The Rain in Spain

I love My Fair Lady. It is raining. Rain makes the bus creep. I took the bus this morning to an interview and was worried that I might not be on time, particularly because I didn't have enough money for a cab. But it all worked out and the interview went well. This was for a part-time position teaching psychology at a private high school in Manhattan. I received a call from them later this afternoon. They want me to meet the headmaster Monday, a requirement before they can offer any job. The job is only guaranteed for the semester (through the end of January) but they think it will most likely be available through the end of the school year. It's a sad reason why the job is open though. It's regular person was a full-time teacher who also taught chemistry and has been diagnosed with cancer. When I interviewed with one of the co-heads of the science dept. I thought it was cute that one of her favorite perks is free lunch for all teachers in the cafeteria (where the portion of the interview with her was held). Ha, if I get the job maybe that will be one of my favorite parts, too.

Speaking of Spain, I think it's great that at their Fashion Week that they aren't allowing models to participate who are under a particular BMI (body mass index). They want to send a message about standards of beauty in their society. Those who protested had lame comebacks like how it would stifle the careers of naturally thin women.

I also think it's great that Harvard has ended early admission. On the negative side, today's college culture might cause students to apply to a greater number of schools if early admission is taken away generally. The schools like it because they have more certainty early on. But it's true that if you have to commit and can't compare financial aid packages that puts large parts of the population at great disadvantage. I remember reading percentages that schools advertised, of how many students received financial aid. It blew me away that that many people could afford to pay tuition. Let's not even talk about the families that pay that much from K-12, like at the school I might work at.

I met with my advisor yesterday to talk about the article and chapter. Got a little more guidance...having to resign myself to the fact that this will continue to drag on for many moons.

Cultural highlights of the week:

Guggenheim Museum - Zaha Hadid. I felt like I could only barely scratch the surface and appreciate her work. Her paintings and depictions of her buildings are amazing, but I don't know if my mind works that way. She wants the experience of a building to change when you move around and through the building.

Central Park Zoo with my Boston friend and her son. It was fun to see the zoo - my first visit in my five plus years in New York. Seeing the animals for me is like being out in nature - adds breath to life.

Jazz Standard - Frank Vignola. We finally got to see our favorite jazz guitarist again. We'd seen him play 1930s jazz and were blown away, but then it seemed like he disappeared from the local radar. This time he was back as part of the Frank & Joe show and a more 1970s style of jazz...still good, but not as magical for me; I do like that 1930s sound.

Modern dance - my friend! Seeing your friends perform always adds another level of appreciation to the experience.

Reading/skimming: Philip Roth's book Portnoy's Complaint...a funny, but rated R peek inside the mind of a very horny Jewish youth.

With the cutest boy from Jamaica Plain, MA: