Natalie Draper

Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.

Choral Directors! If you're still in need of anthems for Advent, I have two I'd like to share.
If you're interested, or have any questions about the arrangements, please reach out to me!
Links to preview both works in the comments below.

Someone truly needs to do a story on how much universities spend on consultants. It’s unreal.

It continues to seem deeply shitty to me that there's no way to opt out of "AI Overview" on Google Chrome.

Turning Point USA Hosts Campus Event Pushing Death Penalty for Abortion Patients 10.3.25

ICYMI: One of Turning Point USA’s first campus events since Charlie Kirk’s murder is a panel of abortion “abolitionists” — extremists who want women executed for ending their pregnancies.

jessica.substack.com/p/turning-po...

Trump cancels clean energy grant to expand Syracuse factory: ‘It’s just killing us’ Bitzer Scroll rethinks expansion plans after federal grant is canceled for $25 million project in DeWitt.

Trump cancels clean energy grant to expand Syracuse factory: ‘It’s just killing us’

ICE agents storm Chicago apartment Children are separated from their parents and detained in vans

anntelnaes.substack.com/p/ice-agents...

OpenAI's New Data Centers Will Draw More Power Than the Entirety of New York City, Sam Altman Says OpenAI's planned AI data center projects would consume as much as the entire city of New York City and San Diego combined.

That sounds like a lot of power. I hope we’re doing useful things with ChatGPT. 🙃

Two lovely cats lounging on a kitchen floor, holding paws

Pals. Happy caturday!

Eden. Very fancy, but very excellent.

Last night I had the composition students do group critiques of each other’s work in comp seminar and they were so thoughtful and constructive with each other. The kids are alright, ya know?

Two lovely sister cats snoozing on a window seat back-to-back.

Thank goodness for the lovely fuzzballs. Happy caturday!

My biggest complaint with the current era is frankly that there is no moral leadership. I don’t see anyone at any high level making decisions based on the concept of doing what’s right. Of valuing truth, knowledge, empathy, and integrity. Not in govt. Not in business. Not in academia.

Opinion | A.I.’s Environmental Impact Will Threaten Its Own Supply Chain

Every university that is incorporating AI into their daily practices is morally bankrupt.

YouTube video by Lara Downes - Topic Hold On

Today is the first day of the modal mixture unit in sophomore theory, so I get to share one of my favorites from Margaret Bonds. Gotta love those modal mix amens at the beginning and the end.

Lovely tuxedo cat is upside down with paws in the air on a carpet. Lovely black cat watches suspiciously from a perch on a chair above her.

The world is too utterly depressing, so I think I’m just gonna keep focusing on cat photos. Like…what is happening in this one? I’m not sure, but it is delightful.

Two lovely cats sprawled on the kitchen floor touching each other, forming a sort of cat frame.

Parallel lines. Happy caturday!

Two lovely cats - one tuxedo and one black fluffy - stuffed next to each other on cat steps, alertly looking out the window of a back door.

Kind of jealous of our cats’ 9-5. To be fair, they are working hard.

I really like using a few of the early chapters from Thomas Benjamin’s book on renaissance counterpoint for at least a few weeks of the class. But I’m also a sucker for renaissance counterpoint in general.

There should be a term for the grief one feels when one’s country becomes unhinged.

This is a banana smoothie appreciation post. One frozen banana blended with two tablespoons of peanut butter and 2% milk and you have created heaven.

I’m so sorry. They are the gentlest little family members. It is so sad when they go. 💔

It's been a week and I am looking forward to my weekly Trivia meetup tonight with some friends. Gotta hang onto the good stuff.

Little lovely tuxedo cat curled up on a fuzzy blanket covering my legs on the couch.

Giving myself just five more minutes with this one before I need to get moving. Very tempting to just stay here forever and shirk my duties. 😂

Omfg 😂❤️

We’re up to four students who are out with either Covid (3) or a nebulous sore throat. Really should have gotten boosted this summer. Regretting all my life choices.

Lemme know what you come up with because so far I’ve either had a knee-jerk asshole response or gone weirdly silent. Not thrilled with either path. 😂

Some fall colors creeping in at the Erie Canal.

Some fall colors creeping in at the Erie Canal.

Early signs of fall. ❤️

I read the transcript from the first bit of this episode and wanted to scream. So many better follow-up questions should have been asked and weren't. Infomercial is an appropriate description of this episode. Also, Alpha Schools sound utterly terrible.

YouTube video by London Sinfonietta - Topic Knussen: Two Organa, op.27: 1. Notre Dame des Jouets

Talked about music boxes and Perotin in comp seminar today. I love this tiny movement by Oliver Knussen. Gorgeous.