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Links LUPEC |
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It's freshman day today(I feel weird writing that about a predominantly women's college, but "freshwomen" sounds dumb) and I am really excited. In all my years of college bookstore experience, dealing with the "frosh" and their parents has always been my favorite part. Yes, it is sometimes totally annoying to have to explain the procedure over and over a million times, but their excitement and innocence is catching, and heady. When I was running the bookstore at the other college, I would always find myself filling up with completely false pride over the place, chatting with parents about all the benefits of an "urban education." It was completely valid and gratifying to talk about MY CITY, but I always felt a little like I was buying into something when I would talk about the school. For all the wackiness and instructors not getting their orders in on time, though, I feel a lot more authentic talking up this college. I know that these students are being well cared for and I know that there are lots of professors and administrators here who really love their jobs and really believe in educating future leaders, and I love that there are lots of cool nuns running around and I love that everyone is required to take both theology AND women's studies. The recent change in school color from purple to olive drab has thrown lots of people into a tizzy, and to me it sort of signifies an eventual end to what I hold so valuable at this school. They are working toward university status, just like everybody else, and so they have to actively recruit dudes. Which means they can not have purple as their school color because dudes wearing purple look gay. Sigh. There are a couple of instructors in particular who are really doing great things here---an english instructor who is teaching a class in vampire lit and also a class in surrealist women's poetry(!?), and the Hungarian history prof who goes to all the noise shows and is teaching a class in anime and one in multicultural pop identity. Dang. It's a good place, and one I feel very comfortable promoting. At least for now. And I am relatively certain that I will not have anything to do with the place once they reach their university status and it all goes to hell. So back to my life. The sadness evaporated, thank goodness. I listened to the saddysadsad LIVE song last night just to check and I was able to get all the way through it without tearing up. The true litmus test. Even the fact that my basil was all limp and gnarly by the time I tried to make the pesto did not depress me too much. So I am back on track. The next five days are going to be a blur of catering and garage sale related activities. It's all very exciting. I got a big ole caterer woody when I downloaded the catalog for my favorite party rental joint---90 cup stainless percolators and iced tea fountains can be mine for pretty cheap. Glorious. I finished An Alphabet For Gourmets last night, and I received A Debt To Pleasure in the mail so I can start right in. I was hoping for The Book of Salt(a novel written from the POV of Alice and Gertie's gay Vietnamese cook---WOW!) but it has not arrived yet. The downside of going the Amazon marketplace route. My pile of things to sort(in this room, anyway) is pretty small and manageable. The pile in the bedroom is bigger, but I have a good plan to get it all done tonight(involving my precious video copy of HORTON HEARS A WHO and the last of the lambrusco) so it should be golden. Better hit the showers. Rock on. |
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