holy crap it's the last day of 2005!

So things are much better today now that I am home, have slept, and been reunited with boyfriend and dog.

I think especially towards the end of the MLA trip I was getting more and more cranky, and by Thursday afternoon, most of my conversations were about how much I hate my graduate program. The first couple of days were more quiet as I and others interviewed and squirreled ourselves away otherwise. Even so, I'd say the experience was mostly positive, even regarding the profession and job search. I left my interviews feeling better about the academic world, perhaps because I was actually treated by the search committee members as a possible colleague rather than as a student. I also did the academic superstar stalking thing when stopping in at a few conference panels.

I never made it much out of the MLA convention sites, but I got to see legalmoose, saltbox (meeting the blue one in person finally and D as well!), poetofthefuture, robslug, and hermance. I also met up with other friends in town for the MLA-fest from Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa, and elsewhere, and I got to know better some of the other graduate students in my program. I totally owe people lunch, dinner, and baked goods, though, since somehow I managed to mooch off practically everyone I know and had some of my meals and food paid for me. All of you, next one's on me!!

But beyond that, I also noticed on this trip that I no longer get carded for drinks. NEVER. I don't know if that makes me feel happy or sad or just older.

Now I need to call back all the people I left messages with last night about being stuck in DC. I was almost going to skip out on the phantom flight and head back into the city to hang out....