someone call a copy editor, please

Has anyone else noticed that the copy editing at the New York Times has become dreadful? I know we're all living in an age of the 24-hours news cycle, etc. etc., and that the constant updating of the webpage almost guarantees typographic errors (as well as errors in reporting and sourcing, but that's a topic for another time). This irks me frequently, but tonight reached a new low.

Sure, I'm not the biggest sports fan at UM, but Dave and I actually made the effort to watch the game tonight – the men's basketball national championship. We don't have TV, so we went to a pub with a friend and actually bought drinks and watched our team lose to Louisville. No amount of my encouraging ("More points, guys, MORE POINTS") or hectoring ("Rebounds are IMPORTANT") seemed to make a difference. I returned home to grade papers, which never puts me in a good mood anyway. So I was particularly annoyed to see the caption below this picture:

That's right, jubilant Louisville players in their red uniforms, accompanied by an erroneous caption that mocks our pain. No, Michigan did not defeat Louisville, 82-76, as the line directly below the caption indicates. This is a fact. But thanks for suggesting the idea. Get it right, folks.

Deposit

The completion of my Ph.D. has not exactly been the triumphant march I had expected. My dissertation defense was remarkably anti-climactic, and it doesn't help that I took a good four months to finish my revisions and deposit the final copy with the University. At least I had good reasons for being busy in January, February, and March! As I was frantically finishing revisions last week, I ran into a committee member in the hall who teased me, "What, you're still here?" Yes, I am still here. As much as I've tried to think of myself as "done" with UM and prepared to be faculty elsewhere, it turns out that a number of checklist items remain to be accomplished. My relationship with UM, it seems, will peter out in dribs and drabs over the next month or so.

I went to my final post-defense meeting at the Graduate School today. The administrator handed me a piece of paper with a URL on it; I used my own laptop to upload a PDF of my dissertation and a copy of my abstract. She opened the file on her own computer, checked it over for formatting, and printed out a certificate for me. Then it was over. That's it? This time, I didn't even get the satisfying feeling of thumping a large stack of paper down on the desk.

See the shiny gold sticker at the bottom? It arouses such conflicting feelings in me. On the one hand: shiny gold sticker! I LOVE IT. On the other: seven years of labor for a stupid sticker? When will I learn to stop caring about the shiny gold stickers??

Milhaud's L'Orestie

Tonight is my last choral performance in Ann Arbor. For the past several years, I've been singing with the UMS Choral Union, a large community group that is probably best-known for annual concerts of Handel's Messiah and performances with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. There have been wonderful experiences – being part of Leonard Slatkin's debut as principal conductor of the DSO (Carmina Burana), singing Mozart's and Verdi's and Brahms' Requiem, performing On the Transmigration of Souls under the baton of John Adams himself – and plenty of frustrations. I'm assuming that I won't be singing in a regular capacity next year, what with the awkward transition to New York and getting settled into the new job. So I want to go out with a bang tonight!

Tonight's performance is intellectually interesting to me. It's an operatic version of Aeschylus' trilogy of tragedies that we call the Oresteia. It was composed by Darius Milhaud, a friend of Stravinksy's, in Paris between 1913-1927. This is the first full performance of the full cycle outside of Europe and will be recorded live for commercial release by Naxos. Some of Milhaud's choices I love (Athena is played by a trio of women, so there's always a halo of sound around her words); some I find baffling (when L'Agamemnon begins, Clytemnestra has already killed Agamemnon).

This piece is hard. The French moves quickly, the intervals are challenging, and even when we get it right, it sounds weird. And the pressure's really on! Milhaud's son has come to Ann Arbor for the show, and whatever we can't get right will be immortalized on the recording. The last time this group of choirs/orchestra/conductors were recorded by Naxos for a different project, in 2005, they won four (obscure) Grammy awards! Hopes were high for this project as well, I think, until rehearsals this week began. Not to put too fine a point on it, we were unprepared, and everyone became discouraged. We've redoubled our efforts, so I hope it goes well tonight. Wish us luck!

Easter 2013

Happy Easter 2013! I'm finally getting my life in order after all the stress and traveling of the past few months. One of the things on the list was getting back into learning new recipes and trying them out on friends. But first, I had to clean up my apartment. Notice the distinct lack of piles of papers and overdue library books on the table:

Our Easter dinner this year started off with a citrusy salad with avocado and almonds – served in our new salad set!

For my bridal shower, a very generous family friend gave me a Le Creuset dutch oven. I love the color – and the way in which it inspired me to learn to make SHORT RIBS.

The short ribs were tender and delicious, and the sauce was addictive (recipe here). Spring asparagus from Charlotte and mashed potatoes and parsnips completed the plate. But plating and food photography are not yet my strengths. I'd like to work on that.

And to finish, a dark chocolate mousse with raspberries. I now wish I had made a lighter dessert, since we all went back for seconds of the short ribs. But it's a mistake I'm learning to live with. ;)

During my first two years at Michigan, I had no one to share an official Easter dinner with. Weirdly enough, I ended up running into the older brother of a college friend (who had dated my brother) at church and going to brunch at a diner, two years in a row. It wasn't exactly a warm family meal. So this year, I especially appreciate the opportunity to get REALLY full with Dave and two good friends! It was homey and satisfying – not least because I've added a couple new recipes to the dinner party repertoire.

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."