In addition to my secret failure, I am also feeling more than a bit of anxiety about my future. For those of you who read this but don't actually know me that well, I have a great job. I'm an Outreach Librarian at a really cool digital library. I love my work, get to do different things everyday, and have excellent benefits to boot. Like my previous position, however, my current job is grant-funded. Grant-funded work is innovative and exciting but inherently unstable. Most grant funded work ends eventually and our current funding ends this spring. Everything could work out okay. Additional funding could appear. Our long-term sustainability plan could kick in. But just as likely, I could be looking for another job this spring. I should be looking now, but my optimism keeps rearing its optimistic head and I keep thinking things will work out somehow.
The combination of these two things -- my secret failure and the precarious nature of my employment -- has left me in a bit of a funk this week. In an attempt to dig deep for the good, here are the best things that happened in this otherwise craptastic week:
I got to teach in community college. I speak to people all the time, but I have never had a chance to teach a class (or part of a class, whatevs) of college students. Lenore allowed me to come give a lecture in her freshman English class on research and I did an hour lesson called, "Life After Google" to teach the students how to do scholarly research. It was so much fun and made me realize I would love to incorporate more teaching into my future career. Lenore and I also decided we want to write a book together. If any of you have a suggestion for what kind of book we should write, I expect you to submit that note in the comments section.
I got a new car. Praise Jesus, hallelujah. I have had the same Volkswagen Passat since 2003. That's 11 years if you are reading this in the future or if you are bad at math. I've had that car longer than I've been Aidan's mom. I've had it more than twice as long as I've known Robert. It was the perfect snowboard car in 2003 then the perfect sales car in 2004 and then the perfect mom car in 2005. It could fit a nine-foot longboard on the inside and looked sporty and cute on the outside. Things started to get rocky in 2010 when the air conditioning went out for the first time and we almost called it quits in 2012 when the engine needed to be replaced, but when all is said and done, my VW and I saw a lot together. When I sold it last night to a next-generation ski kid who just wanted a car to get from A to B, I gave it a hug and thanked my car for its many years of service.
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| Goodbye, old friend |
In case you are wondering, my new car is a 2012 Honda CR-V. It's adorable and has heating and air conditioning, which I have not reliably had in years. It also came with a DVD player in the back, a feature I once swore my kids would never have. I still say the DVD player is reserved for long road trips not trips to the grocery store.
I had a wine night with three of my favorite ladies at BTG Wine Bar in Salt Lake. After my aforementioned tough week, it was so nice to unwind with friends at a very cool downtown wine bar. And not just any friends but three of my most hilarious and animated friends -- just what the doctor ordered. We had two flights of wine each paired with a perfect dinner and great conversation. Have I mentioned how lucky I am to have found such great people in Salt Lake? Seriously, everyone should move here. The people are the best.
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| BTG |
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| Me, Catherine, Joelle, and Heather deep in flights |
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