August 30, 2007

I'm not gonna lie to you...

...working is a lot of work. My commute is brutual, and this on the "easiest week of the year" in late August. Yesterday: 90 minutes (I was late to faculty orientation; walked in during the President's remarks; not too smart); today no accidents on the highway so only 60 minutes, so I had time to arrange my parking sticker.

I arrived home today around 4 pm after more than an hour in the car, stop-and-go along Route 128, and was just wiped out beyond belief. Driving requires intense concentration: I'm petrified that I'll get into an accident in my beautiful new car (Jetta TDI 2003); I'm not used to the swerving in and out of lanes; I'm still adjusting to the "what lane I should be in strategically right now" thing. No spacing out and thinking about my work, for sure!

I have a great office, though: a window, two desks, a desktop computer (on top of the brand new laptop), access to copying and supplies and whatnot. Everyone is super-friendly and helpful.

I am looking forward to meeting my students next week and in particular advising students, although as a VAP I am not sure how much advising there will be.

So many changes: new (well, it's sort of a do-over) house; new car; new job; new commute. Really, a whole new life that has remnants of the "time before" yet is completely different. I sense that the colleagues in my cohort are missing the abstract pleasures of R1 and are a little nonplussed by by the nitty-gritty of a teaching-oriented position.

Posted by otto0114 at August 30, 2007 08:05 PM
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