Inside the Beltway

Happy Feast of St. John, everyone. It's Day One of the MLA conference, and I'm overpreparing for my first interview (Cowboy State), going over all the received wisdom -- don't badmouth anyone, shake every hand, keep the questions moving, etc. The Job Info Center just opened downstairs, but they have no real information yet, and most of my interviewers haven't even checked in yet. I've got nerves, but just wearing a tie makes me feel more like a professional, as does milling around in hotel lobbies with hundreds of people more nervous than I am. And after all, I am a professional.

It's the only time I ever do certain things, like order room service, iron my trousers, obsessively eat Altoids. Just like the smell of crayons puts you in kindergarten again, the taste of peppermint mixed with club sandwiches means "MLA."