24 May 07

Time:

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Money:

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More interesting things:

Answered Professor Alpha’s phone call as I stood waiting to finish making my next efforts at planning to get stabbed by a TB tine and talked as unhurriedly as I could before asking whether I could call him back. When I got him again – somewhere between Broadway and Greene, in case you were wondering – he was all jolly laughs and amusing comments, starting off with a question about “this eloquent letter!” “Yeeess… word gets around, you know,” he tells me, which is rather funny since I’m frequently reminded that “no one tells [him] anything,” but in any case I was glad to hear that at least some of the appropriate people appreciated my banged-out email. We’ll see what effect it has on the target(s) for which it was intended.

Delivered my filled-out committee form to Miss N. I worked hard to hand it politely to her secretary (he’s always so nice to me) while positioning myself strategically in her line of sight, hoping she’d have something to say – and it worked. The secretary got up to grab my candidacy letter, and Miss N. invited me in and, signaling better than a two-line exchange, offered me a seat. She opened her commentary with the observation that the whole thing was “heartbreaking,” which was certainly a sentiment I could get behind, and moved on at pretty good length, actually. In the end, I had collected the following pieces of information, interesting in their provision even if I can only hope for their veracity: it’s not a political issue; there’s never a flat “no”; my letter might have been enough logic to defend the contents of my committee form; it sounded like a good committee to Miss N.; my intent to finish within two years is a good thing; Miss N. meets with the relevant administrator weekly and would mention my issue; and – ready? – the origins of this whole thing came from nothing more than a genuine question about student choices. Hmm. But I’m not complaining. I’m looking forward to the next communiqué. (Because that’s what it feels like.)