Four things

1. Thank you all very much for your congratulations on my new job. Ideally, I'll start working the new job 1.5 days/week in December, be as full-time as possible in January while I teach one last American studies course, and then (if we can work out dropping my spring course with American studies) be full-time in the spring quarter. Yay! I'm so excited.

2. Family curse: I began grading papers at age 11 or 12, when my mom passed me some Chaucer and Shakespeare papers to grade for her high school freshmen and seniors. Lucas, age 14.5 months, attempted to comment on my 1950s research papers tonight: He pulled the capped pen out of my hand, sat on my chest as I reclined on the couch, and feigned writing on an essay. He even traced over the comments I had already written. I'm sorry, son. You're doomed. (But Mama isn't. I'm trying to remember that this is my penultimate stack of papers to grade. Feels good!)

3. As those of you in the U.S. know, Tower Records is going out of business. But you may not know that the original Tower stores are in Sacramento, and one of them is a bookstore. I went Christmas shopping there, as the entire store inventory is currently on sale at 40% off. Are you jealous? I may sneak back again this week once I balance my checkbook. The store's inventory has already been heavily depleted, but "my" sections still had some good books available. If you're local and you need some big bookshelves, they're liquidating those as well.

4. I'm shoulder-deep in paper grading. My favorite bloopers so far? References to "Capitan" Kangaroo (and, I'm guessing, Señor de los Jeans Verdes) and the "Loan" Ranger. Also some gaffe about a motorcycle being an extension of a guy's "gentiles." I knew the 50s were kind of batty, but really. . .