This has been such an eventful day, I�m not sure where to begin. First, I passed my Italian exam. I�m officially ABD. And there was much rejoicing, �Yay!�

I finally got up the gumption to email my contacts at some of the schools to which I intend to apply for jobs. I spent the better part of the morning agonizing over these emails, which were all to people I used to know well, but with whom I�d lost touch. I was feeling a little embarrassed about so obviously contacting them about wanting something, although I was also really happy to have an excuse to say hello. I shouldn�t have worried. I heard back from all but one within thirty minutes of my sending the emails. All expressed joy in hearing from me and all were helpful. I now have a lot more information than I had before. Information is good. Information makes me feel more under control. Under control is good because it looks like I�ll be talking to at least three people about jobs at the conference next week (we are avoiding the use of the word interview).

AJ has also had a good day. This morning he woke up begging to do math problems. These are, fortunately, less taxing to figure out than science experiments. I�m really thinking I should be recording these conversations for playback during the inevitable surly teenage years (�You don�t hate math! You used to beg to do math problems. Here, watch this video, if you don�t believe me!�).

My husband�s day was not quite so good. I had come outside in the yard where he was waking to tell him the good news about the Italian exam and he was congratulating me when he went to twist his wedding ring, a habit he has. It was gone. It�s been loose for some time. The ring belonged to his father who died when he was in college. He was, needless to say, very upset. It could be worse. We know the ring is in the yard. Of course, it�s nearly an acre and there are a hell of a lot of leaves on the ground. We went out and rented a metal detector, which excited AJ, who liked running it over the metal grommets on his shoes to hear it beep. Over an hour of searching by hand and another hour or more with a metal detector, and the sun had gone down. We�ll try again tomorrow.

[Second entry today. Click back for books and Freud.]

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