New job

I have a new job! No, I didn't graduate or anything, but I did get a part time job tutoring the athletes at my university. I've been having financial problems for a while -- the stressful, up at night kind -- and on top of that, I need to save money for next summer when my funding gets cut off.

So I knew I would need to find some source of additional income, but it had to be one that wouldn't interfere with my dissertation time. Tutors can make $16 per hour, and they work only three hours per week, so it seemed like a good option. All summer I have spent three hours per week watching America's Got Talent. Now that my favorite show is over, I have three extra hours for tutoring.

Also, I've always enjoyed working with students one-on-one. It's the rewarding part of teaching, without the stressful part where I'm in front of a classroom full of 18 year olds who are staring and judging me.

And I know a lot of people think athletes are lazy, or that they don't care about academics, but after working with a few as a TA, I have come to respect them. They are under tremendous pressure, plus they travel, and they are expected to keep up with a full course load on the quarter system. The ones I've met don't party. They are busy and tired. So I believe in the mission of giving them extra help, and making sure their education doesn't suffer excessively due to sports.

Or maybe this is one of those times when I'm unreasonably optimistic and totally wrong.

Well, no harm in giving it a try.