So, it's April

It's come to my attention that I've posted six times this year, and five of those were in January. So, ah, hi! :)

I've had some very good news in the last couple of weeks. I've been promoted to Professor. *takes a bow*

And last night I won the Excellence in Service Award for my institution. For those of you not in academia, this award recognizes service to the institution (things like serving on committees), service to the community (community outreach and projects, etc.), and service to the profession (leadership positions in professional organizations, editorial positions on journals, etc.)--and I am highly active in all three areas. Super, super prestigious thing at our institution; I am very honored. I also exceeded expectations on all areas of my annual evaluation. So, hurray, me!

In other good news, I got an email from a guy in California whose mother had died and left behind a shelf of books by Ouida. He'd been googling to figure out who might want them and came upon my name. So, Frank in California gifted me a box of books by Ouida that his mother bought in Bury St. Edmunds, Ouida's birthplace, in the 80s. They arrived earlier this week. What an unexpected and deeply kind act of generosity. I am so grateful.

Here's what I've reading since we last spoke:

( badly researched religious book my mom gave me )

( Victorian literary criticism )

( Judy Blume )

( MISC )