Tuesday, February 12, 2008

I like commuting, in a way, because no one else has to do it. I am getting motivated to stay at my rather dysfunctional house because no one else can do it. In the 5 months since I moved in, three people have moved out and one more has given notice and will be out in 2 weeks, and one is looking at new places.

It might not make sense that I'm more willing to stay when no one else is, but to me it just validates that this thing I am doing is very, very hard and it's hard for everyone, not just for me.

loving midterms week.

So, I am now totally hirable. I have been hired twice in the last three days, except that the first one, Student Corps, made me agree not to get hired for anything else on campus, but they haven't added me to their system and it's been 3 days and I can't sign up for any work until they do. So I accepted a position organizing the Porter Maintenence office because it actually exists. Later today I will find out whether I am hired for data entry- it is an amazing firm and 5-15 hours per week. I am qualified, but the people I group interviewed with were super good at interviews! I think I did a pretty good job because every time he asked us something the first thing that came to mind is "I get bored easily" as in
J: "Why would you be perfect for this job?"
Me: "I get bored easily, but this job is just part-time."
But I reined it in and didn't use the word boring even one time.

And yesterday I joined section for political science because I have come to terms with the concept that ignoring it won't make it go away. But political science is incredibly draining! There was one day where we watched 1980s footage of Ethiopia and half the class was crying. The emotional investment I make when I think about colonialism and conflict is exhausting. And also my classmates are really smart and know about world politics. I can find Burma on a map and pronounce its name (incredibly hard for people to agree on!) but I can't tell you what form of government it has or how its constitution relates to that of Kenya or the most recent military struggles there or what the US has done in Burma. I know I'm smart and I know I'll get a good grade in this class because the info we are expected to know is not too hard to remember, but I am undeniably out of my league in class discussions. When I read the Geneva Convention, I just feel bored, not inspired.