Dark Secrets of the Ivory Tower

Secret #1, it ain't ivory. It's mahogany.

I just escaped from orientation number four, and am very prepared for the wild and crazy shindig that has been promised for tonight.

This last orientation was perhaps the most sobering. It was the departmental one that explains all the how-tos of getting a PhD here. It was brought home in painfully clear language the time and effort required. It was terrifying and exciting. I'm sure there are going to be many more of these awakenings, but I'll say it here as I've said before and I'm sure I'll say again. I'm in a PhD program. I mean seriously. Wow. What in the hell were they thinking when they let me in? hehe. I feel like a kid that's been let into the teacher's lounge.

On that note, I've been given the keys (figuratively) to a members only reading room. No hoi paloi allowed in, thank you very much. Only grads and profs, and only those from our corner of academia, because you can't ever trust some types of those people. You know how they are. It really is gorgeous, too. I've sprawled out at a nice desk next to a window surrounded by lovely books (useful ones, even) happily housed in arches of dark wood. I think I'm going to live in here. Pity it's not open 24 hours.

I've got a few more minutes before the above-mentioned shindig, so I'll gather myself up and head out. They promised foods from all corners of the world, acrobats.... on stilts! and monkeys! on stilts! and... and... Neil Diamond! They said they couldn't get him on stilts though. Something about insurance or somesuch. So they've got Scott Biao - on stilts!

If I see any of that, I'll let you know.

Oriented

I've been so oriented that I could point out north at the north pole. Seriously. Friday was one all day orientation and today was another all day orientation. I think there's one more on Wednesday. It's only a half day though. Then there's a departmental shindig tomorrow, I think. Ye gods.

On the plus side, I had a chance to meet with the prof I'm TAing for and the other TAs, too. I've never TAed a class with so many TAs. We've got a conferance room full of 'em. Also on the plus side, it sounds like the mandatory 'intro to TAing' class shouldn't be too burdensome. One the less than plus side, I realize that the work load for the TA class itself is going to be brutal.

Then there's the grad seminar - I learned that the prof is cruel and inhuman in assigning readings, astronomical in expectations and cosmic in her theortical ruminations.

Then there's the reading group. We're tackling some pieces that aren't well studied yet because none of us have read them yet. So that'll be more work.

In short, I'm in way over my head already. But that makes me happy, and I need that.