Today I have been at a 4-year public university, having a second interview for an Assistant Professor position. I'm not tired; I'm not fatigued. I'm...wilted. Why, you ask? Well, let me tell you the schedule for the day. Note that I got **location censured to protect my chances** yesterday afternoon, and rested up well last night.
7:30am--picked up by the department chair
8:00am--meeting with dean--all talk by her, whilst I sat and nodded and listened
9:00am--meeting with selection co
From time to time, I must recall certain factoids about life which are necessary to get through the day...or in order to keep my momentary sanity.
--There are more fools and ignorami in the world than you realize, and they are both scary. A fool is aware of his eejit-ness, and tries to cover it up; an ignoramus is blissfully unaware of his quality, and usually possesses a modicum of common sense.
--Follow-up #1: common sense ain't exactly all that common...and it's too bad it can't be m
So, in the humanities and social sciences, most of 'us' are well-entrenched in the academic hiring process. Letters and dossiers have been sent, and the first round of interviews are about to commence. The usual process is to interview either by phone or at a convention (which tends to occur right after Christmas, or perhaps the first week of January), followed by an on-campus interview which lasts 2ish days; this second interview is usually done in January or February, so that decisions can b
The day had been typical for a weekend. Went to the Farmer's Market and the store in the morning, got started on laundry and cleaning, ate lunch, and finished the chores. The last thing to do, usually, is sweep up the backyard. My landlord essentially neglects it, and since I look onto the yard from my kitchen window, I've been taking it upon myself to tidy things up. Well, what I can, anyway.
After finishing up in the back, I went to enter the apartment again through my back door. It's
Well, after more than 3 years of waiting, plus another year of paperwork SNAFUs, it's now official. I am both an Italian and an American, as are my brothers and my mom. I can proudly wear the red-white-and-blue and the tri-colori and not get ripped for it. I can go in the short line when travelling through European customs; I can stay in Italy and other EU countries for longer periods of time (watch out, European UNRV members!), and grant-funded trips to EU countries, from what I hear, will n
Up until about a week ago, much of the North American continent was in a very gripping Arctic snap--so bad that it was likened to having a hurricane-type pattern of wave after wave of winter storms. Extreme bitter cold, snow measured in feet...yet on the West Coast we had nothing but gorgeous weather. Sunshine, spring-like temps...in February. Not really normal, although it was somewhat, in that we usually have a week or so of warm weather in this second month on the calendar. But not for li
Well, most of the presents have been figured out and either purchased or made...just that one person left.
You know how it is...there's always that one person that you have no idea what would be a good gift. In this case, it's my middle brother. And since I already found a good gift for my sister-in-law, I have to think of something equally good for him. So a gift for the couple is out...I think...hmmmmmmmm....
Ok, I'll let you in on the secret: I got my sister-in-law a gift certifica
I decided that, due to my relative endpoint in my dissertation process, I could afford time to work a part-time job in the department stores around here during the Holiday Rush...meaning I'd make meager wages, but quite a few hours, and would get the nice employee discount.
Now, just as a background: I'm the daughter of a very successful salesman, and I can schmooze with the best. I know how to work a crowd, juggle stuff, and take care of business. I've done 'hotel front desk' types of job
Well, folks, the word of this week has been: culmination. I uploaded my finalized dissertation to UMI, which is the publisher that UT (and many, many other universities) uses, and it's currently under review. I mailed my final papers to the Grad School, and they were received today. All that's left is for them to finalize everything, bill me for my processing fee...and that's it.
I woke up this morning, and i felt...calm. In my mind, when I pay that final fee, then I'll be really done,
I decided that I'd go out for sushi tonight...and being that I live in Japantown, well, I knew it'd be good. Oh boy...I oopsed big time.
I'm allergic to shellfish. It's an interesting food allergy...comes in a variety of forms. Usually, the afflicted person is more affected by either crustaceans, mollusks or cephalopods; for me, crustaceans are evil. It also afflicts the poor soul in a variety of ways: the worst being apoplectic shock, others are covered in hives, and those like me are
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
So, at 8:04pm PDT, there was about a 5.0 earthquake centered approximately 6 miles from my place. It were funnnn!!!
Ok, it wasn't fun...well, not 'not fun'...kinda thrilling. See, if you're born in 'earthquake country,' you know what to do in an instant: find a place to take cover (under a desk, in a doorway), make sure you have something on your feet, and ride it out...it doesn't last long. But this was the first one in my life that I really, real
First...I find it a necessity, nay, a duty, to inform the public on this evil that has been brought forth.
Click here, if you can stomach (and liver) it
Yes, that's a combination of Budweiser and Clamato, being sold in one can, for general consumption and pleasure. For those who don't know, or have never heard of, Clamato: it is a mix of tomato juice and clam juice (as the name implies), often used in Bloody Marys.
Now, I admit that I despise tomato juice. I hate it with a passion.
