Well, as much as things haven't been exactly great lately (still of necessity crashing in East Lansing, no work yet except a very ocassional substitute teaching assignment, etc.), the last few days have definitely been on an upswing.

Four days after the check from Walking Bones Magazine, I got my check and returned contract from Double-Edged Publishing today (for the story published in Dragons, Knights & Angels).

I could really get used to this getting small checks at random intervals thing, especially given the employment situation referenced above. Anyway, I cashed it today and I'm mulling over possibly taking in a movie on the big screen tonight...which would be the first time in a month I've been able to do that. In keeping with my nascent tradition of using writing checks (at least token-amount, small-press checks for 10 or 20 bucks) for small frivolous pleasures that I couldn't really justify taking out of a tight budget, I'm leaning towards the "Underworld" sequel.

Better yet, I got an e-mail on Sunday from the University of Miami (since every one always asks, that would be Florida, not Ohio) letting me know that I've been admitted for the PhD program in Philosophy there for the fall, with a 100% tuition scholarship, a $16,000/yr. assistantship for 4 years (and, at that, for a much lighter teaching load than I had at Western while I was getting my MA) and my MA recognized and a year consequently knocked off the length of the program. This is a Very Good Thing.

I appied a bunch of other places, and won't make any decisions before I hear back from them all, but still... "worst" case scenario I'm headed off to a top-50 doctoral program in a location drenched in sunshine and seedy night life.

Better yet, first thing this morning I got a call from the Director of Graduate Studies at the Philosophy Department there to (a) ask if I had gotten the e-mail, (b) let me know that if I was leaning toward going elsewhere for financial reasons, there was money in the budget to raise my stipend to match competing offer, and (c) ask if I'd be interested in a free, all-expenses-paid trip down to Miami for the first weekend of march to sit in on some classes, meet profs and existing grad students and talk about the program.

Now, there's a tough question...spend the weekend sitting in my bathrobe, staring at the TV with bloodshot eyes and hoping that I get a call to go substitute teach Pre-Algebra out in the sticks somewhere, or spend an expenses-paid weekend in Florida being talked into a grad program? Hmm....