Exhausted.

Preparing for my upcoming job interviews (four in the next two weeks) has been surprisingly draining. Luckily, I'm surrounded by incredibly supportive people, including The Boss, Coworker, Coworker Friend...and even some new friends.

The sheer amount of time it has taken me to prepare my various teaching presentations, re-research the schools, and finalize my travel arrangements has shocked me. I happen to be at a relatively quiet time in my research (for the first time in, like, oh...five years), so everything has worked out without any major catastrophes or ulcers.

But it got me thinking. If I'm this stressed out applying as a graduate student to SLACs* then how the heck would I have dealt with applications to R1 schools as a postdoc, with less downtime and more responsibilities? No wonder postdoc positions seem to be running longer and longer!





*SLAC=small liberal arts college

Leavin' on a jet plane....or not?

The other day, I was innocently sitting at my desk, working away in the quiet since most of the office had left town for a conference, when I received the most ominous text from Coworker Friend:

We missed the flight.


Uh-oh. Apparently there was a mix up in their transportation (namely that Coworker thought the flight was later than scheduled, so C picked up Coworker Friend, et al. too late to make the ticketing cutoff time).

Coworker Friend handled it pretty well, considering. I would have come completely unglued. In fact, I sort of did, in the office, on CF's behalf. Something along the lines of "I would have PUNCHED Coworker!"

Obviously I don't travel well with others. I'm a control freak, so I don't like putting my schedule in someone else's hands. I have a certain schedule when I'm at the airport (get through security, bathroom, get coffee and sandwich, eat while calling people, pace terminal, buy reading material, bathroom, board) which does not have room for coworkers' slower pace or small talk.


At least I'm traveling alone to my job interviews next week!

Rant postponed!

I was all set to write an angry rant about cheating and how prevalent it is among undergrads.... but then CoworkerFriend brought over pizza, we watched America's Most Smartest Model (seriously, you should watch it. Vh1. You will thank me.), and I rediscovered diet dr. pepper+malibu (seriously, you should try it. Yum. You will thank me).


Soooo.....I'm a wee bit buzzed, but I'm sure a lovely rant will appear at some point tomorrow, once I resume my grading (grrrr!!!).



In other news (but equally drink-worthy): I have a defense date!!! 5 months and counting....