No you cannot cite Wikipedia

 After a week of being sick and lots of travel I am almost done grading the first paper for my class, and the future does not look good.  One of my students cited about.com, while another cited wikipedia.  I know that these are freshmen, but still.  It makes me enormously depressed that the university I graduated from has such low standards for admission.


It also makes me sad that I am still not being paid for teaching.  Apparently the hospital still has not changed my FTE status from 0.5 to 0.25, so I cannot officially be hired at 0.3 for the teaching job without getting benefits, and neither of my part times jobs can offer me benefits.  Because I am not in the system as working for the university as a professor, I cannot receive a paycheck and my bank account is extraordinarily sad.  I do not foresee getting a paycheck from the University until I quit my job at the hospital, which, ironically I cannot afford to do because teaching does not pay enough. 


Did I mention that I cannot wait to move?  I am super excited because I should find out where I will end up next year in the next few weeks.  Scenario 1 has me getting into Columbia and figuring out how boyfriend and I will be able to afford Manhattan and tuition and fees at a private school.  Scenario 2 has me either not getting into Columbia or deciding that the debt isn't worth it, and boyfriend and I move to Iowa.  Both of these options are great, and as of July (scenario 1) or the end of May (scenario 2) I get to start the next chapter in my life.  

And it is February

This week was boyfriend's 30th birthday.  It is also a week I spent on the couch with a fever.  Fever dreams are quite interesting.  In one, my doctor friend and I were taking a girl we haven't talked to since middle school to the hospital because she was in labor.  Odd. 


Tomorrow boyfriend and I leave for Kansas to go camping.  I'm looking forward to hot cocoa and toasted marshmallows by the lake.  Yay.


The only downside of this weekend is that I haven't finished my grading yet because I've been sick.  I suppose my students will just have to wait.

Happy New Year

This year I spent both Christmas and New Years alone, and it feels terrible.  Hopefully next year I'll get to be with my family or with boyfriend.  By the way, you calling me to say hi didn't really help, especially since I could hear all of your friends having a great time in the background while I sat on the couch and got drunk by myself.

Rejection

Turned down from a school I didn't really care about.  Not too broken up about it.  Especially since I didn't exactly put my best into the interview.  Three more months until I hear from my number one.  Then I can plan my life.

Silly Tuesday, why are you so busy?

Cat sitting isn't fun when you can't find the house.  At least my kitten is safely stored in the basement for people that are coming over to give him kibble.

I got my hair cut today for the first time since the summer.  And it feels glorious.  As an added benefit, I no longer look like a hobo.

One of my work friends decided to have game night, which meant I was playing games with two friends and three of their friends.  Hello wine...

Kittenface is riled up because he's been in the basement most of the day.  Poor little boy.  Hopefully he keeps his pointy claws and teeth to himself.

One month.

Boyfriend is gone until after New Years.  Now it's just me and catface.  Sadly today was my last day off until January 6th.  In the plus side, I am drastically cutting my hours at the lab on the 13th because I was offered a position teaching next semester.  It's a bit of a pay cut, but I'll also have to work about half as many hours, which is exciting.  I'm a little bit nervous because I've never taught before, and I'll only be about six years older than the students.  Hopefully they aren't too much trouble.  Plus I have about a month to get the syllabus ready and prepare for class.

At least I remember to feed the cat.

I'm curious as to when I am going to get my life figured out.  It seems as though I can only do one thing at a time.  Reflecting on my recent past, that thing is not taking care of myself, taking care of my house, taking care of my bank account, taking care to do my homework, or taking care of boyfriend.