Random things...

1. Thank you notes from ten-year-olds pretty priceless and comedy gold.

2. How is it that I own three Spanish-English dictionaries, and I can't find any of them. Grrrr.

3. Aims, you should consider Spanish. Then I won't be tortured alone in this journey!

Weak, Aims. What degree are you pursuing? I ask because all told me the same thing (I was an English major who didn't want to teach - the horror!) and it hasn't hindered my career path.

Yay Cindy! Glad you got to see P-C the other night. Our meetup was fun, though you were missed. How are you feeling today?

Well, it's nice to see that 16 years later I'm *still* being told by academic advisors that my choice of degree

By people who soared up the professional foodchain to become...academic advisors.

(Which, no offense to anyone who is one. But the ones I've encountered didn't tend to blow you away with their dynamic potential. It's such a potentially important, life-changing role and yet so often it seems to be occupied by people who seem to be completely lacking in imagination or enthusiasm.)

I am pursuing a degree in Secondary Education - Language Arts major. Haven't really chosen a minor yet.

After I get that, I plan to get a Master's in Library Science.

But unless I get Spanish, I'm not going to have a job.

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1. Thank you notes from ten-year-olds pretty priceless and comedy gold.

They really are. I got one from a girl who was in my camp when I was a counselor that I still have. It was your basic, "Thanks for being my counselor" and then suddenly at the end for no discernable reason, "I have a boil. Do you think the doctor will have to Lance it? Love, Margaret"

Estoy estudiando español tambien. I've been downloading a podcast but I just picked up some Mafalda comics of my Dad's and realized I am way below the level of comprehending comics. I've ordered a DVD from Netflix but now I'm thinking if I really want to learn Spanish I'm going to have to take actual classes.

Sigh.

I'm feeling unreasonably put out because I spent over an hour on a blog post yesterday, talking about a book I'd read for research and loved, then posted more about it and linked to my blog on the very writers' list that should've shared my interest. I was hoping for at least a tiny response--an "interesting" or two, maybe someone saying they'd found the book at their library and put it on hold. Resounding silence, except for the group's know-it-all basically saying, "I don't know much about it, because I've never found Susan's Best-Beloved Research Topic all that interesting, but I'd always heard X." Where X was about the most oversimplified take imaginable on the subject of the 300-plus page book I'd just read imaginable.

It's stupid, because I'm used to being enthusiastic about topics that draw a blank stare from most people. But I really thought at least someone in that group would find my post worthy of comment, and even though I'm used to the group know-it-all's dismissive remarks, and I'm by no means the only one who receives them, there's still that little sting there.

Aims, I don't know what the school systems are like where you are, but I know plenty of teachers here that don't speak Spanish. You should do what interests you and what you are most comfortable with.

Susan,

If it's any consolation, I picked up The Charterhouse of Parma at the library this weekend because I hadn't read it and thought "I wonder if Susan has read this--I can't wait to read it and hear what she thinks about it." Seriously, that was my rationale.