I'm working on getting a teaching job for next year. I considered but failed to pursue the possibility of teaching general science on a part-time basis, so I guess that means I've made my decision as far as the research assistantship goes: not a particularly high priority. I don't know how many full-time earth science positions I've applied to, exactly, but I'm in the middle of the interview process at three schools, and have been offered jobs at two others. when I write it out like that it seems like I should be able to relax about it, but I'm still feeling awfully stressed about the whole thing.
the other thing I'm supposedly working on is my dissertation proposal. I'm at that awful stage where I know ninety-five percent of what I'm going to write, and just have to sit down and write it already -- but the other five percent is taking up all my mental energy and making it hard for me to see the big picture. it's like trying to write the thousand words for a picture puzzle that's missing a handful of pieces from the middle. I'm almost positive I know what the finished puzzle will look like, and it's unlikely that any description I write will turn out to be wrong, but the little hole is making me doubt myself anyway.
on thursday I'm leaving for a ten-day geology field trip. this is a good thing, and I've been looking forward to it all semester, but the timing is... imperfect. ten days in the woods and mountains, away from wifi and cellphone signals, when I'm supposed to be sending updated drafts to my committee, and when principals are going to be telling me whether or not they want to hire me. argh.
on the plus side, our container garden is doing well despite the temperamental weather. the basil is getting bushy; the soybeans are sprouted and waiting to be thinned; the peppers have little white flowers; the yellow blossoms on the tomatoes have given way to fat green fruits; and we have four new pots of herbs growing on the office windowsill. we still need to start the lettuce. maybe our laziness will pay off when our csa farmer has harvested all his tender greens and started delivering eight ears of corn a week, and we'll still have organic salad growing on the fire escape.
[ 18.5.08] · [ ]
yesterday was sort of miraculous, wasn't it? all that forecasted rain and gloom but instead we got this lovely springy sun. thomas and I rolled out of bed and into our running shoes for a jog around the park, early enough that the morning fog still hung across the treebranches and the birds were singing to each other across the meadow. we had planned a container-gardening day, which by necessity would take place on the floor of our apartment, but when we'd counted out our already sprouted seedlings and realized that we would have space for some extra plants, tom decided we should visit the botanic garden on our way to pick up some more seeds. so we walked up crowded, sun-drenched eastern parkway to the garden, then went winding our way down between beds of velvety pansies and unruly tulips to the garden shop. back at home, having had our fill of flowers, we spread soil across the floor and set our vegetables in rows to be potted. when we put them outside, just in time to catch the last rays sunlight before the earth turned too far eastward, we found that basil plants already had a few leaves to spare. we ate them chopped and sprinkled over the gnocchi puttanesca that tom made for dinner, and even though the nighttime darkness had settled in, I myself could hardly have felt sunnier.
[ 5.5.08] · [ ]
what not to say when you're trying to get a girl's phone number
"you have a boyfriend? is it serious?"
"you're in a serious? long-term? relationship? you look like you're twenty-one!"
"so, this guy. you trust him?"
"well, I'm sort of seeing this girl, but I don't really know if we're dating."
"yeah, we played ping pong together but now she keeps blowing me off."
"see we have this whole instant message conversation, let me show you on my phone."
"yup, I have lots of girls' phone numbers. I kind of collect them. heeheehee."
"oh, this is your stop? I mean I was going to get your number too--"
[ 4.5.08] · [ ]
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