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...

A fun way to waste 5 minutes...

This is cute and totally pointless, which makes it darn near irresistible to try at least once...especially if you like socks...

Folding Socks Online

How bored am I...sheesh...

Why am I still awake??

That is certainly the question of the hour...well, of the last 3 hours, actually. I am not a person that suffers from insomnia. Usually, I'm the first guy to crash in bed after 30 minutes of T.V. So, this is a first for me.

I guess I can't sleep because I'm thinking too much right now. I hate it when that happens. You'd assume that I think more than enough during regular business hours so, my brain would want a break. But, here I am. I'm thinking about the past. The funeral this last weekend will forever be ingrained in my psyche. I feel old and tired and sad. It's selfish, I guess. My Pop-pop is at peace now but I really miss him. I'm just really blue lately. I sometimes cry at the drop of a hat--- a sad song on the radio, any old man who walks by, a traffic jam, burnt toast...just about anything.

At the same time, I'm relieved. I finished my last Ph.D. application today and sent it off; I'm rather proud of myself for finishing it all up 2 months early. Now, I play the waiting game. Hopefully, there will be at least one "yes" out of a dozen. I can't stand being unsure about the future; especially when it is as fast as next year. I've been looking at a few "Plan B's"---working at an American Embassy overseas, applying for the FBI and/or CIA as a "Linguistic Specialist", substitute teaching (please God, no), getting certified as a massage therapist/yoga instructor, and an unending list of other "fillers". Truth is, all I want to do is exactly what I'm applying for now. I'll be pretty crushed if it doesn't work out so, of course, I'm worrying about it at 2am.

I gotta get up early and drive home tomorrow for Christmas break-- and because I have a dentist appointment. Unfortunately, it won't be much of a break. I'll be writing my thesis while I'm there and trying to garner some bit of the holiday spirit while attempting in vain to not think about the one person in the family who's missing. After, I'll come right back to Motown to use the library and get ridiculously drunk for New Year's Eve because I deserve to lose control for a few minutes. All in all, I'll be glad to see 2006 go-- it's time to move on.

Not so good...

...is how I'm doing lately. Thanksgiving was fine until we found out that my Pop-pop is dying. Since then, my mother has been going back and forth to Philadelphia to help my aunt take care of him. Things have been getting progressively worse. I have been expecting "the call" for about a week now, though the doctors only gave him four days. It's been really hard on all of us. He's a very special person and we all love him a lot. I am very close to him so, it's hard to know I'll never see him again. Felipe has really supported me through this last week, even though it's a sad time for him too-- they really liked each other. On top of that, we're coming rapidly into finals week. Stress levels are rather high at the moment. In so many ways, I just want this semester to end so I can re-group and recover during Christmas. It has been and will be a bitter-sweet holiday season this year. I will miss him a lot. Losing a grandparent is hard because, usually, it's your first experience with death and it is a sort of signal that your youth/childhood is ending. I don't feel ready to grow up yet. Maybe no one ever does...you just have to.

"Fat and Lazy" looks good on me

Ahhhhh.....I'm so glad to be home. I needed this mini-vacation thing. I'm more relaxed then I have been in weeks. Emergency TA meeting? Cat up a tree? House on fire? Sorry, I just don't care; and it's nice.

Plus, I sent out the final materials for the first 4 Ph.D. programs. That's all done and in fate's hands now. Though one of my recommenders hasn't turned in their stuff yet, but I'm not gonna stress-- it'll get done. So, I've turned my attention to the next three schools, which seem significantly less picky and bitchy than the first group.

In happier news, I have been sleeping until noon, watching lots of Mexican soap-operas and eating seconds of everything my mother makes. If I'm lucky I'll gain a token pound to remember the week by. All in all, I'm good. Their new dog, well puppy, is driving me nuts. She's still in the "play with me forever!!!" stage. You can't walk in the door or, God forbid, take off a shoe without the dog going into crazy mode. I know it wears off and it's pretty typical of Goldens but, not having pets has made me gradually less tolerant. Cats are still awesome but dogs are rapidly going on my shit list.

