Don’t have too much to say right now. I am still hoping to be done with the dissertation by September. I’m currently in the “plow through writing mode” to make that happen.
I know I said I wouldn’t, but I did. I booked us another cruise in January. We are going on a similar boat to last year, which is now cheaper because newer bigger boats are out (which I refused to blow savings on at this point, I did have some restraint!). Plus we are going on a Western Caribbean cruise. The last 3 were Eastern, which stop mostly at small little islands. Frankly I was getting bored as I’d seen all of them, and I’m not a beach and snorkel person. I think being trapped on the boat most of the time the last trip helped add to my issues 🙂 This one stops not only in parts of Mexico, but Belize. I haven’t been there since my first cruise with John 7 years ago, and it remains one of my favorite stops to date. So I jumped. I think every port offers Mayan ruins, should I care to do them every port 🙂 I won’t, but the option is exciting 😛
Of course the final (ie BIG) payment is due at the end of October, which isn’t too far away. So again I’m realizing I need to get me a job and soon! I finally sat down to apply for the Halloween store, only to get the feeling that they were basically looking for high school kids. Shocking I know, it’s a seasonal job for 2-3 months. They required three references, wouldn’t let me not submit any less than three, and the options were “Teacher, Mentor and Other.” I worked around it 🙂 I was not about to submit academic references though. I want to teach again, and I think having the Halloween store calling up the heads of university departments might just be . . . awkward.
It kinda sends me/one into a panic attack having to apply for retail jobs when your in my situation. I don’t have a normal resume by a long shot. It’s a mix of a resume and my CV. I have tons of teaching experience, conference/public speaking experience and even a few publications. Then I have self-employment for 10+ years, as well as employment via other website companies writing weekly columns for them. It makes getting references . . . tricky 🙂 Especially since I can’t be my own reference 😛
Fortunately a bit of job relief came this week, I confirmed that I’m not only teaching the same class I just finished again next spring, but a second class as well. That’s a big relief! Whether I’ll get the Halloween job to tide me over, I don’t know. I’m thinking not given the resume I submitted 🙂 Sadly there was no option on the application to explain why I thought I would be a good employee at their store!
Other options? There is a small independent pet store around the corner that is always looking for people to work there. I actually go there so much they know me and John, so I think I could probably get a job there. John’s sister keeps commenting I’m always welcomed to work at the farm, but I really feel that should be a last resort. I just think mixing a relationship and work is probably a bad idea. I would have to do something there basically no one else could do, or would want to do. Oh the jobs are there 🙂 Otherwise I would feel I was “given” a job for who I was, and other employees might have issues with that. Frankly I would too, I want to earn a job or be able to do something nobody else can or wants to, not just given a job.
Finally coming up this month is another Monster Mania! I’m so excited. I’m actually going to take not only tons of photos this time, but videos. I really want to use these conventions for a paper next fall at the big Anthropology meetings. The convention has a web board set up, which I could use at a later date to ask for anonymous interviews. There is normally an event in March or April as well, so I might try and set real interviews up then with staff and people.
Okay, yeah, I think that’s all I have to say 🙂 I did have a lot to say after all.