Frogs and Ravens

Three Haiku

In the winter storm
The cat keeps on
Blinking its eyes.

--Yaso

O snail,
Climb Mt. Fuji,
But slowly, slowly!

--Issa

The frog
Looks at me, --
But with a sour face.

--Issa

Too Funny

I think someone had their mind on something other than work, don't you?

Curling Up in the Chrysallis

It's starting to look like deferring the internship a year would be a good idea. Now I just need to find a clear, concise (yet still enthusiastic) way to phrase my email to my would-be supervisor, in which I'll ask for the deferral and briefly explain why.

If I can manage this, I will feel relieved -- which is a sign, I think, that it is the right decision.

(If he says no can do, expect more angsting.)

I am also going to track down and see if this book is worth reading.

Real Men Knit Lace

Remember, a couple of months ago, I asked for suggestions for manly knitting projects for D.? The suggestions started out serious, then turned silly, then resulted in a hand-drawn illustration of manly knitting by yours truly.

So what does my knitting manly man turn out to like best so far?

Lace.

Lovely, delicate lace, as a matter of fact.

Lace that is nicer than the lace I've made.
(Just look at this lovely lace!)

However, in the interests of keeping me confounded, his next project will be a pair of plain manly socks in a plain manly grey.

Pupating

Work has been tiring this week. Partly it's been the frustration of dealing with interruptions, partly being short on sleep. I'm grateful that I have some flexibility in when I show up at work (any time before 10am is okay, so long as I work my full eight hours) but I'm not doing so well on the going-to-bed side of the equation. I should get out of the habit of doing crosswords in bed before sleep; it makes it hard to go to sleep without them, even when I've stayed up past my bedtime and my eyes are crossing from sleepiness.

The whole internship thing is wearing me out too in its quiet way. I am beginning to lean towards the advice of those who recommend asking for a year's deferral, even as I simultaneously send in a reservation fee for one of my housing options (maybe I can ask to defer it, too). Dorothea's point about it being hard to think big when one's financial situation is shaky is dead on. A year's grace would be good, in that I'd be able to set aside a decent nest egg if I work at it, and if I can't muster the discipline to save that money, it'd be a good indication that I don't care enough about the endeavor to pursue it.

On the other hand, I'm afraid of asking for the deferral and risking losing the opportunity entirely. Perhaps I should contact my would-be supervisor and explain the situation to him? Would this be smart, or annoying, or downright stupid?

Perhaps a slow year would be a good thing. Most creatures that metamorphose into different forms do so while resting, quietly, in a small space without outside demands. Why would I be different?

Invisible Adjunct Channel

If you post anything or run across anyone else's posting that seems suitable for the Invisible Adjunct Channel, you might want to ping the Channel, or manually post a notice. It's very easy, and very cool.

(Thanks, Seb!)

"92% Stickler"

A cool punctuation game from Eats, Shoots and Leaves, c/o Scribbling Woman. (I got a 92%!)

Grump

Okay, it's official. I am a curmudgeon, or whatever the female equivalent is.

Why? Because I believe it is inappropriate to have non-business social events at work -- in this case, a baby shower for a woman I don't know at all well. The lucky men were able to give their congratulations and flee; us unlucky women had to stay. (Well, we weren't forced to, but the strong signals being emitted were that we would attend.) Playing silly shower games with people I don't know well, under social duress, is not my idea of a good use of time.

If that makes me a cranky bitchy grump, so be it.

Edit: at least I got chocolate!

The Chronicle on Invisible Adjunct

Scott Smallwood at the Chronicle has written an article about IA.

Looks pretty good, though it's weird reading about someone I consider a friend from the perspective of an outsider. Tim Burke gets a lot of ink, as does Ralph Luker.

(Thanks to Mel for the link.)

Linking

Michelle is back!