I suppose I have to admit, reluctantly, that the holiday season is finally here. I have managed to send out my Christmas cards and mixes — If you’re in the U.S. you should have yours in hand in a couple of days, if you’re elsewhere in the world I’m afraid I must reveal that the lady at the post office told me it could take up to two weeks to get there. Ugh! Bad planning on my part.
At any rate, holiday tasks continue in spite of my unpreparedness. I just seem to keep hurling myself at the things I have to do and hoping something sticks. I am still trying to drum up some gift ideas for a few people on my list who are especially hard to shop for, but I have had no trouble at all finding gifts for myself. I am extremely easy to shop for, because, as it turns out, I know exactly the sort of things I like. Funny how that works. Wouldn’t it be easier if we all just bought our own Christmas presents? I think so.
ANYWAY.
Tomorrow the dog and I will be heading North to the family homestead for a few days of good cheer (a.k.a. adult egg nog) and relaxation, and there might even be snow! You people KNOW I will be dancing in celebration if that is the case! Then, for Christmas and the 5 days after, I’ll be in lovely San Francisco for the Huge Mega Conference where I will likely make little to no progress on Mission: Get a Better Job. (Did you know tenure-track jobs in my field are basically nonexistent this year? It’s true.)
In spite of the sour job prospects, I am going to try to have fun. I have just returned from a pre-travel trip to Sephora and also found a decent blouse to go with my suit, so at least I will be looking good. That always helps. I’ll also be getting to see friends and colleagues whom I haven’t seen lately, and we’ll be in one of my all-time favorite cities, so I think in addition to all the interviews and panels and “networking” (barf), we will surely find ways to amuse ourselves.
And you, Reader? What are your holiday plans? I would love to know!
Raveling Out 
My hometown got hit with a major snowstorm yesterday. I watched the whole thing unfold via the magic of the interweb! I hear they received 30 cm or so. There’s a live webcam: http://www.roundabouts.ca/orc_webcam.htm
(Warning! Possible live snow images!)
I too have been getting rejected in my job search. I believe the running rejection total is now at 3. I am told that they are very sorry but they “received an exceptional number of applications from well-qualified applicants this year”. So, uh…yeah…my search is not going well, either.
Have a good holiday and don’t forget to put the nog in your eggnog.
I’ll just call my CD a New Year’s mix. 🙂
I’m flying to Brisbane, Queensland in a couple of days (I live about 60 km north of Melbourne, Victoria) to spend the next couple of weeks with my brother, dad and their partners, with some of that time at a beach house on the coast. Summer down here has been blessedly pleasant so far (averaging 20 to 25 deg C) but apparently it was about 38 deg C in Brisbane the other day, and nearly 100 percent humidity … I will be hot. I’ve recently gotten in touch with friends from primary school (on Facebook) and will be seeing some of them for the first time in 15 years. Exciting and strange!
Luckily I have been super-scary-prepared and did all my shopping online this year – and had the presents shipped to the right states while I was at it, so hopefully won’t have too much carry-on luggage.
Merry Bah-Humbug to all. x
Wait, Christmas? I just returned yesterday from a two-week trip, which included a visit to the bottom of the ocean. Yes really. It was pretty cool, if also damp and chilly and cramped. That was in Mexico, and although we did see some decorations, and hear “Feliz Navidad” (sung by a gringo, of course), it wasn’t until we hit airport Muzak on the way back that I realized how much time had passed on this side of the border. So. Have plane ticket north, am pretty much guaranteed *SNOW* on the other end, and am grateful that the university bookstore will be open tomorrow for last-minute shopping.
Hope you are done with your students by now. Do you think there actually are any teachers who have last-minute extra-credit projects in their back pockets for those end-of-semester emergencies? If so, and I ever meet them, oooo. There will be a discussion of educational philosophies.
J – It’s a bad year all around on the market. Courage! Also, hooray for the snow cam! I haven’t gotten it to load yet but I shall try again.
TPO – Oh, beach sounds lovely! I miss being near the ocean! Stare at the waves for a minute for me, would you?
B – Your trip sounds lovely! I reiterate, ocean ocean ocean! As far as end-of-semester extra credit, I just laugh and laugh and laugh. What nonsense!
I checked on a Mac and it doesn’t seem to load on Safari. There’s probably a plug-in required that may not be compatible with Mac OS. The view is not hugely exciting right now, as the storm has passed but I believe they are expecting more in the near future.