Times

Recently I had the opportunity to keep working for StubHub while I'ma at school. I got called into Todd's office, nervously of course, and he pitched me the idea--remote access to email from school, and my regular pay of $12 an hour. It was a tempting offer, mostly because it'd be so much easier than the job I already agreed to do, which is work as Dr. Escobar's research assistant. I tried briefly to convince myself I could do both, but with spending two days a week at Greenwood Press, and this being senior year and me being lazy, that would never work.

However, I was on the brink of weaseling out with Jesus so I could make more money at StubHub, when a fortuitous conversation with Sean made me realize how much better for myself and my nebulous future plans working for Jesus would be. So yesterday I turned Todd down, and heard back from Jesus about the work he'll be working on-- "Spanish Architecture under Phillip IV". I don't know anything about Mr. IV, but I was a big fan of Mr. II. I know I saw IV's coffin at El Escorial but that's beside the point. Anyway, I think I made the better choice, and StubHub will be awaiting my return in December anyway.

This has been a particularly lengthy week. My schedule shifted from 9-530 to 8-430, which in itself is no problem; however, a recent tripling in call and email volume has prompted them to request we work an hour or two overtime every day. I did it three days, and it dragged. I said NO for today, because it's Friday and I'm going to be free, and see Heather and go down to Sean's and sleep with my boyfriend in a queen bed...ahhhh. Tomorrow morning we're going to hike up to Gillette Castle, and tomorrow night we're going to see a play on the green in New Haven. Summer is ending but there's so much fun left to be had--Carla's coming down in a couple of weeks, too, and we're going to help out at Sara's craft fair and hawk scarves in the heat.

My reading list has taken a turn for the classical lately. I re-read Babbitt and finally read Madame Bovary, which was excellent. For my lit class in the fall I read "the Professor's House" and just finished Fitzgerald's "Beautiful and Damned" last night, which was a shoot-me-in-the-face experience because it's set in the Jazz age, bring on the flappers, and the characters are just semi-rich, utterly useless people who drink and bore themselves to death and mental instability. Whoo. Now I've moved on to another Sinclar Lewis, Main Street, and I'm dreaming of finding Lolita actually in the library for me to borrow. A bunch of books I wanted last night were 'there' according to the computer but missing--The Bridge Over San Luis Rey, Sister Carrie, some others.

I've been reading all summer, naturally, but of late I've felt a tangible thirst for literature, and a realization of how small the fraction of what I have consumed is in relationship to what's on offer in libraries and bookstores. If I had a week of real summer vacation I would find a sunny spot and just read and feed myself grapes. Sean likes to point out I had four months of vacation in Italy, but you know what, I was severely lacking in books over there! I can't count the number of times I re-read Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, and Lamb, or the number of times I stepped hopefully into the Paperback exchange in search of a good read, only to be turned off by the crazy high prices on even used books. I did find a couple books worth buying there, Hibbert's Medici book and my oft-mocked Tacitus, but I lacked the freedom that public libraries here provide. I love libraries. Wherever I settle one day, a well-appointed library will be an absolute prerequisite of the town itself.