Mr. Trevor is off in Portland this week for a conference and a quick visit with his father. That means I’m managing my last full week at PBS along with two puppies. It is amazing how labor intensive they are! I certainly feel the work when Trevor is around, but somehow the calculus is such that minus Trevor they become quadruple, rather than simply double, the work. I’ve also noticed that their dynamic is somewhat different when Trevor is not around. For instance, I took Bowser for his obedience training yesterday and he was very vicious toward other dogs(it is as adorable as it sounds). The trainer thinks Bowser is extraordinarily protective of me, so without Trevor around, I saw a different side of Bowser. He was a maniac, but it is hard to take a 7lb killer seriously. Especially one with such a pretty coat.
Anyway, it has been nuts. I’m either cleaning up an unspeakable mess or trying to get someone to stop chewing on something. They are a handful. The thing is, as all dog lovers know, moments such as the one pictured above more than make up for it. I’ve been sick this past week and on my days home from work, they curled up next to me and were my partners in rest and recuperation. I would walk with them to China and back in a heartbeat.
New Gig
So I suppose I should post about my new job. I have been so busy with the new job and raiding that I haven’t had a chance to post, and in part there is so much to tell that I don’t know where to start. Two weeks ago I had no job offers, and was coordinating my vacation time with the department of homeland security.
Then all the sudden I had a job offer from the Atomic Heritage Foundation, and rapidly had an offer from the Center for History and New Media. In the end the History and New Media thing is more up my alley, but I must say that it was a bit overwhelming.
My first few days of work have been great. Everyone here at the center has been very nice to me and I think I will be able to do a lot of good in the position. Oh, here is my job description.
Technology Evangelist (Technology Outreach Coordinator): The Center for History & New Media at George Mason University is seeking a technology evangelist for Zotero (www.zotero.org), an open source bibliographic management and note-taking tool for the Firefox web browser. The technology evangelist will be responsible for building alliances with scholarly organizations and libraries, encouraging scholars to try Zotero, developing and maintaining user documentation, and building awareness of this next-generation research tool. We are looking for an energetic, well-organized individual with excellent written and oral communication skills. Applicants should have at least some graduate training in library science or one of the humanities or social science disciplines as well as familiarity with relevant technologies (e.g., XML, RDF, metadata standards, and Firefox extensions) and scholarly research practices. This is a grant-funded, two-year position at the Center for History and New Media (http://chnm.gmu.edu) at George Mason University, which is known for innovative work in digital media. Located in Fairfax, Virginia, CHNM is 15 miles from Washington, DC, and accessible by public transportation. Apply online at http://jobs.gmu.edu for position 10378Z; please include letter of application, resume, and three references. If you have questions, please write chnm@gmu.edu with the subject line “Technology Evangelist.” We will begin considering applications October 15, 2006, and continue until the position is filled.