So you had a good day...

Daniel Powter can kiss my ass, because I've had a good day. No, a GREAT day. It started off slow - the alarm goes off after a too-short period of unconsciousness, as has become my modus operandi these days. But hey, it's worth it if the reason you were up so late was a good conversation with a relatively new but good friend, right? So I take my time getting ready, because today is sort of a significant one - I'm finishing up my first of two units I'm teaching, which means I'm going to have a couple of weeks off to do research work...I'm getting paid for the first time since my teaching salary kicked in...I have plans to go out for a drink after work...all in all, it's a good day to look cute. So I eventually get to work...get ready for class...visit the friend who not only kept me up late last night but is going out with me after work because he's just that cool. I give my lecture, and this is where it gets good: as I'm wrapping things up for the day, I say, "Well, that's all I have for today. Enjoy kinetics, and I'll see you in a couple of weeks." That's when it happens. A round of applause. Now, I feel the need to stop and take a moment here to convey just what that means to me. The U of T reminds me a great deal of UVa, where I did my undergrad. They both seem to have similar reputations, and take themselves quite seriously in terms of the quality of education they provide (some would say TOO seriously, but that's an entry for another day). Now, when I was in undergrad, there would always be discussion during the last week of class about which professors you thought would get applause on the last day. It certainly wasn't a given - it was reserved for those professors you really appreciated, the ones whose lectures you didn't want to skip. The legendary ones, or the less celebrated but no less enjoyable lecturers...those were the ones you applauded for. I mean, you fill out evaluations of your professors, you let them know you like them, but it takes a special extra effort to show your appreciation to their face (and, I feel the need to add, that face is, in my memory, ALWAYS that of a man - chew on that for a bit). This is the first big lecture class I've ever taught - to be honest, the prospect scared me shitless just 3 weeks ago. So I've considered it a victory every time I teach a class where I feel like the students are engaged, and listening to me not because they have nowhere else to be but because they WANT to. I'm thrilled when they actually laugh at my stupid chemistry jokes - I never in a million years thought I would be able to win them over enough to actually applaud me. And when it comes down to it, I may have a very long and brilliant career as a professor ahead of me, and I may be applauded many times, but this will always be the first one. And I can't imagine it will get better.

So at this point, I'm on a full-on teaching high. It's like I'm freebasing education, baby - it's a good feeling. So what do I do? I go back to my office and gloat to anyone that will listen. Luckily, my friends are very understanding and quite happy for me - they get that this is a big deal, or at the very least are quite experienced at humoring me at this point. So I manage to get very little done for the rest of the day, because I'm flitting around patting myself on the back and having self-satisfied nerdgasms all over the place, until the end of the day when the aforementioned after-work drink plans kick in. Just having plans after work on a Friday is a happy thing - especially when you're in the mood to celebrate and you've got good company lined up. I meet up with a friend/coworker that I've been talking to a lot lately and figuring out is a pretty freaking cool (read: very similar to me in many ways) person. We go out for a couple of beers and some spicy appetizers, and lots of good conversation. People I've met here seem to be under the impression that I am this outgoing person who can carry on a conversation with anyone about anything...the sort of person that somehow draws attention in a group. That's really not me at all when it comes down to it - I mean, I am that person around my research group, but that's because they're all too quiet and nice for their own damned good - SOMEONE has to shake things up a bit. Beneath the surface, I'm really a one-on-one person. I cherish the time I get to spend alone with a good friend, and always prefer hanging out with one or two other people to an entire roomful. And I haven't really gotten close enough to many people here yet to warrant that sort of intimate interaction. So getting to go out and sit across a table from someone you enjoy talking to is a rare treat for me, especially when you're still in that stage of friendship where every question leads to a new revelation about that person. And it doesn't hurt matters that he's a cute guy, and incredibly sweet, and already a dear friend. There are worse things you could be batting your eyes at across a plate of hot wings, my friend. During the entire time we were hanging out, a lovely light blanket of snow was falling - my first Toronto snow that wasn't an icy, slushy mess. And as I walked home through the freshly fallen, sparkling snow, all I could think was what a lovely package it all made, and what a thoroughly nice day it had been - I really couldn't ask for much more.