I'm really grateful to everyone who sent friendly messages before and after the exam, but a week later and the only thing I still think about it is that even with the best intentions of everyone involved, there is no way that one brief interview behind a closed door can discharge the year of tension that preceded it. I keep seeing newspaper headlines or whatever and thinking, "That's right, don't forget about Eleanor of Aquitaine in Canto VI," and then I remember I don't have to do that any more. I have a sheet of paper to give to the administration so that I can become a doctoral candidate. The sheet of paper is called "Plan B," which because it is true is painful and therefore funny.
Anyway, I’m in Reno again making money to send to the federal government. I wanted to be worth a positive dollar amount when I turned thirty, but I doubt it will happen. But you know what’s nice about having a job, is not being evaluated all the time. Work evaluation doesn’t count.
