So, I haven't been trapped under a large piece of furniture - I just haven't been at all in a blogging mood for over a week. Maybe it's because the semester has begun and I've been launched into an odyssey of trying to balance work and teaching (more on how to do this later...if I figure it out at all...). Also, TD has been in town and I've been spending my time swinging between total happiness in having back my domestic bliss and arguing about all kinds of things (welcome to the world of "long-distance luv"). This most recently consisted of us talking about adding TD to my bank account (i.e., making it a joint acct.) when (not if) we move back together. He said he also thought it would be nice if we had a joint acct. and then separate individual ones. Of course I flipped out and read all this as him not trusting me with his money, wanting to keep things secret, etc. I know, I know...paging Dr. Overreaction. Other than that, we've been spending some time with my new colleague friends (who are lovely and delightful) and watching a lot of TV (which is no different from what I usually do).
So, here's he deal. We looked at TD's joblist (the beginnings of which are being posted) this afternoon and two of the local universities are hiring in his field! These are extremely good schools and I'm hoping that another one is also going to be hiring (one that is very comparable to where he is now). But, this bodes well and I would like to request that my bloggy friends please keep all appendages crossed for us! I know that these are only job ads and that there's still a long row to hoe, but at least there are local openings.
Other bits of random fluff:
1) I have Santa Claus in one of my classes. He's a spherically-shaped older student (much older than me) and he has the tendency to "ho-ho-ho" at my lame jokes. We'll see how the semester shapes up, but I have the feeling that he has my two front teeth and I want 'em back by Christmas, dammit!
2) They clapped when I chanted Old English.
3) I have purchased a water fountain for the Furballs - TD thinks this is crazy, but I've noticed that they've been drinking more. Since we moved in, they've been drinking out of the bathtub because it drips. So, the fountain (a.k.a. our "water feature") is meant to interest them in a healthier way. But they're so cute they go up and bat at the water a little with their paws and then drink a little. TD says it sounds like an old man taking a leak.
4) I have two conference abstracts to write this weekend, but I bet only one of them gets done (the other isn't due for a month).
5) I met with my first grad student yesterday and it was fun - I'll be advising part of their thesis.
That's pretty much all the news that's fit to blog! My life continues on at break-neck exciting speed!
12 comments:
That's great news about the job postings for TD!!
And - how fun to be meeting with grad students. Yay! It all sounds perfectly sane and balanced, btw.
That does sound like a nice selection of news, apart from the whole, you know, fighting about money thing. I can definitely see how long-distance tension could focus on that, but at least it sounds like other things are good. Yay for kitties drinking!
(Even though you are emphatically not asking for this advice, I'm going to give it: You should have separate accounts as well as a joint one. Take it from a dispationate observer with no stake in the outcome.)
Yep, I think separate accounts are wise, too.
Best of luck to TD and the job search! How promising that there are local openings...
Hooray for potential job openings!
I hope your new colleagues are fun and entertaining. You should test out some of your amazing recipes from here on them. (Or not, if cooking for an audience sounds too much of a hassle right now. Or cook for yourself and post pretty pictures for us. Yum!)
And you get to inflict yourself on grad students already? How fun! Keep us posted.
Um, ok, so that would be a dispassionate observer who can't spell :)
2) They clapped when I chanted Old English.
discerning students! *claps across virtual space*
what were you chanting?
Re checking accounts: when a person dies, all assets in that person's name are frozen, including joint assets. It is possible to free up money with a bit of hassle, but who needs extra hassle if a spouse dies suddenly? Keep some money in your own name so you always have operating expenses on hand.
I bought Gus a water fountain last year, and he loves it. The movement keeps the water from getting grungy too.
Thanks for all the job opening mo-jo! And Highly Eccentric - welcome and thanks for commenting! I was chanting Caedmon's Hymn - they now have confirmation that I am a steely-eyed medieval geek. And thanks for all the thoughts on the joint and separate account thing - I'm coming around to the idea after I stopped reading so much into it. And Marcelle, I had no idea about freezing joint assets! Thanks so much for passing that along!
Wow! Two openings for the Dutchman in your area -- wishing you both the best of luck with it! Make sure to keep us updated as things move along!
I wonder whether FeralCat might enjoy a water fountain? He has this weird habit of putting his paw in the water bowl and then drinking the water as it drips off. (Hence one of his nicknames, Raccoon). As a result, he doesn't really drink enough and gets UTIs a lot. Maybe this would help.
That's great about the job postings--here's hoping for more! And good luck!
On the joint/separate account thing--I like the joint + separate idea if only so that, in the event that I want to buy a frivolous pair of shoes or something, I wouldn't feel any obligation to "check in" about the purchase. Marcelle's much more responsible reason is a good one, too.
If you don't like the sound of the kitty water fountain, I bought for my cat (who also prefers drinking moving water) one of those tabletop decorative fountains where the water flows down over some flat rocks and just put it onthe floor in the living room. It looks pretty (my water feature) sounds pretty and kitty loves it.
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