Love It!

gem from belle da costa greene, j. pierpont morgan's librarian and first director of the morgan library in nyc:

"Just because I am a librarian doesn't mean I have to dress like one."

some things never change!

i have already started working on my collection of blazers, cozy turtlenecks, and short skirts. i own both knee-high boots and mary janes. the librarian glasses are in place, and get regular lurrve from boys, academics, and random people on the street.

[now all that's left is the full-time job working for a manuscript-hungry bazillionaire with a vanity library building on the east side. yep, that would be the absolute perfect accessory ;-)]

Shoulda Played By The Rules

one of the rules of the fast life, the experts tell me, is to try everything once.

well, i now know that it should apply to the nerdy life too.

because, you see, i was given the opportunity earlier today to cast a sort -- a little gothic letter "a" with its own little type-high body (exactly 0.918", if you please) and its own little "jet" (or "tang") and its own little idiosyncrasies -- using a 600° F alloy of molten lead, tin and antimony, and a hand mould made by stan nelson. (for more information on hand typecasting, see the wikipedia article here -- <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_casting_(typography)> -- or ask james mosley.)

and i passed it up.

next time someone offers me such a nerdy opportunity, you can bet your well-worn copy of harry carter (or daniel berkeley updike, if you're old-school) i'll be first in line.

I Have A Job

and it involved
-- no grovelling of any kind
-- a complete lack of obsession over cover letter wording and length
-- a short commute to the interview (although a bit of a wait before i was seen)
-- no ridiculous interview questions about where i see myself in five years
-- no sinking feelings about H-1 visas and associated travails
-- an immediate offer!

i don't even have a complete job description yet, but i must say that i already feel quite justified doing a little happy dance about it :)

A Girl Of Many Talents

i thought i was quite satisfied being a writer for expression, but then the SAJA convention two weekends ago involved a really fun and rewarding thursday photojournalism outing to richmond hill, in queens. the whole affair got blogged about at the convention:
<http://www.sajaforum.org/2006/07/worth_a_1000_wo.html>,
and i'm quoted in the post too.

it was my first time out beyond brooklyn (except en route to the airport, which doesn't count) -- and involved some really cool visual results. we won't, of course, talk about the not-so-cool pics that i tried to get all fancy with and failed. and just when i had tired of staring at the 2.5" lcd on my beautiful cybershot and reliving the bizarre smorgasbord from that hot thursday (an explanation of the gita, a hat and sunglasses, sari shops, a santo domingan american adopted by the caribbean indian community, long subway rides, free jalebi, and fruits and vegetables galore), the workshop got some post-convention attention:
<http://www.sajaforum.org/2006/07/phototography_w.html>,
and now i have my own dedicated gallery here: <http://sajablogs.typepad.com/photos/simran_thadani/index.html>

(the other 250-odd pics will be sifted through at some point soon and uploaded for everyone's viewing pleasure. i'll be signing autographs later, as well :D)

CityLurve: Boston

one of the few times of year you'll actually find me happy about boston: when it's about 80 degrees out and everyone else (ie, the subset of all residents of the city who are NOT from india!) is complaining non-stop about the sweltering heat. at any rate, tonight i really felt some positive vibes for this crazy little town. it's approaching the end of my fifth year here, and it's hard to believe that soon i'll be packing up my stuff for the fifth time and moving -- but this time, to god knows where. anyone got any suggestions -- or better yet, job offers?