The head of the history department is retiring, and getti...

The head of the history department is retiring, and getting rid of 42 years of accumulated books. (He started as an adjunct there 50 years ago, but has only had the office for 42). I looted a lovely little booklet of "Royal Faces," portraits of the Royal Family of England, including death-masks of medieval monarchs (who knew we could really see how Edward III looked? And Henry VII, it rots my socks to say, was a VERY good-looking man, the stingy murdering jerk).

Last day of class was yesterday. I have a giant stack of research papers, to be succeeded by a giant stack of finals. As always, these last few weeks I've finally felt that I've gotten to know the students: we relax, and talk... and then they go away.

Beautiful warm windy evening; tiny fingernail moon in a sky still faintly light.The DMZ at the center of campus - where construction was going on until the contractors were fired, and which is now a fenced and lifeless semi-ruin - appears to be the local safe house for a colony of rabbits, who are glimpsed slipping under the fence.

I have fantasies about spending the next 12 weeks sewing, writing, cleaning my house (finally!) and playing video-games, but much of that time I'll have to be fluffing up my knowledge of Women's History and Latin American History, as those are the TWO full-time positions for which I've applied. I've had the material, and can certainly teach the classes, but it needs to be front-and-center in my mind for the interviews, if I even GET interviews. I'm sure the competition will be fierce.