The Oscars

I think this is the first Academy Awards where I have not seen any film nominated for a major award. My daughter has not even seen Brave. After looking through all the categories I realized that the only film I had seen was Mirror Mirror. It was an okay film, but I didn't want to put the trailer up on the blog for some reason. I feel somewhat pathetic that is the only film I have seen. Interestingly, a song from the film Chasing Ice is nominated and my professor from undergrad is one of the producers of the film! So let's all cheer for it.

In all honesty, I am not really that interested in seeing the majority of the films nominated. Nothing really screamed out to me that I should go see it. So that is my excuse. Of course I will watch all of the award show and if we weren't in the middle of the move I might even have had some people over. Oh well. Hopefully next year.

A Day of Infamy and Cold

It snowed this weekend! 2.5 inches. Of course, it was as beautiful as can be and I didn't get any pictures. I really need a small camera that I can keep in my purse to use as needed. I have a digital one that I recently found in an old purse, but I don't want to mix digital/film too much. It snowed on Saturday and on Sunday most of the picturesque sights melted quickly. You wouldn't know it though from the weather today since we have not gotten above freezing. My daughter has a slight cold and I don't want to take her out in the freezing weather. We've spent all day inside and looks as though tomorrow is more of the same. I need to think of cold weather activities for us. I got out crayons today and some things were unnecessarily "decorated," such as an upholstered chair and the floor.

I was also taken aback by the passing of Elizabeth Edwards. Since it was only yesterday that it was announced that her cancer was no longer treatable. It is amazing to consider all of the heartache she had gone through in her life and, yet, she always seemed to be upbeat and grateful. A couple years ago I worked with a cancer survivor and John and Elizabeth Edwards came to our campus. My colleague was able to share a small moment with her when they shook hands and it was impressive how through the few words that they shared Elizabeth Edwards inspired such hope in and created a personal connection with my colleague. It is rare that a person can do that and we are lucky to have had her be a part of our country and our great state. May she rest in peace.

Taking Its Toll

I'm not sure if I have ever explained how the academic job market works, but it is extremely different from all others. In the fall August-November most jobs get posted with deadlines ranging from about November-January. So you have to try to apply to all the jobs that are in your area of expertise, in all areas of the country, and these applications are not for the faint of heart. They often have many different elements and some schools want everything plus the kitchen sink. As deadlines pass you wait for a phone interview, sometimes they come two weeks after the deadline, sometimes a month or more. Speed is not a common attribute in academia (which I don't think is always bad, sometimes things need to move slowly to be done right). If you are one of the lucky ones and you get a campus invite that entails a two day interview process where you meet faculty, students, deans, give a teaching demo, and/or show your own work. Plus look around the town where the school is located, so you determine if you can live and excel in the area. And now I also have to consider if my daughter can live and excel in the area. It's exhausting.