East Coast Girl in a West Coast World

Well, I did it. I got through this weekend and today (on 4 hours sleep thanks to a plane delay and icy highways all along I-79 South) so, I am officially back in the "real world". Las Vegas is definitely like a parallel universe. Even the trip there, flying over the Grand Canyon and deserts, was like landing on an alien planet. The conference was good, pretty much as I expected it to be. I was happy to discover that I was WAY over-prepared and had thought out my presentation a lot more than most--especially the seasoned professionals. My talk went well and people responded with lots of questions so, that made me feel like I at least piqued their attention. I didn't know anyone at the conference but people were nice and talked with me quite a bit. My touring of the city was alone, which was sad and made me miss my honey-- especially when practically everyone there was part of a couple-- but I liked it; it was like taking myself on a rather extended date. I don't understand women who can't be alone. If you can't stand to be around just yourself, how can you expect anyone else to enjoy it? I wined and dined myself, took myself on long, romantic walks and even *gasp* took myself to bed; I'm really quite shameless ;)

These are just a few of my favorite shots from The Venetian (above), Caesar's Palace (right), the Paris (bottom left) and the desert outside the Las Vegas city limits from the airplane(bottom right). There are some rather impressive sites in Vegas, though there is also a lot of tacky crap. "Sin City" is just Disney World for American adults. Americans too narrow-minded and/or classless to go to these places in the real world (i.e. Italy, France, Greece, etc.) because, God forbid, they have to actually learn to speak another language, eat unfamiliar food and accept the value in other cultures. And gambling, don't get me started. Any kind of lottery or gambling is just a way for businesses to take advantage of the poor and uneducated. These people would spend money on slot machines, card games and jackpot tickets (I worked at a convenience store for a bit, I saw it happen), then use food stamps or welfare for food. Tell me that makes sense. Wanna get rich? GET A JOB AND WORK!

On the positive side, I saw and met lots of characters. I have enough "fodder for fiction" to last me a whole collection of short stories. West Coast people are a different breed from East Coast people-- the way they talk, dress, think, etc. It's very interesting how the same country can produce such distinct representatives. I think I'd like to live on the West Coast for a bit in the future. I met the coolest women from Seattle; I could totally live there. Biodiesel cars, eco-friendly highways, Birkenstocks, coffee, rainy weather...what more could I ask for? Plus, on the West Coast my language affinities are seen as an asset, not a oddity. Here in WV, loving to speak Spanish and Portuguese and a fascination with those cultures is met with, "Where did that come from? When will you use it? What kind of job can you get with that?", whereas on the West Coast people say, "Oh, really? That's great. I have been studying it myself for __ years. It's really harder than people think. You know, you could get a job in 5 seconds where I live in California." (sigh) I guess I was just born on the wrong side of the country...or the world, maybe both. All in all, it was a valuable learning experience: I practiced a lot of Spanish, watched a few telenovelas and a Mexican soccer game, gave my first professional paper presentation, got to see a new city and traveled utterly alone for the very first time. Now that I know that I can do it, I feel secure that--no matter where I end up for my Ph.D.-- I'll be just fine.

El fin del mundo??

arg...what is up with my life lately? All my best-laid plans seem to be fallin apart. Yesterday, I get an email from another university I recently applied to saying they never received my transcripts...my transcripts?! I sent those in October. What the hell, man? Every time I involve another office with other people, things fall into chaos. So, I had to run around today like crazy printing things off and faxing them around.

This morning, I informed my classes that I wouldn't be there on Friday due to my conference in NV. The first class threw a little tantrum-- "That's not fair! Why do we have to be here when you aren't? Just cancel class." Wah, wah, wah. The second class heard the same news in the same way in the same lesson plan and their response was, "Ok, have a good time. See you Monday." Go figure. It just goes to show how different every class truly is. I guess I understand their annoyance but, hey, I have to go and my department doesn't let me cancel classes---ever. Unless I die pretty much, I have to be there or a fill-in must be. I'm just a peon. Only full professors have the right to cancel classes and throw it all to the wind. It's a shame. They could be a really fun class-- they surely have a lot of spunk. We'll see. Until then, cry me a river...life isn't fair, get used to it-- I sure have.