I'm excited for Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday, by far. None of the stress of Christmas with all of the same side-dishes. No drama, just good old-fashioned gluttony. As a person inclined to view the world through creative writing-colored glasses, holidays are the perfect opportunity to beef up on some story ideas. Holiday get-togethers are like little soundbites of huge fights, personal tragedies, long-standing feuds and new dramas. The whole thing never comes out but, if you know what to look for, the flags are there. I will be ready and waiting when the bell chimes for round one; kinda like Harriet the Spy, except not hidden, with my little notebook, pencil and half a smile stained by cranberry sauce.

Sometimes, I wish I smoked pot...

What a week from hell...geez. Is the semester over yet? Times like these make me almost wish I smoked pot or something. I could definitely use some chill out time.

I know, I know everyone is tired of hearing about how stressful my Ph.D. application process has been but, hey, tough bananas. I'm losing my mind with this stuff!! Can't a girl whine a little sometimes? It just feels like a never-ending ordeal. Just when I think I've got it all together and ready to go, I check the webpage and *poof* another magical requirement seems to pop up from nowhere. arg. I feel like I have NOTHING left to say. Why do I have to project what my dissertation (of at least 2 years down the road) will be?? How the hell should I know? I thought the whole idea of a doctoral education was to figure out exactly that-- what I will do with the rest of my life. It's so nerve-racking. I worry that it's all going to be a gigantic waste of time and money; every one of these places will just say, "Sorry, you're not what we're really looking for right now." Then what? I haven't even had time to imagine what Plan B would be. I literally have all my little eggs packed into the Ph.D. basket.

I guess I'll do that over Christmas break. Thanksgiving is already taken-- two term papers and more thesis research/writing. Not that I'll get any of that done-- I never do when I go home. All I want to do is let my mother cook and fuss over me, go shopping with her, watch too many movies and sleep late every day. Just be a total bum, in other words, since I never get to do that during the year.

I'm gonna have a girls' potluck with my roomie and some friends Friday night. They don't know it yet, but we're gonna have a major "Apples to Apples" match. I can't get enough of that game. Way too much fun-- and so wacky it always makes me laugh, which I need right now.

Saw "Cars" last night and ate too much. It was just what I needed. What a funny movie. I loved it so much, I would consider buying it. I sometimes just get overloaded with the "adult" world and a good kids flick is exactly what I need; a little thoughtless fantasy and humor never hurt anyone.

Wild West...Yeehaaw!

This is usually WAY too early for me to be doing anything...well, except teaching impressionable young minds. However, I'm pretty nervous about the committee meeting today.

I just don't know what to expect and I am a person that really likes to know what to expect. I have to rush back after class this morning to fix up my bibliography and pay ridiculous amounts of money to print off 4 hard copies of the sucker. I did find out that some of my profs have already submitted their recommendations; phew, one less thing to worry about.

Anyway, enough about work. Let's talk about play! Tonight my Spanish girls are throwing a Wild West party. How awesome is that? Not the most common theme, granted, but interesting nonetheless. I'm going to be an indian (how un-p.c. of me) and my boy will be a cowboy. I drove them around last night to get the groceries, which was fun. I think I learned about 5 new ways to say "shit" in Spanish. God bless hands-on education.

Saturday is hockey!!! I'm dragging two friends and my boy along to see the WVU Hockey team play...someone, I forget. In any case, it will be fun. Worse comes to worse, I huddle and absorb myself in my hot chocolate. I've never seen a hockey game before and I'm all about doing things "I've never done before". My brother thinks I'm a weirdo sometimes, but I like to think of myself as eclectic and, slightly, eccentric.

Viva Las Vegas!

I'm goin' to Vegas, baby!! Not for the usual stuff: gambling, prostitutes, crack, quickie marriages, etc. I have a conference there---how ironic is that? Academia meets the Sodom and Gomorrah of the West, perfect! I have been accepted to present a paper at the Far-West Popular Culture Conference (given by the English Dept. at the University of NV-LV). My presentation is about an aspect of techno-pop culture in Brazil that I was savvy to when I was there this summer. I'm pretty jazzed about it, actually. Even though I've never even remotely wanted to go to Las Vegas. I don't gamble so, I'll mostly just be rubber-necking the whole time. Only problem is I have to apply for all kinds of grants from WVU because my lovely department only gives $250 per person for conferences. Needless to say, that won't cover 3 days with hotel, food, registration fees and airfare. I'll have to make sure and buy a fanny pack and something gold with rhinestones so I don't stick out too much.

