Some of you have probably noticed that the "books" portion of booksbikesbeer is horribly under represented. And usually when it has come up, it has been in regards to some brief comments about my job as a graduate student. A job that really has not made me very happy these last couple of years. I have been lucky to spend those years in a nice department at the University of Iowa with some very cool people, but after lots of thinking I have realized that the profession is not right for me. Or perhaps I should say that I am not right for the profession. It is always difficult to tell in these situations.
So I am now a Ph. D-rop out and have taken an advising position at the University's Academic Advising Center. It started this week and I think it will be a really nice fit for me. Even though I will not have a real summer, I am ok with it. I have already felt much better about my increased every-day free time and this new found separation between work and not-work.
In this new free time I have, of course, been riding my bike a lot. Last night's group ride was a fine time. We did the ever fast Eden's Loop and I took all my pulls and made it to the home stretch with the group. At that point I eased off, as I really did not want to ride myself into the ground this early in the week. Steve and I rolled in easily and then had a beer at Robin and my house. It was nice.
And I have also gotten back to fun reading. And it has been great. Even during my breaks from school I was not doing much fun reading these last couple of years. But now it is back. A few weeks ago I read Michael Chabon's The Mysteries of Pittsburgh. It is his first novel and is a wonderful tale of that time in your life when you are between being a kid and an adult and really have no responsibility. The characters are fascinating and the adventures, while generally things I wouldn't want to do personally, were very enjoyable to experience vicariously. It is a quick, enjoyable read. When I neared the end, I really didn't want it to stop. I often get excited about finishing books, because then there is the exciting period of choosing the next book to read, and so I tend to read a little faster. But with this one I definitely slowed down. I have my own tattered used bookstore copy, so thankfully I will be able to re-read it whenever I choose. Mr. LaRue re-reads it at the start of every summer, and that might not be a bad rule to follow.
2 comments:
I totally understand. Do you think you'll go back? Are you going to stay in Iowa? And other stuff?
I believe there is a possibility for a return. At some point. But I often think I am saying that because I don't want to close off any options.
And we will stay in Iowa for at least a couple years. After I feel like I can make an assessment on how I feel about this advising gig, then we'll think about cool places to go like Eugene.
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