Close calls

So much to tell! For starters, I had a very close-call with one of my graduate applications. One of my safety schools, which shall remain nameless, contacted me not too long ago regarding a missing recommendation letter. I was rather surprised given the fact that I kept in regular contact with my recommenders and they told me everything was done. So, I go back and forth with the graduate secretary about what format, who it was, etc. I ask my recommender to send an electronic copy of the letter through email, which she does, a fax copy, which she does, and another hardcopy, which she does. However, I am repeatedly told by the university that nothing has come through and time is running out. I, of course, start to freak out because of all the time and money I've invested in all this and fate just seems to be working against me---all the sent materials are just drifting in space somewhere. Luckily, my recommender happens to know the graduate director at the university and starts to converse with him directly. Magically, the letter is found (in what form I still don't know) and my application is now complete. Guess it pays to know people...or at least know people who do. This episode has made me really nervous about the last 4 schools that have yet to confirm that all materials have been received. I know for a fact that I sent everything to everyone on time but, there are certain aspects that are out of my control. The sweating portion of the program has yet to end.

In other news, last night my honey and I attended a "Black and White" themed birthday party for a friend of ours. It was a great time until, suddenly, an ambulance shows up at the party. Everyone had noticed a rather intoxicated young man being carried around by his two friends but, since he was the only drunk one, people let it go. Apparently, his friends got scared and called an ambulance...and, as soon as the EMTs discover the kid was only 20, they called the cops. Craziness. As it turns out, NO ONE invited these guys and NO ONE knew them. They just randomly showed up at the party (brought their own vodka) and proceeded to get totally smashed in a stranger's house. What is up with people?? So, of course, the cops start asking who lives here, etc. My friends ended up getting a citation for providing alcohol to a minor that they A) don't know B) didn't invite C) didn't know he was under-aged and D) didn't really provide alcohol to since he brought his own. Needless to say, they were royally pissed and very scared because, as international students these things can have much bigger implications. I helped to translate things for them and explain that things weren't as they seemed but, the law is the law. I immediately found the two friends (also 20), hiding in a corner of the house and told them they needed to apologize to my friends, give their contact information and pay for the citation they caused. They agreed and, hopefully, they will honor their word but, people that do things like that aren't necessarily the most honorable to begin with. Phew...what a crazy week...

In the aftermath of fun

I think I woke up this morning with a hangover...not sure, never had one before. Although, it wasn't a hangover in the traditional sense--- I only had one drink last night so, it wasn't from alcohol. My belief is that it was a combination of factors. The major one being the dinner party my roomie and I threw last night.

We ended up with about 20 people in our little apartment...it was rather hot and crowded but there was plenty of food (thank God, I was really worried) and playing games distracted us all from the heat. "Apples to Apples" and "Guesstures" were the chosen games of the night, which was as much fun to watch as it was to play. It was a great mixture of friends: high school, college, grad school, mine, hers, Felipe's, etc. Since it was also a potluck, the mixture of food was really interesting: vegan pizza, Brazilian meatloaf, Spanish tortilla de patatas, cornbread, pasta salad, pineapple casserole, etc. Somehow, it all just worked.

After the party, we all decided the night was just too young so, we went out for drinks and more conversation. I had one drink--an orange mojito (pronounced "moe-hee-toe", though all my American friends insisted in calling it a "moe-gy-toe" which sounded rather naughty to me, haha). It was just a fun night, all around. People seemed to have a good time, eat enough and enjoy conversing with one another. What more can a hostess ask for? I'm just bummed that I forgot to take pictures.

So, this morning...not sure what happened with that. I just woke up feeling heavy, tired, grumpy and with a serious headache. Maybe it was the smoke from the bar last night. It does have a tendency to get to me rather easily. Maybe I was just plain tired (I slept until noon today--yipes!). It could be the stress of cleaning and planning for a party. In any case, today was practically useless in terms of getting work done. I managed to get a little reading in this evening but nada for my thesis. So glad this is a 3-day weekend; I'm gonna need it....

The Office Hour Blues

(set to typical blues riff)

Sittin' alone in my office

DA-DAHH-DA-DA

Got nothin' to do

DA-DAHH-DA-DA

My classes are finished

And my lesson plans are too

I got the blues,

Alone with a wondering mind

I got the blues,

The Office Hour Blues.

My baby he loves me

DA-DAHH-DA-DA

But he's in class

DA-DAHH-DA-DA

So I'm watching the snow fall

And sittin' on my ass

I got the blues,

Bored with no one to talk to

I got the blues,

The Office Hour Blues.

The life of a teacher

DA-DAHH-DA-DA

Is full of stress

DA-DAHH-DA-DA

But the days that ain't busy

Make me like it less

I got the blues,

Need to keep myself on the move

I got the blues,

The Office Hour Blues.

I can totally relate...

...to this picture. Anyone who calls themselves a writer knows that terrible feeling known as "writer's block" and the inevitable crap it produces in moments of scholastic desperation. I can see it from both sides now (hail Joni Mitchell!!)-- as a teacher and as a student. Just thought it might give someone else a giggle...