Good News and Bad News

The good news is that I am teaching a class this quarter. There's only one available, and even though I'll miss the extra money I'm looking forward to more free time. And it means that we have more income and a plan through the end of June.

The other good news is that the college of Humanities at Davis has awarded me a special four-year fellowship. I get tuition and a stipend for four years of school, plus I don't have to teach the first or fourth year. Hopefully this means that I'll actually be able to get finished up in four years. I'm not sure since I might have to take some extra classes because I'm going from a single-language program into comparative literature. I don't really know yet what my requirements are or anything like that.

The bad news is that my stipend at Davis doesn't start until November first. It's also just enough to cover rent and maybe a bit more, so one of us needs to get a part-time job. And Mr. Fob's stipend ends in June when he graduates. So right now we have a gaping hole of four months where we need to be able to pay rent and feed our family. We're building a little bit of savings, but moving is expensive. Add this stress to the general economic unrest in the air right now and I'm trying hard not to get too panicky. At this point we're exploring our options and I'm praying a lot for something to work out. It usually does, even though it's not usually what I had in mind. What I really want is for Jeopardy! to call me up tomorrow so I can fly down to L.A. next week and win a million dollars. That would be nice.

Comments

Julie said…
Yeah, I would definitely put all my eggs in that Jeapordy basket, good planning!
4/08/2008 4:44 PM
Mrs. Hass-Bark said…
Congrats on the fellowship. I'm sorry the stipend takes so long to start! I am sure that something will work out for you. (Not that you need me to say that...)
4/08/2008 5:10 PM
Petra said…
Many congratulations on the scholarship. I'm sure something will work out...I'll have my fingers crossed.
4/08/2008 5:17 PM
Science Teacher Mommy said…
Good luck with everything. Moving really is a financial drain. I think it is part of the reason we never seem to get ahead, or even catch up for that matter. I get so tired of hearing that "things always work themselves out." I mean, obviously they do, right? But when you are in the middle of the trial it is just HARD. Sometimes you want somebody to just put their arm around you and say, "there, there. Have a good cry."
4/09/2008 8:35 AM
Anonymous said…
You might be able to get your school to give you a short term loan until your scholarship comes through.
4/11/2008 11:46 AM
Desi said…
Thank you for stopping by my blog and sharing your story. It helps me to know I'm not the only one.

Is that UC Davis that you are going to? I work there in their Development Office! What a small, small world it is.
4/12/2008 10:50 AM
MaryBeth said…
Wow, you've got a lot on your plate! Congrats on the scholarship and having the end of your degree in sight. That's a huge accomplishment!
4/13/2008 12:52 PM
jules said…
i totally know what you mean about things working out, but not in the way you expect. hang in there!!!
4/13/2008 9:35 PM
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