In other news, I have been making satisfactory progress on my thesis. I think so, at least. I have a committee meeting Friday evening so, hopefully, their opinion will jive with mine. I need to polish what I have pronto so I can send it off as my writing sample. I swear, these Ph.D. apps are going to kill me. It seems like every waking moment is consumed by them. I'll be deliriously happy when it's all said and done; and I fully intend to get completely and utterly drunk in celebration (something I never do). I'm updating my blog right now to avoid: a) my thesis b) my applications and c) my assignments due tomorrow for creative writing. I can't think creatively right now-- reality is way too strong. I guess I can't put off the unavoidable for too long. Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work I go...

Passage to India via Diwali

I had such a great time last night at the Diwali celebration! It makes me wish I had gone every year in the past. I just love Indian culture so, it was a thrill for me. The ISA (Indian Student Assoc.) did an excellent job organizing and preparing everything. They had a nice dinner with: tandoori chicken, basmatic rice, vegetable marsala, naan, and a dessert of mango mousse and rice pudding. I used to be quite a frequent customer at the Cafe of India here in Morgantown until, sadly, they closed about this time last year. I was and am heart-broken over that. I wish (HINT, HINT BUSINESS PEOPLE OUT THERE) that someone would come to fill that hole because they were the only game in town. After the dinner, the ISA had a show of traditional dances, humorous skits, and fashion from India---so fun to watch. Finally, they cleared all the chairs out of the ballroom and had a open floor for dancing. And dance they did---for hours and hours while sweating incredibly without taking a single break. I was impressed. In American culture, men pretty much don't dance but, Indian men are truly the lifeblood of the dance floor. They are damn good and know it. I did ok, for a little white girl trained in Latin dancing. Some kind people took me under their wing and taught me some moves; by the end of the night, I fit right in. Along with Latin music, Indian music has got to be the most infectious, not to mention an expression of pure, unadulterated joy; hips wiggle, hands shake, arms flail, shoulders bounce, heads swivel and feet fly. By the end of the night, I was seriously wondering how much a ticket to India was (about $1,300.00) because any culture this fun is worth looking more into. People who know me understand I've always had a mild obsession with India and last night only added fuel to the fire. I woke up this morning sore and still exhausted but stupidly happy. So, who out there wants to go with me to India?? :)

Hurray for Dove! Death to the GREs!

Saw this on Erica's friend, Billy's blog and just had to have it for mine. I love Dove! It's oh-so-true. Makes me proud to use their shampoo...



Tomorrow morning I re-take the GREs...dun, dun, dun! I took them two years ago but, I figured that it would beef-up my PhD applications to improve my score a bit. So, hopefully, that's exactly what I'll end up doing; as opposed to wasting $130. Unfortunately, I don't believe I'll get my scores back in time from the practice test I took this past Saturday. Oh well, practice is practice, I guess. Wish me luck!!!

Total horse puckey but....

...it inflates my ego so, here it is:




Give it a try...you know you want to...My Heritage.com--Celebrity Look-Alikes

"A Visit from Aunt Mabel"...

...as my grandmother told me they used to say. Sorry to some of you to be so graphic and, well, girly but, periods stink---don't they ladies? I always get a wicked headache the day before and a killer lower backache the first day. Not to mention the fact that I blow up like a float for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. The fun just never ends; every month, for seven days, my life and the lives of those around me is hellish. It's funny how every woman has a uniquely torturous combination of side-effects--- headache, backache, irritability, bloating, cramps (thank God I don't have that one), etc.

Don't get me wrong, there's a part of me happy to see it come around regularly. It's a sign that nothing's wrong and nature is smiling upon me and my future progeny. However, I have always wondered why men were not blessed with some kind of little gift every month? There's a great essay by Gloria Steinem called "If Men Could Menstruate" that I absolutely love. I read it whenever I'm feeling particularly crummy and need a laugh. I have even gone so far as to write a story about menstruation---well, not about it, per se. More like how different women deal with it differently. My creative writing teacher thought it was hilarious and announced in class, "I've never thought of it, but there just isn't enough menstruation in literature." I couldn't agree more. After all, why is it such a taboo topic? It's an experience all (well, most) women collectively deal with. There's nothing abnormal or weird about it. I say, stop hiding who you are and be proud to be a bloody woman!!!

