10/9

I'm overwhelmed. I think I typed and deleted that sentence six times before I decided there was no other way to describe this feeling. I will cursorily say I love being a graduate student even though the first meeting of Foundations literally gave me a headache. we're about 15 people crammed into a sixth-grade science classroom (this means sitting for four hours on folding chairs or lab stools designed to hold prepubescent-sized butts.) Speaking of chairs, what is more real, the chair or the idea of the chair? What is progress? Who invented compulsory education? (Answer: the Prussians.)

At the lectern is Professor Fred Savage, the world's (newest) most sarcastic man. He teaches German and something else at (the?) Waldorf School which apparently really does exist. He seems to have a very strong opinion about everything. There are a lot of really nice people in the class. let's see how nice we all are after ten weeks of sitting on these little chairs.

Observation & Participation ("O&P") is supposed to begin very soon ... I picked my alma maters as my O&P sites so here's hoping they'll have me.

Had my "Ventures" interview today (first-step interview for department records.) It was 26 pre-fab questions about personal philosophies and specific scenarios, basically to assess whether a person seems fit to teach. After I stopped talking like a chipmunk (nerves) I had a pretty easy time talking to the interviewer and a few times she had to shuffle her papers as a tactful "that is enough, you can shut up now" signal.

so again I'm suddenly over my head, but it's the best feeling. It tends to happen this way ... long stretches of mental standby and then boom, excuse the cheap sound effect, everything explodes and I have forty thousand books to read, a presentation next week, and miles to go before I sleep.