Just take the vacation, Tom.
The world will still be here when you get back. Honest.
Last week sometime I got the rejection letter from Cornell, so that’s one down, three to go. Ohio State seems to want me to apply for some of its scholarships, though, so I’m not sure if they’re just leading me on or what. I’ve got a bad feeling about this first rejection because I think it follows that the other three (being higher on my list of hopes) will do the same, but I’d rather not think about it until I have to. It’ll take some major overhaul to come up with an alternative life plan where I can still do and be something/someone useful.
In the meantime, I’ve got a new temp job, but it should be a pretty steady one. I’ve been at this place before, but not in the same department, and I like the atmosphere a lot. I have a cubicle, I have a computer (although I can’t get away with Intarwebs), and the phone use is limited. This in particular is good news, as one of the primary sources of stress I get from jobs is unpredictable phone calls. When you’re a temp and you barely know what the company does, it’s almost agonizing never knowing how to handle the customer/business who’s calling for a reason you can’t fathom just yet. I want to have a job doing something I’m good at. And, while insurance certainly isn’t my forte, I think I could be okay at this.
One of the definite perks, however, is that the company is replacing everyone’s old CRT monitors with widescreen 17″ flatscreens, and because IT had to bring a computer into the department for me to use, I’m the first one to have one. It’s not exactly fair to them, but IT says they’ll get theirs soon. I hope so. I’ve seen a lot of people eyeing it up, and for good reason. Their monitors are atrocious, especially with all the data screens they have to sift through all day. Definitely easier on the eyes.
Later today I have a viewing to attend, and while I have no work tomorrow, there’s the funeral. My great aunt died after a brief illness. That leaves two sisters out of five alive; my grandma was the second one to go. This aunt didn’t have any grandchildren, though, and one of her daughters had already passed due to cancer. I guess there’s only more of this to come.
ETA: Just opened the rejection letter from OSU. 2/4 done. This had been, according to my profs who knew profs there and had written me recommendations, one of the most promising, so I’m pretty down about things at the moment. But I guess I won’t have to worry about those OSU scholarship apps they e-mailed me about.
Tags: family, grad school, technology, work