Accomplishment #1 After this past Summer of Surprise Unemployed Destitution, I am so pleased to announce that I have gone and gotten myself a part-time job working as an assistant for the office of our Director of Graduate Studies and the Director of Student Affairs at the College of Fine Arts. Huzzah! A friend, who had the job last year and has since gotten a new job at the fine arts library, tipped me off and recommended me as his replacement (His words: "She's cool and hyper-organized." Heh.) last Wednesday. I sent off an email to the directors on Thursday. Then I started work on Friday!
The job is literally just organizing the mounds of papers and files strewn everywhere in the office and placing them in their proper place. In other words, TOTALLY MY BAG. I am certain that my friend who had the job last year did a great job (they would have had him back if he didn't get the library job instead), but it is apparent that some other student workers have not been so...competent. At what, though, I wonder? Placing sheets of paper in the correct position (horizontal) in a file cabinet? Total mastery of proper alphabetical order? It's not brain science, as they say. I say this, because, after just three hours in the office, the two directors were already making comments about how well I was doing. And I was like, "Uh...you know I'm a Ph.D. student, right...?" Just kidding. I just laughed and said, "Well, this is totally my thing - zoning out and organizing things." And the DSA was like, "Then you will do very well around here!" And then as he was leaving for lunch, the DGS said thank you to me for doing a good job, and the DSA followed up with, "Yes, I'm very encouraged by her already because she has finished a lot of tasks already without having to ask me questions every five minutes, so I've been able to get some work done myself!" And then I was like, "Who in the hell needed to ask you questions every five minutes?" (Just in my head.)
Also, I am apparently sworn to secrecy in that office - What happens in the Graduate Studies Office, stays in the Graduate Studies Office - because those two TALK - and I mean TAAAAALK - about students and faculty nonstop in there. Hahaha. I love it.
Anyway, it's only ten hours a week, since that's the maximum amount I'm allowed to work on top of my teaching assistantship without getting in trouble, but it's a decent hourly wage, so the little bit of extra income will help. Plus, any more hours than that and I'd get paranoid about sacrificing my seminar reading, paper writing, and studying time, especially since I have my qualifying exams coming up in January. (OMG EEP.)
And did I mention I will totally get to hear all the college dirt and gossip? Muahaha.
ps. The DGS and I spent the first 10 minutes of meeting talking about my and Schmoobs'
previous place of employment in Texas. Turns out his first job was at that school as well and it was where he married his wife, like 3 decades ago. Awww. Small world! We even worked with some of the same people, including the
two hundred year old tenured professor who inspired this classic bitch and moan blog post. (Remember?!)
pps. I would also like to add that when I initially talked to DSA about the job, she said, "Yes, we have a lot of work that needs to be done around here because we didn't have {my friend} during the summer so there's a lot to catch up on." And then I was all, "ARGH! I CONTACTED YOU MULTIPLE TIMES AT THE BEGINNING OF SUMMER EXPLICITLY SAYING I WAS AVAILABLE TO WORK AND YOU NEVER RESPONDED GODDAMNIT GRRRRAAARRRR!" (Also in my head.) Oh well, unorganized people be unorganized. Bygones.
Accomplishment #2 For the last I don't know how long - year? two years? - I've been completely frustrated at my legs becoming overwhelmingly itchy and irritated all the time, especially after I had just shaved my legs. It seemed like I had constant itchy bumps and irritation, which totally cramped on my shorts-wearing plans during the summer, and I am sure this is all completely interesting to you.
ANYWAY. Long story not as long, I tried everything from applying hydrocortisone, eleventy hundred different types of lotion, antibacterial gel, switching to allergen-free detergent, and using all different sorts of razors. Nothing seemed to help. I even got super scared that we had some kind of invisible mite infestation. (GROSS.) It blew. And then, finally, I came across some websites that talked about chronic hives. All the descriptions of it seemed to match what I experienced - recurring itchy red and raised welts that resemble bug bites of various sizes that come and go without warning and can last from a few hours to several days - and I was like, "Ah ha! That is me! Dr. Google is talking about me!" So, I zoomed over to the drugstore and got what Dr. Google recommended: Zantac and Zyrtec. I took one dose of each as soon as I got home, and, lo and behold, the welts were gone within the hour. I haven't gotten them since.
Crazy. Medical mystery solved. So...chronic hives? Really? Why?
Accomplishment #3You guys. I totally finally figured out how to apply eyeliner on my wacky Asian eyelids. It only took three decades. High five.
Accomplishment #4I survived band camp week!
Well, really, Schmoobs survived another band camp week!
But, no, seriously... I survived band camp week!
This doesn't really mean much since the end of band camp just signals the beginning of the semester and marching/football season, but still. At least we get a day off together tomorrow. That'll be our last one until...December? Something like that.
Anyway, the band had a picnic yesterday. I didn't want to go (read: anti-social) - especially since I know that Schmoobledoos will always be obligated to do band directory things during - but it was actually really fun. Year two in a place means you know more of the students and vice-versa. Also, I brought BB and she is a wonderful buffer between me and other humans. Here are some pictures.
Accomplishment #...4.9?I am this close to finishing my syllabi and course outlines for my classes this semester. But I keep getting distracted by the Internets. Oh well, you got a blog update out of it. Mazel tov.
