Well, the new year has begun. My second year on faculty at UNO is in full-swing. I wish I could say that I feel completely comfortable and calm ... but I don't. This is a good thing. The week prior, I had two articles come back with rejection notices. This, of course, means that I now am adding two more projects to my list of things to get done yesterday.
At the same time, though, it feels good to know that I have a pretty good idea of how this campus works. Granted, there will always be surprises, but that is what makes things worth living, right? I definitely have noticed that my willingness to stand up for things has gone through the roof ... or, for those that know me, back to normal. When I was an RA at Mankato State, I explained in my re-application materials that "during my first year, I learned the ropes. Now, I want to see how far I can make them swing." Yeah - trouble is brewing :-)
I am excited about the classes I am teaching. I do miss not having first year students this year, but that is replaced with the work that my upper division and graduate students are going to be accomplishing. I have high hopes for them ... and for myself. This should be an excellent and thought-provoking year.
More to report later. Good luck to all my people who start their coursework (as students or teacher) in the next few weeks! Take care!
Adam.
