well, tomorrow is the last day before the kids (or, i should say, "students," as we are instructed to call them at all times) arrive. a brief reflection on the week:
ive been to conferences on public safety, professionalism, and diversity. ive calmed hundreds of nervous parents over the phone. ive got nearly every staff and faculty member's name down pat, and have at least a superficial understanding of each. ive watched: johnathan eat fire, the levy kids bob in time together, and mike tie a bowtie. wayne and colby strummed while i sang onstage during open mic. im learning fragments of chinese and polish from tony, discussing the philosophy behind art with brian, and lugging boxes around campus with sarah. ive assembled two easels, installed 3 air conditioners, and purchased a helium tank. i took the goofiest ID photo ever, and i wore a skirt today. onica has 7 siblings, jason was on crossfire, lev was born in germany, and chris has washed todd oldham's dogs. i sing "roxanne" to roxanne in the pogramming office, ive nicknamed all of the daniels in order to tell them apart, and i've cultivated the perfect "professional" attitude. ive founded "club apple juice" for the under-21-year-olds, am working on forming a faculty acapella group, and plan to dj explo-radio a couple of afternoons. ive rediscovered the indigo girls. ive rediscovered the quiet joy of early mornings. im discovering, well, me.  ¶ 01:05

  i left my room more than twelve hours ago to start work today, and im just getting back in time to floss and go to bed. im turning around in 7 hours to begin it all again. I love this job! im thanking my lucky stars that poor isaiah encouraged me to apply.
these people are all amazing; today all 80 of us introduced ourselves, one at a time, in one of the old campus lecture halls. people from all over the country, even the world, have come to work here. everyone is educated, talented, and full of passion. we translate spanish poetry, teach abroad, sculpt, conduct, and want to save the world. we are varied in age, but no one is over the age of 50 (and maybe 5 are over 40). im one of the youngest working on the administrative staff (my co-manager, tim, is 25); after going through my "im so old, im turning twenty!" crisis, i feel frustratingly young once again, as we drive to pick up office supplies and pass a few cool-looking bars that catch they eye of everyone in the car.
so, i feel blessed in two ways: first, that i, being a first-year in the program and relatively young, am holding one of the highest possible positions for non-permanent staff. second, and more importantly, this community is outstanding. they are educators, or are aspiring to become educators. they all consider themselves permanent students. they are energetic. they are wicked intelligent. and they love this program, especially.
the kids wont even get here until sunday afternoon. but everything already feels right. im working on my course curriculum, im on a first name basis with all of the deans, and im also helping to support the backbone of the program. after having been unemployed for the last three and a half weeks, im ready to push myself as hard as i can. and that's effortless, here.   ¶ 00:00