Onward and upward

1. A modern retelling of a parable:

"Or imagine a professor who has ten letters commending her service and volunteer work and who loses one. Won't she go through all the stacks of old correspondence and bill-stubs until she finds it? And when she finds it you can be sure she will open up her blogging software and write, 'Rejoice with me! I found my lost letter that reappointed me to the city Beautification Council!' That is the kind of joy when a lost soul returns..."

Yes, I finally found what I think is the last missing piece of support. (Oh, I still have to deal with all the evaluations, bleaurgh, but at least I know where they all are). It wasn't absolutely essential but it's a nice thing to have, something else certifying my service.

2. I went over yesterday afternoon and looked at the model portfolio that the dean keeps on file. I was misremembering that you needed to write a narrative for each section documenting your contributions, but apparently you just do a short version of that in your letter of application. So I'm actually further along than I thought I was and closer to done. (I will be very glad when this is done.)

3.

4. Last night, I decided to get a pizza for dinner. This is a rare treat; I'm more likely to make my own, or make some kind of demi-pizza (like an English muffin "pizza."). I'm not a big fan of either of the big chains that have outlets in my town so I always get pizza from Roma's (a small, locally-run restaurant - probably the best restaurant in town) when I get it. Also, Roma's will do a true medium-sized pizza, where a lot of the chains have a "large" as their smallest size. A medium provides a generous first-evening dinner but leaves a manageable amount of leftovers (as opposed to bigger pizzas, where I'm pushing the leftovers around in the fridge 3-4 days later and going, "Aw man, I guess I'm going to have to eat this up sometime")

Also, Roma's pizza is good. It's more expensive than the chains but is definitely better and is worth the extra cost to me.

So I got a pizza, and made a little salad, and poured a glass of juice. And as I ate the pizza, I felt my shoulders dropping back to where they belong. All this past ten days, I've felt a bit like (I think it was) Alfred Molina's portrayal of Hercule Poirot - shoulders hunched up painfully, talking too fast and too loud in an adenoidal voice, ready to yell at people with little provocation. So hopefully I've passed the worst anxiety of this thing, and I can relax again and get back to doing what I am supposed to be doing: teaching, doing research, and working with students.

(As I said: I'll be very glad when the portfolio is done).

5. The week after the portfolio is due is our Mid-Fall Break. Despite my somewhat wavery pledge to be more frugal, I think this merits getting some cash and going to Longview for a day of shopping and just being away from town.