Bits and Bobs

• Updates on the there's-nothing-to-update front: This week, the FGS administration released the names of all three of the internal candidates for the Academic Dean position. One of them was me, naturally. One of them was someone I was fully expecting to be on the list. She's fabulous, I respect her a lot, and I stopped by her office the next day to tell her that I would happily serve under her as Academic Dean if that's the way to go; she said the same to me (although I think she probably had to in the conversational circumstances!). Unfortunately, the third person was someone who pushes my buttons, and I would actually not happily serve under her if she became dean. She is also the absolute darling of the school's top two administrators, who give her pretty much everything she wants (which of course is one of the reasons she pushes my buttons). So the night I got that news was a bit rocky for me, but I mostly just dealt with it and am getting on with things.

• In fact, when someone stopped by this afternoon to tell me "good luck," I actually wasn't sure what she was talking about until she said "the dean position?" The fact that it was not at the forefront of my mind at all makes me happy -- I'm trying not to stress about it, and I guess I'm succeeding!

• On another note altogether, I've been reading a new-to-me blog, Coffee Shop Rabbi. It has only one major problem: The name of the blog scans perfectly with "Beauty School Dropout" (from Grease), and so whenever a new post pops up in my news reader, I get that song stuck in my head.

• I'm so hooked on the Poirot series these days. It's the only thing I'm interested in watching anymore.

• Thank goodness there's a long weekend coming, because, ye gods, I have a lot of grading to do. And having grading hanging over my head is wearing me out. I know that if I just buckle down and plow through (which, yes, is a mixed metaphor), I'll feel much freer by Tuesday.

Comments

[L - Mama(e) in Translation]

super-ultra jealous of your long weekend. Sigh... the only holiday our universities have is MLK Jr. Day. And it's the only our sons's school does NOT have. How messed up is that?

As a fellow worrier, I'm delighted to hear that the search is not forefront on your thoughts.

Sigh... it's funny that in the past month or so, I would sometimes almost act surprised by people saying "congratulations" -- for the 3 year position. I don't feel any desire of celebrating something so relatively small... sure, I'll work less and be paid the same (a bit less) than with two jobs, but... meh, still not valued, funded & expected to do any research...

[Janice]

Thinking good thoughts of you with regards to the politics of the deanship candidacy and also the grading. Guess what I'm facing (or avoiding as the case may be)?