Wilco, Caminhando and Compositions

Sweet Jesus how I hate grading compositions! I've always wanted to be able to use this phrase and now I can: It is the bane of my existence. Ahhh...there. I feel better. It's always interesting to see how my students think (or fail to) but they take for @#$^in' ever to grade. Plus, this is only the first of two drafts. I know I shouldn't complain; it's part of the job and it could surely be a lot worse but, man, how it stinks.

I'm really psyched about Wednesday when myself, my new buddy Alison, my old gal Courtney and my better half are gonna see Wilco. I had no idea how many closet Wilco fans existed on campus until I bought my ticket. Once I began mentioning what I had planned for this week, a bunch of people popped up that were die-hard fans--who knew? In any case, it will be good times. Maybe I'll be moved enough to buy a t-shirt.

I am a highly musical person. I always have a song stuck in my head, literally. I must have about 10,000 song lyrics memorized, of all genres. It's crazy. I'm always humming, singing, tapping on something, or listening to music in some form. They say that music is a brain stimulant and the amount and variety you listen to correlates to IQ. Not sure if this is exactly true, but an interesting theory nonetheless. Regardless of the results, I love music. I can play two instruments and would like to have time to learn more. The song in my head today is Brazilian. The title is "Caminhando e Cantando" by Geraldo Vandre. It's a protest song from the 60's, when Brazil was under a dictatorship. Truly an inspiring song, not to mention HIGHLY charged with Communist rhetoric. Take a listen some time if you can, or ask me and I'll plug you in and translate. It just makes you wanna join hands and stare down a tank...or something like that.

Why am I so bored??

La, la, la ....I'm so bored. My office hours stink. People rarely come to see me so I usually catch up on my grading or lesson planning. However, I'm all caught up on my grading and I'm just recycling my lesson plans from last semester so, I really have nothing to do---for the moment. I SHOULD be studying for my Latin American Nobel Prize Winners test tomorrow (will do later) or reading for my 18th/19th century Spanish lit class tonight (not gonna go). More than anything, I should be writing for my thesis. I had a meeting with one of my advisors yesterday; yeah, I was a big freakin' ball of stress. I have plenty of research done but I'm completely paralyzed to write something---anything having to do with my topic. It's bizarre. I have zero problems writing for my short story class; perhaps because I'm only taking the class for fun so, there's nothing "riding on it", so to speak. I gotta get over my perfectionist tedency and fast. I don't want to write anything because I'm afraid it won't come out coherent and intelligent. So, I'm putting it off and putting it off as the pressure steadily mounts (because I always put more pressure on myself than anyone else).

I feel yucky. I'm not sick. I don't get sick very often; during the fall and winter I jack up my Vitamin C, water and garlic intake and I usually skate right through cold and flu season. I feel bad because yesterday was my last installment of the Hepatitis A/B shot. Now I'm totally immune for the rest of my life; I can go stomp barefoot on broken glass and rusty metal at a construction site and I'll be fine (thanks to a tetnus booster as well). This stupid shot makes my arm feel like it weighs two tons and it doesn't want to move at all.

Hmmm....what else...oh, Wilco is coming to WVU! Woo-hoo! I'm gonna buy my tickets today, I think. Love those guys. I'm probably gonna go to the movies with some girlfriends tonight...either "Little Miss Sunshine" or "Man of the Year". Man, I wish the weather were nice enough to still go to the drive-in. Love that place. Time to get some lunch...gazpacho anyone?

Musical Interlude

Well, here's the link I have been promising-- actual, live footage of the Brazilian concert here at WVU last weekened. I'm so proud of myself for uploading it (it took almost 24 hours total), formatting it, and embedding the player into this blog and my MySpace page.

Also, a little update from my last post.Mr. Frank Klepadlo (sophomore polysci major)wrote a wonderful letter to the editor in response to Ms. Feltzer's article about foreign language study. The title is "Foreign Language Requirement Appropriate, Useful" and it is in the Oct. 6, 2006 archive of the DA. As a result, I no longer feel compelled to reply myself. I suppose it's for the best; my reply would seem totally biased, which it naturally is.

