Onwards

I've been avoiding an update here as I couldn't think of anything appropriate to follow up the post on Sally. Talking about doing statistics in Excel or writing a book review on an Austen encyclopedia seemed inappropriate (though the Austen is Victorian... ish). But I know I just need to get something out here and then I'll be fine. So here goes.

Life has hit it's usual rhythm of the quarter. Sundays are spent tidying up assignments and then waiting for the last possible moment to hand them in (still need to put off seeing that green checkmark for as long as possible). The apartment is unearthed from a week of clutter in between. I am amazed at the sheer amount of stuff AK and I manage to bring into the apartment on a weekly basis. Today we gathered up all the soda cans and bottles that have been packing my entryway and turned them in at the story. We earned an obscene amount of money, but I don't think that will encourage him to take stuff in on a more regular basis. My friend Maria is due over in an hour or so with her child. Lasagna and Rock Band are promised enticements to bring them out to suburbia. Tomorrow we pay a very nice lady to do our very complicated taxes and then I file FAFSA and hope that I look suitably poorer this year than last.

All very grown up activities on the list (except the Rock Band). I was speaking with a friend of mine online the other day about how I keep wondering when I'll feel properly grown up. The years I've spent living on my own or with AK have taught me a lot. There's a change in how I act or think about things that markedly different from how I was 4 years ago or more. But when will things be right? When will life fall easily into place? When will I stop burning the bottoms of cookies, remember to floss twice a day, and cease spending hours on WebMD convinced that I'm about to die of some horrible intestinal cancer instead of just having an upset stomach? When will that clarity arrive so I can put aside all of this useless internal mess and be properly grown up? Turns out the answer is never, which is irksome but perhaps to be expected. A professor of mine once said that her 20s were awful, her 30s difficult, and her 40s magnificient. I'm just not sure I want to wait that long (again, part of the problem).

The wait to become a real librarian feels similar. I'm waiting for the day I'm a professional and suddenly the wisdom of the ages and Dewey will be open to me. But things seem to be moving along slower than that (not that I want to be job hunting in this economy). I've registered for ACRL in March, which is both an extra trip to Seattle (one I think I'll be repeating a week later for residency). My first Profesional Library Conference - a chance to pass out business cards, to gather up some swag, and the possibility of embarassing myself in front of roomfuls of potential future employers. Good times! I'll be travelling and sharing a room with the incredible Bonnie, so that should help things along. It's lovely to have someone currently in the field who is also a good friend.

So, that's a post started and done. Let's hope I can go on from here.