New Marching Orders

So I received word from the Provost at my university that I am now, officially, an Associate Professor.

People have asked me how it feels to be promoted and tenured. Short answer--the same.

To be honest and perfectly blunt, I had always expected to reach the rank of Associate Professor, and I never saw the rank as some kind of validation or license. If anything, I've got more work to do, what with wider campus responsibilities (beyond just the department level) and the continuation of both my creative and scholarly work. I also think that such a rank affords one the opportunity to become a more dynamic and inventive teacher. So there's that.

The small boost in pay will be nice, but it won't compensate for the loss of income we suffered early in the year.

Overall, though, I can say that I'm relieved that I don't have to have annual evaluations in the manner that I had had. That's one less headache, for sure.

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My time is so compressed, what with the coming baby, the advisory duties for my department, and for this forthcoming book. Sometimes it's just good to chill with the kid and watch Yo Gabba Gabba. Last night we sat on the carpet eating unsalted popcorn.

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I really should be grading right now. My students wrote short responses to Anne Carson's Autobiography of Red. I'm 1/4th through 'em all. Egad.

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Current Spin:

A little dream pop for your Thursday.