This past weekend was a lot of fun. Friday night, Felipe and I went to a Brazilian couple's house to have an Arabic dinner--go figure. There were a few other Brazilians there and we stayed for about 6 hours just eating, chatting and telling funny stories. On Saturday, we went to another Brazilian couple's home to have a feijoada lunch (which lasted about 5 hours). Courtney and I went to a men's soccer game Saturday evening which lasted about two hours. All in all, I think I pretty much spent the whole weekend doing nothing but eating, talking with people and generally having a good time. It was wonderful but, I'm left a little behind schedule now. So, here I am blogging and procrastinating, again...ok, I'll stop now.

I speak American, duh!

I'm so incredibly pissed! The university newspaper "The DA" printed an op-ed piece that annoys me to the point of wanting to really give a good shaking to the stupid chick who wrote it. The title is "Foreign Language Requirement Unnecessary" by Martina Fetzer. In this article, she not only says why studying a foreign language is totally unnecessary, in her opinion (fucking idiotic English major!!grrr), but also why WVU teaches it unfairly, why it's a big waste of time, how it inspires racism, how it's unfair if foreigners come here and can't speak English and then we have to learn another language, and how if people are not "enthusiastic" about taking these classes, they should not be requirements. I MUST write a rebuttal--there is just no way around it. I mean, what an imbecile! Has she never poked her head out of Stansbury Hall (where Dept. of English is located) to look at the rest of the world?? Besides, if the university administration decided that students only had to take classes they "liked" nobody would take anything challenging at all or anything even remotely outside their major. What a lovely group of narrow-minded zombies we would be graduating every year in that scenario! I'm really surprised, honestly. I'm surprised someone can say something with perfect grammar and punctuation and look like such an ignorant, racist redneck.

You just gotta dance...

...when you hear these guys play! We went to a concert Sunday afternoon for ContraCantos-- a Brazilian musical/choral group from Recife. They were just plain awesome! The show was rather long (about 2 hours and some) but definitely worth the time. It made it even more amazing and fun due to the fact that we had met and talked with these people the Friday before at the feijoada (which was incidentally for them). One woman in particular, Anastacia, I talked with for about 45 minutes on Friday and had NO idea she was so incredibly talented. That woman can SAAANNNG. Not just sing, but SAAANNNNG. She's about as tiny as me and very soft-spoken. We had a lovely conversation (I was feelin' rather proud of my Portuguese skills) and she briefly mentioned she was a singer. On Sunday, she got up on stage and did a solo for an English song called "Old Time Religion". I was teary-eyed but the end, no lie. She has an amazing voice. It just seemed to explode out of her small body--you would never expect such a deep, powerful sound to come out of that woman. As you can tell, I'm still very much in awe. It was one of the best weekends I've had in a while. (Will add link here to a video clip of the performance soon!)

Now I'm heading into the middle of the week. I'm giving an exam tomorrow which I have to grade rapid-fire to be ready for mid-term reports on the 10th. I've also been studying like crazy for the GRE's lately. It's funny how advantageous knowing other languages is when you are trying to expand your vocabulary in your native one. "FACILE", for example means "something easy" in English and means the same thing (facil) in both Spanish and Portuguese. Only problem is I usually don't trust my instinct and over-think things--especially on standardized tests. The more I study for this, the less relevant it seems to graduate study. I mean, seriously, does it really matter if I know how to calculate the area of a sphere or the definition of "unctuous" if I want to study Latin American history? I think not. Granted, having a rich vocabulary and being articulate are important for my area of study but, using extremely rare and complicated words in academic writing only makes you look pompous and rambling. My personal opinion is that each field should have it's own diagnostic test or the writing sample that applicants submit should be composed of more examples; something like that. Even if I do well on this test, my results have no real bearing on my ability as a graduate history student so, why make me put in the time and effort? Just another rhetorical question to pitch out there into the bottom-less pit of universal experiences...

Let's get ready to ruuuumbllllle!

I'm ridiculously tired...just ridiculously. It almost makes me want to giggle, which is a weird reaction for some but totally normal for me. I taught my two sections of Spanish 102 today in addition to substituting for a friend of mine. Things went well in that area, no complaints. I really enjoy teaching. There is nothing more rewarding than having a lesson go over really well. Today, for example, I had my kids bring in socks, give them Hispanic names and they used these sock-puppet-friends to learn basic introduction dialogues in Spanish. Maybe that sounds simple and/or strange, but they loved it; they were laughing the whole time and really got into it. I have a reputation for being a bit of a wacky teacher but it definitely works. If they get anything out of it, I want them to relax and enjoy themselves a little bit because that is when things stick.

