The Loooong Weekend

Presidents' Day is Monday, so it's a long weekend. LB is also up at Grandma and Grandpa's house and I handed back a stack of essays to my students yesterday, which means that with no baby and no grading it is prime dissertation writing time. My chair wants a chapter by 2/28, but my plan is to send it to her on Tuesday and get it out of the way, so that next weekend I can start preparing for the marathon of interviews coming up.

The first interview is on 3/4. This is actually a mock interview scheduled by my department's job placement committee, but it is going to run like the real thing, so I have to get dressed up and all that. And the interview's teaching demo portion is going to be open to the entire department, which means any of the other grad students can stop by to watch, and a couple of my friends have already said they're coming. I'm sure they'll be giving support and offering advice, but the thought of people I know watching me flub my way through an interview makes me very nervous.

Then, I've got Arizona on 3/10 (yes, I'm going to go), Washington on 3/21, and on 4/4, I'll be headed to Delta in Michigan. The timing is convenient for the interview and the school also pays for nearly all the travel (I have to pay for 1/2 of my ticket, but things like the hotel, food, and car are completely covered.)

We've got a hectic month and 1/2 coming up. Plus in mid-March, the quarter ends at UCR, which means I'll have all the hustle and bustle of final exams and essays to get through. So, I figured I had better take advantage of the weekend and get the chapter done. Also, the Oscars are next weekend, and I really want to watch mostly because James Franco is hosting. Not only is he talented and good looking, but he's also getting his PhD in English. Represent! So with all this motivation to spur me on, I spent most of the day at UCR's library with a bunch of other disheveled-looking grad students. Oh, I'm so sick of being a student! I can't wait to finish!

I would have much rather spent today at G and Grandpa's house with LB, where she met up again with her good friend, Wheelbarrow the Pup. Then she went off for a shop to the 99 cent store with her doting grandparents, where I suspect she got lots and lots of goodies.
And, you can't really tell from the photos, but it snowed in Victorville! Wheelbarrow better get inside!