Goin' down to Nashville...

I love Vanderbilt!! I had such a great time while I was there. The professors were so incredibly nice and the campus is gorgeous. It is a registered arboreum and there are about a million squirrels per square foot. Pitt made a sort of last-ditch effort to reel me in-- offering me more money and a fellowship (for only 4 years, what is that??)-- but, when I went to visit I was treated, not rudely but, rather coldly. So, I'm making it official--- I'm doing my Ph.D. at Vanderbilt! I'm so excited. There are lots of apartments right beside campus, the TA offices are AMAZING (recently renovated, all glass and wood, with unlimited printing!!!) and, right across the street from the History Department they have a Panera, Ben&Jerry's and Starbucks. Honestly, what more could I ask for? It is a very quiet, private campus right smack in the middle of downtown Nashville. It has the seclusion of a small university with the bustling night-life of a major city, with ethnic food and diversity out the wazoo. And money, sheesh, this place has money like I've never seen...only dreamed of...they told me, point-blank, I am expected to never be in Nashville for the summer; I will always be abroad somewhere. YEAHHH!!! I can definitely deal with that-- Brazil every summer with FULL FUNDING. It's just mind-boggling. Plus, these professors publish like crazy and let their advisees co-publish with them. Plus, any conference in the world I want to go to, I can. AND, if I want to, in my last year I have the choice to completely design a course and teach it that Spring semester--- that's huge, a major resume-builder. It was certainly a whirlwind day and they had every minute of it planned and packed with activities, I barely had dinner before I flew back, but it was awesome. If you can't tell, I'm REALLY excited. This really is the perfect place for me and I can't wait to start. All I have to do is finish up this damn thesis, defend it, pass all my finals and I'm the hell outta here!! Woo-hoo!!!

Drowning in Babies...ugh...

What a weekend...oy, I'm so tired I don't know how I'm going to coherently teach this morning. It seems like all I've been doing is driving. I took my boy down to Elkins so we could eat at one of our favorite restaurants for his birthday then, I was supposed to leave Friday night to go to my parent's but, the weather had other plans. Everyone got a dumping of snow and nothing gets my parents into a tizzy quicker than bad driving conditions. So, I left Saturday morning--early. The West Virginia roads were awful...AWFUL...shame on our road crews. It was an absolute mess. Miraculously, after crossing the stateline into Maryland, things cleared up.....interesting, huh? We even followed the snow plow until he pulled over beside the "Welcome to Maryland" sign along I-68 and forced us to pass.

Then, on Saturday we had a big St. Patrick's Day dinner at my grandmother's house-- complete with corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and green beer; ok, just kidding on the beer-- I suggested it for next year as a "new and improved" menu option. Grandma just giggled and said I was bad. What's St. Patty's without green beer?? Even though we aren't really Irish--well, maybe just a little in the way that every American is a little Irish. When your family's been here over 200 years, something's gotta give, you know?

Then, Sunday afternoon was the *bum, bum bum* double baby shower that I had been summoned home to attend. Two, yes two, of my cousins are currently pregnant; one is about 5 months along and the other is about ready to burst any day now. So, it was an afternoon of pale colors, crazy contraptions that vibration and make sounds like rain, and lots and lots of family gossip (with coffee). Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for both of them. I guess I've just never been the kind of girl to get too excited over breast pumps and maternity clothes. Someday I'll have children, and I'll be very excited, but I don't ever think I'll be "baby crazy". I think that if having kids is the only thing you ever have on your mind, you need a hobby!

T-minus 3 and counting...

Got a "No" from UTX-Austin, not a huge surprise there-- they're more Mexico-centered so, Brazilian studies probably seemed offbase. I did, however, get a "Yes" from UNM, which I'm rather pleased about; though, again, it is not the offer of my dreams. Three left to go so, it's still up in the air...sort of...

Don't go toward the light!!!!

Weeelll....got some good news from Pitt! Guess I won't be taking that leap after all....hahaha....I can't say that it's the offer of my dreams or anything but, hey, it is another option. So, now I've got what I wanted-- a choice. Kinda feels like (and I can only imagine this) two burly men fighting for my hand...I know, I know, it's totally archaic and anti-feminist but, who doesn't want to be wanted? Anyway, the count is officially down to 5 more schools....hopefully, I'll hear from the rest very soon. I'm scheduled to fly down and visit Vanderbilt during Spring Break so, it would be nice to know for sure if I should be looking at apartment possibilities or not; so that would give the remaining schools about 2 weeks to get back to me....that's not unreasonable, right?

I've also been debating about the writing contest coming up; a few people have told me I should enter but...eh, I don't know. I love to write and I'd say I'm a good writer but, since I'm a grad student, I have to compete on the M.F.A. level. Yeah, not so crazy about that. I mean, I have good ideas but I'm definitely not as polished as someone who does this all the time...and plans to do it for the rest of their lives. Granted, some people with M.F.A.s are still crappy writers but, it significantly reduces the odds. Plus, entering a contest makes me a competitive writer....a quasi-professional, which I have no intentions of being. I do it because I enjoy it, not for any gain. So, eh...not sure about that one.

My birthday is coming up...not sure what I'm gonna do for this one. Not such a big deal to turn 24, really. After 21, I just stopped paying attention. Perhaps go out to dinner with my honey, get a massage, skip all my classes, etc---the usual fair. We'll see....any ideas from the peanut gallery? What should I do for my 24th birthday?

Ok, now I'm officially devastated....

No!! Not you too?! You're breaking my heart....I'm not going to be a Wolverine?....Say it ain't so!! Two in one day....this is too harsh for words...we could've made such beautiful history together...(sniff, sniff)...

"(Not) my home in Indiana...."

You know, as I'm racking up so much experience with rejection, I've noticed a few things. Primarily, if the envelope I receive in the mail is super-thin (containing only one sheet of paper), this usually indicates a quick, crushing blow aimed directly at the stomach area (or, as I like to call it, blitzkrieg denial). Secondly, without fail, each rejection letter starts something like this, "As you know, (University Name Here) receives a large number of applicants every year. Due to limited resources, our admissions committee is required to reject highly qualified students, like yourself, that have the ability to succeed in a doctoral program, blah, blah, blah...." I get what they're doing but, seriously, does it make any sense to build someone up just to then, in the next breath, tell them "NO"? It's the equivalent of saying to some poor rebound guy, "It's not you it's me" or "You're just too good for me" or "I just need to be alone and get to know myself" or "I need some space" or just about any other lame-o excuse for not wanting the person. Why can't they just be honest and say, "We're just not that into you." (sigh) I've almost reached the halfway mark in possible grad schools and I find myself very discouraged. Granted, I know the process is rigorous and there are infinite numbers of qualified applicants but, come on, how many women apply for a Ph.D. in the first place? Especially in History? Where's my damn affirmative action when I really need it???