something's in the whaatter

I was in the Sarah Lawrence bookstore just now, and as I was searching for a book, I overheard this conversation, more or less:

Whiney Girl: I would go to New York more, but I always feel like I have to be constantly on my guard.

Buxom Saleswoman: Yeah, every day you hear about rape and murder. It's a horrible place! I'm telling you, there must be somethin' in the whaaater [insert New Yorker/Westchester accent].

Whiney Girl: I do like flouride, though. It takes care of your teeth.

this will be brief

I'm going for an interview for the Teaching Fellows program. I am a little freaked out by it. Mostly because of the sample lesson we have to teach. I wouldn't be so worried about it but the time limit's five minutes and they are apparently quite tough about it.

My only comforts are the other candidates are probably as freaked as I am and it will all be over by this time tomorrow...I think I'll need a few stiff drinks after. Luckily, the interview site is within walking distance of several bars! It is supposed to snow tomorrow--yuck.

a sudden goodbye

The Dean of Studies at Sarah Lawrence died yesterday. She had been struggling with cancer for several years, apparently. I didn't know her very well, but she was the faculty sponsor of the Right to Write program--had initiated it, I believe.

I didn't even know she was sick. I had a meeting with her last semester, and in retrospect she did look a little guant, but I had always known her as a rather thin person, so I thought nothing of it. Not that I was expecting her or SLC to be parading it around, but I never even heard anything at the water cooler.

The son of my cousin once said, If cancer ever came around here, I'd do this! And he made a swift kicking motion.

Amen to that.

missionaries

I was just visited by some cute old ladies who're spreading the Good Word around this building. They were just so earnest and sweet with their coats and hats and smiles. It's weird being on the other side of an evangelical crew. I once was on that other side. For three or four weeks one summer I lived on a beach in San Diego, went in to Tijuana every day and did basketball and swimming camp and spread the Good Word--can you believe--me and basketball? I've been visited by Jehova's Witnesses before, but I don't think they're a part of that group. She asked if I wouldn't mind her coming around to talk about Jesus again (she gave me a little book), and I blathered on about being a student and having an erratic schedule. I didn't have the heart to dissuade her, but I don't know if I could keep up a nice pose for an entire discussion--I would be afraid she'd be a little upset about my Jesus...but then again, maybe not. I suppose she's seen it all around here. When I told her I was an MFA writing student, she whistled and said, Ohhh, that's quite interesting. She's probably marking me down as heathen. But she was very nice, even so.

one down, 19,999 to go

Yes, it's been a long time, and my readership has probably dropped off by now, but it's all been for a good cause. It's job-huntin'-thesis-finishin'-goin'-to-Staten-Island time. I just found out I've been moved up to the next level of the NYC Teaching Fellows program! Yay for me! Now I have to go to this huge interview process: I have to make a 5 minute (exactly--they'll stop you if you go over) lesson plan, have a big discussion group and then, finally, a one-on-one interview. It's next Saturday. Luckily, the lesson thing is done first, so I can get over it quick.

I still don't know how I really, honestly feel about it. I've been sitting around worrying about it for so long, I haven't figured out what I think. Although it must be a good sign that I was happy and relieved when I got the email. I'm still pounding the pavement for editing jobs at HarperCollins, Random House, Simon and Schuster and Knopf, and I went to a publisher's workshop yesterday at school, so I got a lot of lists of small presses in New York, so I'm going to look in on those.

Thesis stuff is going okay. I'm fairly close-mouthed about it all, so I won't say more than that. One of my pieces has been chosen to be workshopped next week in a master class with Antonya Nelson. She happens to be from Wichita, so I made sure she got a tale about a tornado.

state of the onion

The above title is a saying of my dad's...

Last night Tom and I hosted a Bush-drinka-thon. Some friends from our Menno House days came armed with margarita fixings and a blender. I broke out our wedding linen and dishes which Tom filled with junk food. We then each chose a word we believed would be said the most during the speech, and promised to drink each time the word was said. (Of course, outside drinking was allowed.) I chose terrorist and Tom chose each time Bush fumbled for a word. Lowell kept track of the numbers. I think he left with it, otherwise I'd grace you with the numbers.

The speech was rather boring, I must say. It was all safe diatribe; no beautiful oratory skills even from the speech writer. The whole tax-exempt Health Savings Accounts seems a little fishy to me. I feel it will work out great for rich folks but people like myself will be forced to foot the bill for those silly anti-seizure meds and birth control, not to mention any surgeries that could occur. Brian Lehrer of WNYC had a segment about it on his show. There are links to the sites about both sides of the issue.

The only exciting moment about the whole thing was when Bush talked about how congress (i.e. Democrats) didn't go along with his Social Security plan. For those of who weren't watching it, the entire Democratic section leaped to their feet and cheered mockingly at him. He was pissed. God forbid someone not look at him in adoration at every fumbled word that comes out of his mouth!

Okay, enough rhetoric for one blog.

(Wasn't it interesting that Laura Bush was seated between a black man and a Muslim woman? Oh, how multi-cultural of them! Of course, the Muslim woman was dressed fashionably and had her veil pushed as far back as possible. Had she been in full hijab (face veil, gloves, chador--the works) Laura wouldn't have dared sit with her. I'm all for the baring of any woman's head, but the fact is, many don't or are not allowed. It's always easier to digest a religion when it's not totally obvious.)

(And the whole Cindy Sheehan thing was interesting. Her only mistake was not waiting to show her shirt after the speech had begun. That would have been more interesting.)