I have so many big things going on right now that I’ve been too tired to do anything small and slightly ridiculous. So after reading the first thing Professor Snape ever said to Harry Potter, I rekindled my love of flower and color language and started digitizing early 20^th century floriography dictionaries: floriography.bernardyu.com

I started working on it friday night and have been continually updating it all weekend. I have no real long-term plans but getting something small but tangible and interesting up in less than a day was quite satisfying. I’ll keep working on it, though probably not as single-mindedly as I did this weekend. Eventually I’ll add more books (hand-typing the first one took about 3 hours, but that’ll speed up now that I have the basics set up) so we can compare how the language and usage differs across regions and time. It is fun to see glimpses of how meaning was attributed to certain flowers (such as rupture of contract for broken straw, and union for whole straw). Some are simple and obvious such as majesty for imperial lilies, while others convey deep complex ideas such as “hopeless but not heartless” for Love lies Bleeding. It is a beautiful, fascinating, yet somewhat sexist language (so many definitions judging the purity of women, but nothing on men).

p.s. Privet Drive would translate as Prohibition Drive, as in where Harry wasn’t allowed to do anything.

p.p.s. If you’re wondering what sort of bouquet to prepare for President’s Day, I suggest French willow, black poplar, heliotrope, Cedar of Lebanon, wild plum, Rudbeckia, and red & white roses. Though the heliotrope won’t last long (if you can even find any in February).

A quick update for all the Twitter folk who have been wishing me well:

I’m feeling better today than I was yesterday, and was feeling better yesterday than the day before.

I have an appointment with a hematologist at noon. I do not expect an immediate diagnosis and neither should you. I’m now realizing that I have been ill for a while but ignoring the symptoms. So I am spending the morning trying to make a comprehensive list so my doctor can get as accurate a picture of my last few years as I can provide. And mentally prepare myself for the long haul.

I don’t mind y’all asking about my symptoms and what the doctors are telling me. Since I am in a privileged position where my health does not affect my job prospects and my friendships, I am intentionally trying to speak more openly than others are able. But from now on please only ask in private (I will mostly likely answer with more detail than you want, but there are times where I won’t be willing to respond). I will continue to openly write publicly, but only when I am comfortable doing so. First, my health affects others and others have affected my health. Second, projects I have been working on are going to put me into a public spotlight and it only takes a few jerks to ruin good works, so I need to be able to moderate as much of what is published about me as I can.

With love, wish me good health.