Tuesday, December 03, 2013

checking in, december edition





My final lecture of the semester is today, and then there are papers and an exam to grade in the next two weeks. I'm looking forward to a few days off in between various other December deadlines. I'm lucky I only have to teach two courses next semester. I hope there will be job interviews, but I'm preparing for the worst.

I've been continuing to focus on relatively boring wardrobe-building for the past month. I bought a pair of Cole Haan Monroe penny loafers in October after many months of hesitation. Of course they're half a size too big after stretching out, for some reason I didn't anticipate this inevitability. I'm destined to live in Birkenstocks, I have terrible luck with real shoes! I also stumbled upon an Isabel Marant for H&M blouse, which has worked equally well for teaching and going out.

Last night I decided to order the shirt-tail mini in boulevard green from J.Crew. I haven't worn skirts on a regular basis in many years, but I'm hoping this one will be a dependable workhorse this season. J.Crew quality is so iffy, but I always wait for sales and additional discounts. I have no expectations of these pieces lasting more than a season or two.

I hope everyone had a restful Thanksgiving. Maybe it's because I haven't been online much these days, but I've been enjoying a slower pace of life. We buy groceries, draw pictures, clean, and fold laundry. I'm trying hard to be content with the current situation. If I stop to think about what may happen in the next few months, I fall apart. There's a character in A.S. Byatt's The Children Book who chooses to live lightly on the surface because the alternative is too troubling. In times like these, that's the best advice I can offer myself and those in a similar situation. For all of you on the market, here's hoping for interviews and campus visits...and contracts.

8 comments:

Sarge in Charge said...

I love that skirt... think it could be a great outfit with the Isabel Marant for H&M blouse and the loafers. Give us a pic and a review once it arrives, k?

Hope the rest of the semester goes smoothly.

joyce said...

Best of luck with everything, Erica. Hang in there!

lori said...

Good luck this season. Last season I landed a job after three years on the market, so I know full well some of this emotions you must be experiencing. Not six months into my TT new job, I lament for the calmer days of being a postdoc and forget the crippling uncertainty of the position.

erica said...

Thanks everyone, I'm trying to go into the next few months with the attitude that I have options, even if they aren't great ones.

Postdoc life was pretty great, so I can sympathize with you, Lori, but adjunct work is rough. Going from 2 courses a year to 5 course along with administrative duties and a loss of income is brutal. I don't know how people adjunct for more than a few years!

aprovecharse said...

I hear you on all fronts, Erica. I'm trying to be pragmatic rather than existential about the job market this time around, but it's tough. Hang in there! It will work out one way or another...

Catherine said...

As always your writing is thoughtful, considered and eloquent. I like the idea of that book, it's a good bridging mindset.

jennifer said...

hang in there, erica! i do hope you get a few days to relax during the holidays! any holiday travel plans?

i tried on that j.crew skirt on monday. it's cute! i really love jcrew's wool mini skirts and found that this one is just a touch longer than the skirts from past seasons (makes it more teaching appropriate). for what it's worth, the wool minis i have bought in the past have lasted for many years and are still going strong! they are a wardrobe staple for me.

erica said...

Nope, no travel plans, but we're taking a couple of days off for the holidays. We originally had plans for NYC, but the thought of driving there and back was daunting.

I just tried on the skirt the other day, and I'll have to return mine because it's too small. It did seem sturdy and well-made, though, so that gives me hope.