First, if you've never heard of the Blues Brothers, educate yourself.
Well, for many years now I've been convinced that I'm a/the lost long Blues Sister. Yes, true, I never was an orphan growing up in a convent; true enough, Curtis and the Penguin were never my mentors in life. But the blues live within me. As does Rhythm and Blues. It moves my soul, makes me sway to the beat, and makes me want dress in black suit, white shirt, black tie, and Raybans. Ok, so I was born in the year that
On the island of Oahu there is so much to do, so much to see, but the one thing that is a must is to hike the Diamond Head Trail. Diamond Head is a crater from a volcano that blew many thousands of years ago, and is now by far one of the most spectacular views on the island. Sure, it's a bit rocky, and there are quite a few stairs (the US used it as a lookout in WWII), but once you get tot the top it's so worth it.
Today is my first full day here, and I wanted to really start my vacation her
There is nothing that makes an instructor-type person feel more frustrated and/or helpless than to watch a student, who you know is well-prepared and otherwise studious participant in all areas, collapse emotionally while taking an exam.
You sit there proctoring the exam, and you see said student freak out--be it crying, sweating profusely, or their eyes start growing to the size of flying saucers. You can't, by protocol, do a damned thing...you can't tell them anything, you can't give th
*tap tap tap*
*peers into a dark and dusty room*
*sniff sniff*
ACHOOOO!!!
Damn, well, I guess I should come in here more often. I kinda let the place down a bit. A neglected blog is an unhappy blog.
Hrmmmm...well, first thing's first...if I clean up this little area over here, that'll get things started.
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So, it's been 2 years and 5 months, give or take a few days, since my last entry. Just a few
Ever since my third year of college, with all of my classes being upper division in type, and with many academic writings to peruse, I have clamored for retraining of academians. And again I renew my plea.
When I become Ruler of the World, every academian will take writing courses (in the language or languages in which they publish) approximately every 5 years. In these courses, the 'students' will re-learn and refresh themselves on the proper writing styles of their genre. The first cour
Lubs, by the way, are what many 'round here jokingly refer to as pounds...since we wish to somehow pronounce 'lbs'. Anyway...at yesterday's weigh-in, it was 50 lost since 1 June 2006! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! :punk:
Let the fruits (and vegetables) of summer appear!
Like a good Genovese girl, I have a basil plant in a pot in the backyard. It's a staple for me; if I only can grow one herb, it's Italian basil. The reason is simple: it's one of the few herbs which really doesn't hold up well when bought at the store and kept in the fridge. I've had a lack of counterspace my entire adult life, so that pretty much prohibits me leaving it in a mug of water on the counter...besides, Bella gets a bit too poss
At 10ish this morning, my phone beeped at me...another news bite from the Associate Press. Thank God I was just walking, and not driving or chopping vegetables when I read this:
Paulson states that the economic crisis is "embarrassing to the United States of America."
The full quote is here (click here for the full article), with the emphasis being mine:
It was an interesting reaction that sprung forth from me as I read that initial news blurb, and then later the article. Fury and
What is it about relationships that are so amazing, yet so unpredictable? I mean, you date for years and years...you make some connections, but nothing that sweeps you off your feet for the majority of the time. You put yourself into periods of drought...and then you meet someone who seems to understand you so completely, so quickly...well, things just seem to fall into place.
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My brother Matt proposed to his lady, a
For the completely ignorant, there is a vote going on...well, later tonight...regarding the institutionalization of a type of national health care system. To put it mildly, it's a hotly debated topic. We Americans have a very strong sense of "I am my own person"--basically, we are a wee-bit leery of people, particularly big governments, telling us how to live our lives. And yet we also are concerned with the "common good," such that we really don't want our fellow Americans to suffer and we r
I think most are aware of Habitat for Humanity, and if not then you probably know of a program like it. Essentially, those deserving folk who are down on their luck and need a place to live apply to have a dwelling built for them...with the catch that they must have certain qualifications, and they must put a certain number of hours in to the building of their home. It's a great program, one that's received a lot of warranted attention. So you probably can understand the outcry when you read
Jeremy Clarkson...you dolt. You bleeping moron.
When the news spread, like wildfire, about the 'fracas' (why does that have to be in quotes, by the way? Everyone is doing that now.), I was amazed at the multitude of people who instantly came to Jezza's defense, regardless of any potential accusations or even rumors. After all, who cares if he supposedly assaulted another person...we want him back on tv!
Wait...what?
The people around me couldn't care less about the accusations. Reali
Boxes...they're everywhere.
Here...there...everywhere.
Empty boxes, waiting to be filled with all sorts of momentos and knick-knacks.
Partially-filled boxes, waiting to be completed, marked, and taped.
Full boxes, bursting at the seems, ready to be shipped off to their new, albeit temporary home.
Now I can't find a blessed thing, for all of these boxes are surrounding me!
