I'm in charge of the Modern Greek Department (I've been here over a month and I'm still not sure if this is a Department, Division, or Unit, as the three terms seem to be employed interchangeably) for the next two weeks, during which time I have a stack of yea-hundred monographs - that's books to you non-library folk - to order and not much else. It's fun to preside over an empty office! And the real kicker is, unlike at my last place of employment, I actually feel motivated to work when no one's looking over my shoulder...

Just a quick update on the writing: the new short story ("Keeper") is about 8,000 words long. I think it's nearing its third and final act, although I've been wrong before about these things. After I'm finished with that first draft, it's back to the novel, which I'm itching to continue. At the same time, I think it's good discipline to finish whatever short story I begin as a break from writing the book, not just so I get used to completing things but so that I'll have a collection or two of stories to shop around as well.