surprise stables

Katie H.'s blog, pilgrimography, is so inspiring – it makes me want to be more attuned to my surroundings and capture those fleeting moments of beauty. I'm not sure this really makes the cut, but I was startled today as I walked home from the office. I've walked past this alley probably twice a week for the past three years. Only today did I notice this mural of horses in a stable painted on the garage in the back:

Sweet idea, no?

finally, a job!

I'm thrilled to announce that it's official: starting in August, I'll be an assistant professor of Classics at a college in New York City and the director of their intensive summer language program! I made the decision last week, but it took several days for the contract to be generated, arrive, and be signed. As most of you know, I've had a long relationship with the Institute – I learned my Greek there in 2002 and have been a faculty member for the past three summers. Never did I dream of becoming the director, though, or landing a tenure-track position in New York City!

It's going to be a tough job. I'll be tackling duties that most academics don't approach until after tenure, if at all: fundraising, branding and advertising, faculty recruitment and training, curricular development, building partnerships across the city, etc. I'm excited, though, to gain new skills and have a real impact right away. I'll be teaching at Brooklyn College in the spring and directing/teaching at the Institute in the summer; the fall will be for research and publication, as the same research expectations for tenure will apply to me as to other faculty. I'm not exactly sure how I'll balance it all, but I guess we'll find out soon enough.

We really struggled with the decision, but I'm feeling increasingly confident that this was the right one. Returning to NYC has long been a dream of mine, and the move will bring us much closer to our parents and families. Last week, we found out that the Fat has matched for his residency on Long Island, so we'll both be moving to the NY metro area! That means more time for me with the Flower and the Florette, which I am particularly excited about. Most of all, the NYC area will hopefully provide more opportunities for Dave to pursue his research. He won't be coming with me right away, but as soon as he can make the move, he will. So cross your fingers that the sequestration won't affect his grant applications and that he will find a hospitable home at a medical school or university in New York soon!

30

This weekend, I turned thirty. When I think about this particular birthday, I always remember a conversation that I had back in 2005. I was graduating from college and looking forward towards a career in sustainable development and non-profit work, probably in Africa. A woman who was finishing her master's at the Woodrow Wilson School agreed to have coffee with me and talk about her experiences and career trajectory, as she had recently come back from East Africa (as had I). Towards the end of her conversation, she mentioned that she was about to turn thirty. I must have looked appalled, because she laughed at the expression on my face. "Don't worry," she assured me – she was graduating, getting married, and so excited for her 30s."My 20s were so full of drama and figuring myself out. Now I know who I am, I've found the right person for me, and I think my 30s will be my best decade yet."

I'm not sure I have the same confidence, but I'm certainly glad that in my 30s, I won't be crying about whether graduate school was the wrong decision or feeling humiliated about being dumped by someone I was eventually planning to dump, etc. There will be other things to cry over, I'm sure, but at least they'll be new ones!

Dave took me to Chicago for a night to celebrate the big milestone. It was a quick and casual trip, but a real treat to be able to spend time together without an agenda ("we must pick wedding invitations") or an extremely stressful decision to make ("what job am I going to take?"). We heard the Chicago Symphony Orchestra:

 One thing to love about the orchestra: even from the nosebleed seats, you can have a very enjoyable experience!

We also visited the Art Institute, which had a neat exhibit on "Picasso and Chicago." Did you know that Picasso made ceramics, too? This one was my favorite:

"Humph!"

Dave has always impressed me with his knack for giving thoughtful gifts. My birthday present was no exception. This is a print of the area on UM's campus where we got engaged. I've already hung it on my wall, and it will come with me next year to my new apartment!

showered

Last weekend, my mom, her dear friend, and my bridesmaids threw me a bridal shower! I've been racing to keep up with everything this year, and this was one of the few occasions when I've been able to pause, take a breath, and enjoy the moment. I'm getting married! To Dave!

The shower was a "bridal tea." Mrs. Carlson's house was decorated in blue and silver, and my mom made all kinds of delectable treats.

It was so moving to be surrounded by friends and family, women who have been part of my formation for so long (some since birth!). I've been really sad about missing out on some of the joys of being engaged – savoring the anticipation, building a home, preparing for marriage and all the changes it entails. And so I really appreciated how the shower served as a rite of passage. We gathered for stories and games, songs and wisdom.

Here I think my mom is making fun of me.

Thanks for coming, everyone!

decisions, decisions, decisions

The time has come (the Walrus said). After all of this hullabaloo, I have three tenure-track offers in front of me, and three more days to make up my mind. This is far more than I ever hoped or dreamed for myself this year (or possibly ever!), and I feel unprepared to make the decision. Just six months ago, I was considering leaving the field in the event that the job market just didn't pan out for me. The suggestion conjured an entirely different world and future for me and Dave, one which can be set aside for now. Now I have to contemplate what it really means to start a tenure-track job at a specific place in August – can I get tenure? will I start having children before tenure, and where do I want them to grow up? where can I get the best mentoring, so that I can grow and thrive in my research and teaching? which institution has the best support for what I want to accomplish with my career? and perhaps most importantly, can Dave come with me?

It's been a hard week. I received an offer that I would dearly love to take – I fell in love with the department, my future colleagues, and the rosy vision of the life I would have there. The catch: no job for Dave now, and it seems unlikely he would find one there in the future. How can I take a position in a place, knowing that my husband can't join me there? What if I find it difficult to "trade up," as it were, and find myself "trapped" in a wonderful job, but alone? Tradeoffs, compromises, meeting in the middle. All I can say is: marriage – it's not for the faint of heart.

I'll have an update in a few days. In the meantime, I'm trying to shed the burden of anxiety I've been carrying for weeks. Today I got my haircut at a new salon. In the blank after "Occupation:", I finally dared to write "Professor."

the big easy

Last week, I stepped off a plane in New Orleans and was just bowled over by the city. What a fascinating place, in its history, language and culture, and policy prescriptions! I stayed in this graceful bed and breakfast:

which was located right on Audobon Park:

Having left Ann Arbor under 8 inches of snow, I couldn't believe that spring was beginning elsewhere. After a long day of interviews, I finally got my reward: a fresh, still-warm beignet, drenched in powdered sugar! Immediately afterwards, I hit up Coop's Place for its "Supreme Jambalaya," and I can attest, the advertising was not false!