Probation

Well, more like probationary status. I haven't been on probation since I was eighteen.

On Tuesday afternoon, I met with three of my professors for nearly two hours to talk mostly about my interests in fairy tales and love stories and what room there might be in the world for critical explorations of those areas. It was a wonderful discussion that encompassed some of my creative writing, some of my critical writing, and list of forty books that I really loved. Kind of like my dream come true in meeting form.

That whole process is called an academic review, and after the three professors signed a little sheet of paper, I was no longer a probationary PhD student. I'm now legitimate. I've been running around telling people that I am now legit. As in too legit? To quit? Right.

And my stressful main event on Monday was a job interview for a comp teaching job that I only really want because the money is nice. If I do get that job, it would complicate my current plans for living situations next year, so I'm mostly just hoping that I blew the interview. But I rarely blow interviews. In fact, I haven't ever blown an interview. I'm such a type A personality, it's not even funny.

This morning I proctored my students' comp final. I am no longer employed. Well, maybe I am technically until I turn in their grades, but I am taking a month off from working, I've decided. These next two weeks so I can focus on the paper I NEED to start writing about Dinosaur Comics, and then the two weeks after that so that I can focus on writing something other than class stuff for at least a little bit of my summer. Also, I decided I won't start working until June 4th so that I don't have to worry about asking off for the last weekend in May when I have a very important baby shower to attend following closely by a very important Death Cab for Cutie concert. Thirteen days until the new album, thirty-three days until the show in Minneapolis! Unbelievably excited!

Also, the other biggest cause of excitement in my days: I, along with one friend and one stranger (friend of the friend, so just maybe a friend I haven't met yet), am starting up a new art project. I'll be writing towards our collective goals, while my friend and her friend will be doing art (making art? creating art? _insert verb here_ art.), and we are going to be creating something. Or some things. Not quite sure yet exactly how things are going to work or what we are going to really attempt, but once we get the project going, hopefully it will snowball (but only if something can snowball in a positive way?!). What I mean: hopefully the power of our enthusiasm and the greatness of our ideas will carry the project in lots of interesting directions. Another hope for the project: that these two friends (yeah, I'll just claim him as a friend, sight un-seen, heard, read, etc.) will push me in some previously un-explored/un-discovered directions. So, you friend, the one who reads this little me-fest: Push away!

I'll push right back, that's a promise.