM
I know I've been using flowers for most of these posts, but September has really been the month of cute frogs, like this little spring peeper, who showed up with the rain to spy on my reading progress. I have been reading, I swear! Here's some September books. 📚💙
If I take out my endnotes, this article is only about 300 words over the 6000 word guideline I was given soooooo I think I am going to leave it as is. Well within the 10% +/-, I say. (Or, I hope.) If I do have to count endnotes/bib, then a whole section will get axed, but I know exactly which one.
September 6, 2026 at 8:21 PM
If I take out my endnotes, this article is only about 300 words over the 6000 word guideline I was given soooooo I think I am going to leave it as is. Well within the 10% +/-, I say. (Or, I hope.) If I do have to count endnotes/bib, then a whole section will get axed, but I know exactly which one.
Did the dialect thing and, well, yeah. That's me alright.
September 4, 2026 at 3:23 PM
Did the dialect thing and, well, yeah. That's me alright.
I have one student this semester who is already quibbling about grades on small homework assignments, & then (more delightfully) the student who sends me an email starting with "I didn't want to ask this in class because it felt off topic but did Shakespeare influence Tolkien?" (+ 3 more paragraphs)
September 3, 2026 at 4:53 PM
I have one student this semester who is already quibbling about grades on small homework assignments, & then (more delightfully) the student who sends me an email starting with "I didn't want to ask this in class because it felt off topic but did Shakespeare influence Tolkien?" (+ 3 more paragraphs)
Felt cute, went to an art museum.
August 31, 2026 at 1:51 AM
Felt cute, went to an art museum.
Felt cute, went to a baseball game. (My sister also came and I do have pics of us together too.)
August 29, 2026 at 10:15 PM
Felt cute, went to a baseball game. (My sister also came and I do have pics of us together too.)
That first inning from Skubal was ROUGH but man, the team has been looking better from the 3rd onward. And the lads are hitting? Bless.
August 23, 2026 at 12:58 AM
That first inning from Skubal was ROUGH but man, the team has been looking better from the 3rd onward. And the lads are hitting? Bless.
For the third time in the eight years I've lived here, I got caught in a surprise rainstorm while out for a walk and someone has pulled over and offered me a ride. There are things that absolutely suck about living in a small rural town, but there's also moments like this.
August 22, 2026 at 8:58 PM
For the third time in the eight years I've lived here, I got caught in a surprise rainstorm while out for a walk and someone has pulled over and offered me a ride. There are things that absolutely suck about living in a small rural town, but there's also moments like this.
Tiny Bookshop. TBH, sign me up, that sounds like a straight-up sabbatical.
You're offered $250,000,000 but to claim it you must enter the last video game you've played and stay there for a full year.
How are y'all faring in this deal?
How are y'all faring in this deal?
August 18, 2026 at 4:34 PM
Tiny Bookshop. TBH, sign me up, that sounds like a straight-up sabbatical.
Ventured to the big city for a concert last night and also had a lil tapas and reading time first. It was a treat all around. The band was American Patchwork Quartet and they were a delight.
August 18, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Ventured to the big city for a concert last night and also had a lil tapas and reading time first. It was a treat all around. The band was American Patchwork Quartet and they were a delight.
My friend's sunflowers were looking glorious today.
August 15, 2026 at 9:57 PM
My friend's sunflowers were looking glorious today.
Slightly less than a month before deadline and I have a finished draft of the article. It ain't pretty, and I already have a lot of notes to myself for the first round of revision, but I have a draft. I'm going to let it cool off for 24-48 hours and then jump in on revision.
August 13, 2026 at 3:36 PM
Slightly less than a month before deadline and I have a finished draft of the article. It ain't pretty, and I already have a lot of notes to myself for the first round of revision, but I have a draft. I'm going to let it cool off for 24-48 hours and then jump in on revision.
Today I did not do any writing, but I did get a haircut, a record (Camera Obscura's Let's Get Out of This Country), pastries, and despite going to two bookstores, only one (1) book. (Clearly it was my day in the Big City.)
August 8, 2026 at 12:12 AM
Today I did not do any writing, but I did get a haircut, a record (Camera Obscura's Let's Get Out of This Country), pastries, and despite going to two bookstores, only one (1) book. (Clearly it was my day in the Big City.)
It was a baking day today in addition to being a writing day.
August 5, 2026 at 10:39 PM
It was a baking day today in addition to being a writing day.
It's August and the days that remain for being outside and free of semester-time obligations are fewer and fewer. But outside is great.
And sometimes, so are the books I'm reading. Here's what I'm getting through in August. 📚💙
And sometimes, so are the books I'm reading. Here's what I'm getting through in August. 📚💙
August 5, 2026 at 8:19 PM
It's August and the days that remain for being outside and free of semester-time obligations are fewer and fewer. But outside is great.
And sometimes, so are the books I'm reading. Here's what I'm getting through in August. 📚💙
And sometimes, so are the books I'm reading. Here's what I'm getting through in August. 📚💙