Updates

It's been busy 'round here. As always, after my conference I feel like my brain oozed out of my ears and onto the floor. I'm now trying to salvage the little grey matter I have left in order to edit and write a grant proposal that's due on the 15th. It's for a diss year writing grant and I have to pay $40 for the privilege of applying. Yup, $40 to apply for a grant I'm in all likelihood not going to get. It's the American Association of University Women and I'm afraid I've had it a little to easy to really qualify - but that's ok, because it's designed to help support women finishing dissertations who are really in need. And compared even to my colleagues who are applying for the grant, I'm in less need. I'm not supporting a family, I'm not a single mom, and i don't face the kind of uphill battles that women in other fields do (ex., in the sciences). I am realizing as I'm writing my stupid autobiographical statement that the gender ration in my European caucus is pretty fucked up, and that I really stand out as a woman in European History in my dept, but I"m not sure that's enough to really qualify as a hardship.*

In other news, L has left the state to begin a new job. He ended his tenure here with an awesome pubcrawl through downtown. Yesterday he found us a beautiful, modern home in a nice neighborhood. It's owned by a Prof of Art who works in IL. They're happy to rent to other academics, and we're happy to live in what will probably be the nicest home we will ever live in. Pics will come once we move.

It also means that we've packed about 60-70% of the house in SC. It feels a little empty, but I'm having a good time knitting, sewing, and hanging out with a very chatty Oona.

And b/c it's totally random and I find it funny: one of the toilets at the UCB Faculty club is dedicated to someone. Did they want a WC named after them? Is this a sick joke?

*Out of the 15 different classes I've TA'd for I've only worked with one female prof for one quarter out of 5 years. Until the spate of retirements, we had 10 profs all doing work in Europe. Of them, we have only 1female Associate prof and 1 female lecturer (who has now left for a different U). And although the Europeanist grads are small in general, in my time here I've been 1 of 2 women doing work in Europe. Discrimination? Not really, but in  a department that otherwise is quite "good" about gender parity, Europe really is a sausage party.