Welcome to Bloomington

The second day in Bloomington was much more productive and encouraging than the first (the first starting out panic-inducing and moving on to overwhelming, even if it ended up with Wii).

First, I got up early-ish and worked in my room a little (although I was still avoiding one wall because the workmen were coming back to fix the carpet where the radiators used to be), took a shower, and got ready for my interview. 

I headed up to the library at about 11:15 and didn't get lost or blisters (behold the power of band-aids), and my job interview was completely successful. I now have a job in a library here! I love the librarian who will be my supervisor. She's pretty young and was very friendly and enthusiastic - exactly the kind of person who makes interviewing a breeze and a pleasure. Anyway, I'll be working as an Instruction Assistant, which means I'll be leading those classes where they teach freshmen to do research. It also means that my schedule will stay very flexible, that I'll be able to work plenty for OverstockDrugstore.com and make actual money, and that I'll be able to come home for Christmas the second that my classes are over and stay for a month(ish). These are all fabulous perks, and don't even address the fact that I think the job is going to be mostly delightful.

Here's a picture of the Herman B Wells library that I didn't take. Note that I can now have a hot date with Herman.

When I got home from the interview with every intention of getting my room all put away, Jill told me that a group of people from the branch were going to the lake. (We have a lake!) So I quickly changed my plans and dug out my swimsuit, and we headed over to the institute to pick up one or two people there. There were only five of us who decided to go, but since we only had five tubes, that was probably okay. 

I don't have many good pictures yet, but here are a couple of the lake. (I'm not in them. Sorry.)

Phil and Chelsea

Eric, who insisted on blowing tubes up like a man.

My roommate Jill, using the more sensible hand pump

Lake Monroe

In the course of this outing, I learned that my compatriots here have decent taste in music, that the institute has its own parking (which takes special cards to get into so that no one else can steal our parking), and Bloomington loves to be humid, hot and sunny until you decide to go to the lake. 

When we got back (after a trip to Wendy's and an attempt to eat it at the park in the reserved bowry), Jill and I went to Target. I didn't bring nearly enough hangers, and the stupid plugs here needed adapters so that I could use my little IKEA power strips with their three prongs. (I also stocked up on Bandaids for my future blisters and bought a $4 wall clock). 

After that, I got to spend some time talking to Ty's family on Skype, where I heard all about Jake's trip to the dentist. I think they're going to call me again from "Grandpa Duffy's" on Sunday, so maybe I'll get to see my other kiddos then. 

I finally got most of my room put together last night, although there are still some things that I haven't found places for, and a couple of my walls are still very bare. However, here's a mostly done corner. 

Not terribly thrilling, I know, but it's nice not to have everything in bags all over my room.

Today I'm going to try to get groceries so that I have more to eat than just peanut butter sandwiches and cereal, and I might try to get my books for the classes I know need them. Maybe.