Outside the History Building, on Ivinson
Split-rail fences look so western
I woke up to snow yesterday. This isn't unusual for spring in Wyoming, and it was hardly coming down at all by the time I left for work. Even though it was pretty cold, I had to stop and take a few pictures as I walked to the library. I'm glad I did, because most of the snow had melted by midday and it was too warm for puffy coat after work. I'm really trying to make a point of taking more pictures. While I don't think I'll ever love this place like I do Seattle, it is beautiful in its way. In fact, the skies here are amazing. Living a little ways outside of the main part of town, I see plenty of open spaces. My cross-street borders a big open area. The houses and streets just kind of end, and there's a big grassy space with the highway far in the distance.
Work is going well and I'm figuring more out every day. I'm not on the reference schedule for the rest of the semester, but I've been spending a few shifts a week on the desk when its single-staffed. I'm trying to hit a shift with each member of the reference staff and have managed to get about halfway through the team. I love reference, and I really believe it's the easiest part of the job to just jump into. I'm still learning the collection and the department procedures, but reference is reference. I can figure out the catalog and the databases and know how to talk to students. It's been really fun. The questions I've been getting have been pretty interesting, too. Maybe it's because the semester's nearly over and people are working on big projects and papers, but I've been really impressed with the kinds of research students are doing and how interested they are in their work. The kids here seem really nice and grateful for the help, too. People here are pretty polite in general. I've been ma'am-ed many times in the past couple of weeks.
In other news, I've signed up for a teaching colloqium in June, and have finalized a couple of committee appointments, which is kind of cool. My supervisor is retiring in June, and we're in the middle of interviewing for her replacement, so some parts of my job are a little up in the air. I know my position, but the new department head will have a lot to do with the kinds of committees and activities I end up joining. I won't go into details, but I have positive impressions of both finalists, so I should be in pretty good shape in either case.
Work is going well and I'm figuring more out every day. I'm not on the reference schedule for the rest of the semester, but I've been spending a few shifts a week on the desk when its single-staffed. I'm trying to hit a shift with each member of the reference staff and have managed to get about halfway through the team. I love reference, and I really believe it's the easiest part of the job to just jump into. I'm still learning the collection and the department procedures, but reference is reference. I can figure out the catalog and the databases and know how to talk to students. It's been really fun. The questions I've been getting have been pretty interesting, too. Maybe it's because the semester's nearly over and people are working on big projects and papers, but I've been really impressed with the kinds of research students are doing and how interested they are in their work. The kids here seem really nice and grateful for the help, too. People here are pretty polite in general. I've been ma'am-ed many times in the past couple of weeks.
In other news, I've signed up for a teaching colloqium in June, and have finalized a couple of committee appointments, which is kind of cool. My supervisor is retiring in June, and we're in the middle of interviewing for her replacement, so some parts of my job are a little up in the air. I know my position, but the new department head will have a lot to do with the kinds of committees and activities I end up joining. I won't go into details, but I have positive impressions of both finalists, so I should be in pretty good shape in either case.
2 comments:
I'm so glad that you have found a place for yourself where things are working out! I've wondered, but it really does sound like you are nestling in. The snow's pretty.
Yes, I am settling in pretty well. It's actually kind of strange how easily I just plopped into my new life here. Maybe I'll suffer some angst later, when I'm less busy, but I'm doing fine so far. I do miss Sea-town, though.
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