Tonight, Felipe and I are going to a feijoada at a Brazilian friend's house. For those who don't know, that just means a typical Brazilian-style dinner involving rice, beans, some kind of meat, salad, etc. It will be a lot of fun, I'm sure but I'm a bit nervous. When I first got back from Brazil, my Portuguese was kickin' and my Spanish was awkward. Now, my Spanish is back to it's original shine and my Portuguese is rusty. I've come to the conclusion that I should no longer learn Romance languages. Two is enough. I'm working on Arabic now, which is TOTALLY different and doesn't confuse me. Have Spanish and Portuguese in my brain is like a bad juggling act; neither ball can be up at the same time and I have a tendency to drop one or the other at any given moment. Anyone else who has extensive knowledge of both can understand my plight, I'm sure.

I noticed something today but I'm not sure if it's just me being grumpy or what. People don't give way on the sidewalk around here and it's quite disturbing to me. I'm not a big person by any stretch of the imagination so, you'd think a 6'00'', 210 dude would give me a few inches to maneauver but...no! I am absolutely sick of constantly having to twist and contort my body (and gigantic bag with books and teaching materials) at the last possible second to avoid a head-on collision. Am I the only person on campus that sucks at playing pedestrian-style chicken?? I've been experimenting lately with different approaches to this dilemma. Sometimes I just flat-out throw a shoulder into someone (which usually hits somewhere around their elbow). However, this method hurts and people look at me like I'm some kind of bitch on a rampage. Then, I tried coming to a complete stop right in front of them so as not to collide but to immediately draw attention to the situation. This method has had moderate success. In particular, when I roll my eyes at said sidewalk-invader and then exhale with dramatic exasperation as I walk away. Perhaps this societal issue is an indicator of a general decline in common courtesy, I'm not sure. More likely, however, is the fact that most people are plugged into an iPod and/or chatting absentmindedly while walking. This causes them to feel that I should respect their obliviousness to reality and get out of the way. Sorry, my friend...you picked the wrong chica...

P.S. I can't stomach pro wrestling; it's the stupidest, most redneck thing since Pat Buchanan. Just picked the title for the allusion's sake...

Like giving crack to a baby...

Well, I'm back, as you can see. I hadn't anticipated reviving my blog but, current circumstances have sort of led me in that direction. For one thing, I am doing research on blogging/social networks/psychology for an article/conference paper I'm writing and thought having my own blog would be kinda like "field research". Also, I find myself chest-high in demanding situations lately and writing has always been a good release for me. So has talking, but the people around me are getting a bit sick of hearing about it. I still think blogging is essentially an egotistical, voyeuristic activity but, hey, everyone else is doing it and we're all a little depraved sometimes, right? My creative writing teacher this semester has said that writing in all forms and varieties is productive for writers so, I just look at this blog as "extra credit". Not to mention it is a lovely place to voice all my observations and opinions of the world (of which there are plenty).

I'm feeling rather proud of myself at this particular moment. I am completely on-track as far as Ph.D. applications go. I decided to apply to a total of 12 programs all across the country so, needless to say, I'm in for a LOT of work. Everyone told me I didn't need that many but, I like having lots of choices. My "personal statement" is written and approved of by several trust-worthy faculty members, my transcripts (all $90 worth--how shitty) are ordered, and I've been studying SEDULOUSLY (a lot) for the GRE's. Every school is profiled, check-listed and filed in my nifty little filing cabinet; the proverbial poster picture for anal-retentive, over-achievers. The online applications are almost totally filled-out and faculty recommendation letters are in the works. phew, just thinking about it makes me tired...

Currently reading: Lies at the Altar by: Dr. Robin Smith-- SOOOO many of my friends are obsessed about marriage/engagement nowadays so, taking an informed, realistic approach to potential matrimony seemed like a good idea. If I have to check out one more "rock" (which usually looks more like a pebble) and hear "how he did it" and "what the bridesmaids are going to wear" one more time, I think I might hurl. ARE WE NOT IN THE 21st CENTURY?? Why are women still obsessing about marriage? It's not like getting hit by lightening or winning the lottery-- statistics say that 95% of the population gets married at least once. Welcome to the mediocre club (please leave your brain at the door).