{{Laura}} {{Sophia}} {{sj}}

It's the second week of grad school. I'm starting my way towards being an organized grown up researcher, I think. Tomorrow I'll be meeting a researcher in a close field who is presenting a thing next month and needs consultation on what I do for a living, in addition to other school work.

I also started researching knowledge organization methods for thesis writing as I don't want to trust only my memory and want to practice writing things down.

I wouldn't be thinking of doing any of this or thinking of grad school as a job if I weren't surrounded with friends who are academics. While the task looks huge and terrifying and exciting at the moment, I value so very much this how-to information.

So I am feeling a little less anxious. The landlord is going in my apartment today and fixing the two things I pointed out (Smoke detectyor detached from wall, replace CO2 detector) and checking around. They will not be able to replace the lock, but Laura, the secretary I have mostly been dealing with has assured me they know to leave it unlocked! And if not I can go to Maria's and my kitty has food an water.

Still an unknown for when the inspection in scheduled. I am right that they have 60 days, so it may just be on when the City can get here.

They won't replace the lock? Can they give you a new key? It ought to be really easy to get a new key made! Or to call a locksmith. Geez.

They will replace, but the person coming won't be able to do it and they want my alarms fix

I posted in Press about the gift exchange, are people interested in doing it this year?

I can't. The holidays are too overwhelming and too expensive for me, but thank you for keeping the tradition going, msbelle.

And everything just makes me so angry. And my old boss so angry. So we are just two very angry people who are Horton hears a Whoing it, pointing at an obvious problem that no one else wants to see.

I feel like my work must be adjacent to yours, and I feel you and your old boss, and I love "Horton hears a Whoing it."

Thing I was thinking about for the exchange this year:

- ornament exchange 1 ornament only.

- book exchange, nothing new

- music exchange via Dropbox or similar

- Etsy or other online marketplace only for purchases, must find a seller near your giftee

- no exchange, instead choose a project as a group and make donations (possibly donors choose or a direct support need, or bail fund)

no exchange, instead choose a project as a group and make donations (possibly donors choose or a direct support need, or bail fund)

I would definitely be in for this, because it's easy for me to send money, whereas shopping and then getting my butt to the post office is a task that gets disproportionately hard during the holidays.

I like either the ornament or group project ideas.