A New Year, and much of the same

My year thus far has looked much the same as last year. I'm busy slugging away on THE THESIS, proof-reading like mad, making some corrections, and adding in a bunch of stuff that I didn't have the first time around. It's going well, but I have gotten to the point where, unless I have a permanent full-time job lined up for September, I will be submitting sometime in the fall (this is so I remain a full-time student for the next academic year so I don't have to pay off my student loans for another year. I know, I know, I'm being cheeky, but at the same time, my current situation does not lend itself to paying an extra $600 per month.

I'm teaching a bit (Roman stuff so stuff I actually know something about, unlike last semester), but my main goal is to go see as many places as I can while I still live in Europe. I think it's crazy that I've lived here for almost 3 years and have never made it to France, or Spain, or Italy. That last place is even more difficult for me since that is what I study but every time I make preliminary plans, something comes up (most recently, I was going to go for my spring break, but that would mean I would be in Rome for Holy Week, which would not be conducive to me actually getting research done!).

I've just heard that I will be giving a paper at the Canadian Classical Association meeting in Vancouver in May. Hopefully, this will get my name out there on the other side of the pond, and will help with job prospects, but at the same time, I just really enjoy talking about my research and getting stuff out there so I am looking forward to seeing what's happening in the Canadian Classics world.