Errands and Writing
Today had many errands to run. I decided that I should get a job for the summer. If not, I will be bored and poor. I will be working at W-S, finishing my Masters (all I have to do is my Capstone project and test), and continuing my teacher certification courses. But that will take up not much of my time. And it won't pay the bills. So I am looking for something that will be flexible around my teaching courses, weddings, vacations, and fun friends time. This will be my first summer in Texas since the summer after second grade, so hopefully I will be able to have some fun.

So I started filling out applications. Dangerous job, because then someone might call me and want me to work for them. So now I wait.

While I was doing my daily (hourly?) internet reading, I read on 43 folders about a book called Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott. It looked good so when I was later at Half Price Books, I saw it and bought it. I also bought:

Short Takes: Model Essays for Composition by Elizabeth Penfield ( I got the 6th edition. They now have the 8th)
On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing nonfiction by William Zinsser
The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler
and True Devotion by Dee Henderson.

I like to think that I will be able to incorporate the three writing books into my (future) classroom. Perhaps by reading snippets aloud as a time filler or really analyzing them and applying them. Who knows. But each book was around $6, so I got out of there with some good deals. (The trick to half price books is making sure that there are not any copies in the store that are cheaper than the one in your hand. I found a copy of The Jane Austen Book Club that was $11, then went and looked on the shelf and saw another copy -- exactly the same-- for just 8. Three dollars saved right there! Also When getting bird by bird, I checked both copies they had and purchased the one without underlining. I like to make my own marks, thank you very much.)

I came home and was reading on Bloglines and what did it give me but an old Moleskin post. I think it was a sign that I should buy one. It was a post from a month ago. Must be from some malfunction or something. But I have been thinking about buying a moleskin. People are obsessed with them and I want to know what all of the fuss is about. Whenever I am in Barnes and Noble, I look at them. They are pretty and soft. And conveniently sized. And durable. One could prove very useful at the TLA conference I will be attending Wednesday through Friday. Sigh.
- posted by Alicia @ 5:35 PM