rats! . .

. . . climbing up my chair. They are so cute. Seriously folks. Need to post a picture here. Mason currently going for the wallet. (I'm onto that game - rats know money. That's all I'm sayin'.)

So - one rejection, one acceptance. Will let you know about the acceptance as soon as I send the contract back. My first ever contract, and my first ever acceptance via letter. Was that ever weird. In a so-good way.

Obama won the Iowa caucus! How intriguing. I personally have yet to decide who I will vote for, but you can believe they won't be from the Republican ticket. Not that I fully support the Dems either. But they are way less evil.

Computer is fixed! This thing I have been dreading (long lines to talk to my own personal geek at Geek Squad, having to leave my precious writing and all the other crap for an extended period of time, getting it back only to find they erased all the precious writing but spared the crap, having to take it back sometime mid-semester and the nightmare goes on. . . ) but it was all fixed in ten minutes. Insane. Seriously. It now works. So here is what I learned: if you have Vista, and you have iTunes, the two do not always work well together. They have a patch. Which you can't find online. Which you must go to a geek to get. But go. Seriously. It takes five minutes. Okay, ten. Whatever.

Must write syllabus! Must get books! Must establish office hours! Must find office! Is there furniture yet? Will I really and truly have a cubicle? A place in which to leave my backpack while I teach so I feel all grown up and not like some impostor? (Funny the things one wants in order to fully do one's job, but never even thought about until one is actually doing the job.)

Must also reorganize apartment. Too much poetry stuff hiding upstairs, too much clutter downstairs. Pointed out to me the other day and I must say, I agree wholeheartedly. There is a well defined pathway around the house. It would help if I could keep my bike outside, but since I am rather fond of it, I think I will keep it inside. Bikes have a way of just walking off in my neighborhood.

Back in Wilmy, by the way. Excited to be so. Things fabulous in Chatty also. Had a lovely Christmas. Very marvelous to see the dogs.