I'm employed!

I got a job on my first try!  I'm working at Lindamood-Bell, right in town, helping struggling students learn to read, comprehend, and verbalize better.  Largely third-grade boys, I'm told.  Yesterday's screening went really well, and I think I'm going to like it.  I start Monday.  The biggest negatives are the rigid schedule and the dress code, but I guess the former is what we're getting paid for and the latter is to be expected.

I have to get my TB test and fingerprinting done tomorrow.  Whoot.

I still squee when I see archaeological cartoons show up in my regular comics.

Sappy post

I realized how great it is that I'm still in touch with my high school friends.  I'd like to give a shout out to my girls.

Jenny:  Our bond is unbreakable.  Tried, tested, and true.  And you taught me the most important lesson of all. Invincibilities.  We Are In.

Melissa:  Jenny said this first, not me, but it's so awesome how you love making friends with others who are different from you.  Who'd have ever thought that this blonde bombshell would be buds with an emo geek like me?  Rock on.

Alison: Every time I see you, it's like nothing's changed.  You're one of the most refreshingly alive people I know and a constant reminder of the importance of exploration.  

Kristin: You're like a big sister to me.  You continue to inspire and motivate me to this very day, just by being the amazing person you are.

~

Wherever my crazy travels take me, I take you with me.  I've never appreciated what I have more than I do now.  Better late than never.  So thanks.

How is 315-313 a draw?

Someday, someday I will beat my boyfriend in Scrabulous.  Every game I come closer, and watch in agony as victory is snatched from my fingers.

Apparently my tattoo figures prominently in the new Indy movie, which I still haven't seen.  I'm going with my family next weekend, if we can get Dad off his bum.  Gone are the days of "What is that supposed to be?"  From now on, people will say "Oh cool, an Indiana Jones tattoo!" and I will have to explain that, well, I actually got this before the movie came out, and I used to be a real archaeologist.  Mixed blessings, I suppose.

Why hello there.

There's not much point in apologizing to an invisible audience about my lack of blogging through April and May.  A lot happened during those weeks that I won't bother discussing here, and a few things that I will.  I like the idea of doing lots of little posts more often so that this process doesn't seem so daunting. 

The basic deal:  I'm in California, with my parents, looking for tutoring jobs.  Moving back to Cambridge in September, for more of the working life.  Got a nice little apartment with three of my pals and not so far from the rest of them (and my boyfriend).  It's nice to have a respite.

One of my favorite pastimes while not doing academic research has been pleasure reading.  Here is a list of all the books I have finished since March:

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

H.M.S. Surprise

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

I Am America (And So Can You)

The Female Brain

Girl, Interrupted

The Ground Beneath Her Feet

Plunder of the Sun

Water For Elephants

Look Homeward, Angel

Paint It Black

The Inheritance of Loss

I'm going to do a little 3-sentence review of each book, I think.  Later.