Slot Machine

Flashback to last spring.

I hear that there is a class on Gruub* coming up in the fall, and since the TA slots are assigned rather higgledy-piggledy, I try to be assertive and approach the department folks and ask about the position. They tell me that there is no chance at getting the slot because the class is split with another department (the prof is from the other department), and that that department is crawling with grad folks hunting for TA slots like zombies after brains.

I’m a little miffed because I know the other department doesn’t actually have any grads who study Gruub in particular, and my department has a few grads who are working specifically in Gruub - myself included. And, of course, any time you see someone not trained in your field try to explain your field, you die a little inside, right?

In the end I was sad, but I understood that it was just that department defending their turf and if I were a grad over there, I would just be realizing that I can’t get a job with a degree from there and I’d better learn about Gruub pretty quickly. So, anyway, I come to terms with sorrow, and move on.

Today, I get an email (from my department) asking if I would like to TA the Gruub class in the fall.

Why, yes. Yes, I would.

Yea me! This is really huge, because none of us are really funded and this will take a big bite out of my debt-load in the fall. I’ll be able to eat! And pay rent! And maybe, dare I dream? Maybe I’ll be able to buy a book!

* It's really hard coming up with a fake name that doesn't actually mean something