Polly Murray

goofy guys are the best

A Chicago Pope implies the existence of an MLA Pope and APA Pope

turns out being the professor does not exempt me from finals week nightmares, but they have shifted to be printer-related.

hey neighbor!

a bit of good news: the neighborhood bakery reopened today, and now has a coffee bar, market, and bread oven, along with sunny tables and a garden. i think every neighborhood should have one (this is a comment on zoning)

I teach a nearly 3 hour evening class and it is brutal for all parties. most of the students are also working full time.

bike rack pushed up against a masonry wall, making it unusable

bike rack chained to a tree and surrounded by lingering snow, making it unusable

bike racks of anchorage 🙃

my weekly 3 hour night class doesn’t seem so bad after watching @booker.senate.gov ‘s incredible marathon speech yesterday. i still get tired of my own voice by the end though

kiss 108! we must be from the same state :)

A podcast where parents try to explain their children’s PhD

you know who should be inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame? Sisyphus

chester creek trail in anchorage covered in snow with frost covered trees

dog running down plowed pathway with snowy trees around

point of view of bike ride with plowed sidewalk and blue skies

but to be fair, usually they do a great job plowing or packing snow for various winter activities :)

berm of ice and snow blocking crosswalk at an intersection

dog standing on a sidewalk full of plowed snow from the road

sidewalk buried in ice and snow with a clear road alongside

things have been better this year but anchorage regularly plows ice and snow from the road onto sidewalks. some areas have different ownership of road and sidewalk and they don’t always communicate

dog standing under string lights with snow falling against a night sky. the dog is looking up and to the side, as if he’s watching the snow fall.

hard to say who’s happier about new snow

loaf of sourdough bread on a cooling rack on a wood countertop.

this week’s loaf

ending class and turning the ipad around for a tip

two people skating on a path plowed of snow with alpenglow on the snowy mountains behind

this ice was less nice but the view (and the company) made up for it

person skating on smooth reflective ice with snowy mountains in the background and the low sun passing through clouds

the ice is nice

view of fat tire bike riding down a snow plowed sidewalk with blue skies above

winter bike commuting is great because 1) i don’t have to wait for my car to warm up 2) the snow storage (sometimes) makes for a nice protected bike lane :)

dog staring up towards camera laying on a bed next to a desk with an arm in the foreground

working from home comes with a built in guilt trip

Freddie Mercury wrote "I want to ride my bicycle" as a rebuke of American city planning

they should invent an office that’s warm enough to work in

snow removal equipment moving snow to the center of the road where it can be picked up. the light is just arriving in the sky

large snowblower sprays snow into a dump truck. garden remains in the foreground

always an exciting day when the muni comes to remove snow from the neighborhood

selfie of a husky mix dog and woman in gold shirt and glasses

hey! i’m Polly and this is Ketchup. we live in alaska and love snow, riding bikes, and contributing to community disaster resilience (the last one is primarily my interest, but i think he concurs)

making the switch for real because the bollards are here now

@worldbollardassoc.bsky.social

civil engineering is cool!

the walk between my office and the building i teach in includes a sky bridge, and the trees that are surrounding it are all turning for the season 😍