August in Mississippi

Once again I am visiting my daughter, who lives in the South, in the summer.



Once again, her next visit to us in the North is scheduled for November.

I don't know why this happens- well, I guess I do. Even though we have never, in our family, taken the traditional path in education, we still find ourselves tied to the academic calendar. That's why I often end up in Mississippi in the summer.

And in our family, the tradition is that we all gather at my home for Thanksgiving in November.

Given the climate, sometimes I wonder if some *small* adjustments might be made... winter holidays in the South, perhaps?

serial killer

There is a serial killer in Flint. This is just about my back yard.

Where does this insanity come from? How can it go on so long without catching a knife-wielding killer?

why spider solitaire is great

Spider solitaire on my new computer is fun, great, and addictive.

You do have to think, look, see patterns-- BUT if you hit the M key, you will get a hint.

If you have tried everything, you can back up, look over your past moves, and try again.

And again. And again. Until you get it right. Your patience will eventually be rewarded.

But, if you are running out of time, and it's not worth it anymore, you can make it vanish from your life with just one click.

And, if you have had too long a run of no time and stress, and your statistics are too low, you can make your history vanish and start again with a completely clean slate.

I wouldn't mind having the M key in my life on occasion.

Why is it that I get great writing ideas when I can't write?

I distinctly remember telling myself: that's a great idea! remember that idea when you get out of the car and write yourself a note so that you can put that in your blog.

But do I remember the IDEA that I was telling myself to write about? NOOOO!

Why do BRILLIANT ideas occur to me when I am driving? Or otherwise engaged so that I cannot write down the germ of the idea?

Just a phrase or two would capture it; but try as I might to chant the phrase internally, it still dissolves like morning mist before I find pen and paper.

what is the purpose of having a baby toe?

I smashed my baby toe yesterday. Twice. And it hurts. It's probably broken.

Baby toes seem to get smashed more often than other toes. At least mine do.

Why do we still have baby toes? Do we need them for balance? To complete the little piggie song and sing wee, wee, wee all the way home?

I don't even think toes in general, or baby toes in particular, are attractive.

Maybe the only purpose they have is to get hurt. On the edge. But protecting the rest of the toes and your foot.

a sense of loss

There are of course no guarantees in this life. And *this* fall, I hadn't officially been offered the class to teach and signed a contract. I had only "unofficially" been asked via email.

So I shouldn't feel this heart-sick disappointment when I checked in at the University website and saw that a tenured professor will once again be teaching "my" Intro to Theatre class.

Last year, I had the contract in my hand-- I had signed it and was awaiting the Dean's signature, when I got a call that due to the budget cuts, etc, etc. a tenured prof would have to teach the class (since he already had to be paid in the budget) and many apologies, no reflection on my work.

*sigh*

Still, I was more than a little bit counting on this job. It has been great for my self-esteem to say I am employed using my PhD. It is helpful income. AND I am at a transitional point in my life when I want to move on to being more professionally employed and stop giving myself away.

I am trying to figure out my next step. Do I write to my department chair and say I noticed what has happened and I would like to meet to go over my teaching portfolio to make me more marketable? Do I ignore it and focus on my writing?

Do I give up and apply for a job at Tim Horton's Donut shop?

I am weeping inside, even though this is not a total surprise. I had been thinking, when I know *for sure* that I have the Intro to Theatre job, maybe I will look at buying a little used truck so we have a second super-useful vehicle.

I can, of course, continue to sub at Ken's school. It's something-- about as much as babysitting.

I could start up a kid's day care camp/pre-school.

I could go back to school to get a Master's in Education (literally backing up to school, to go back and get a Master's after a PhD).

Really, I want to go back to bed and curl up and cry.

overeducated and underemployed

I really have no room to complain, as I am part of a partnership (my marriage) that is financially stable.

However, I was doing the math the other day and I am appalled at how little I am making -- in a financial sense.

I work hard. I do quality work. But I am essentially giving it away.

Any suggestions?