May 2013
9 posts
A Different Kind of Trip
I think the thing I like best about traveling is pretending for a couple of days like I live somewhere else, like I have an entirely different life. And this weekend I was able to experience that to an even greater degree than normal. I attended a conference up in the Twin Cities (which I looooove) - “going to work” each day certainly makes you feel more a part of a place. Plus, Kevin...
Things I Would Do Every Day If Every Day Were A...
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A little bit of yoga. Ideally I’d go to a class, but if not, I’d like to do at least a short workout at home. In particular, I wish I had more time to practice the poses that are harder for me - crow, headstands, handstands, arm balances of all kinds. I think you only really get better if you’re doing yoga consistently, and I’m not.
Meditate.
Read the paper....
My Life
These Days:
- I’ve scrubbed the floor with soap and vinegar after two in-house “accidents.” I’ve also collected my dog’s urine (Kevin did the hard work) and had the other kind of, uh, waste on my freaking hand. I’ve spent roughly $300 on vet bills in two weeks.
- My work life is so crazy focused these days. I get to campus and get my stuff done and then get...
“As long as I live, I’ll hear waterfalls and birds and winds sing. I’ll interpret...”
– John Muir (via fuckyeahyoga)
What To Do If You Visit Chicago in April
- I have one suggestion for what to do if you visit Chicago in April. Adopt a dog and spend all your time walking her.
I’m joking, but April really is a fantastic time to take long walks around the city, as long as it’s not raining. You can meander the elaborate flowers planted between the Lincoln Park Zoo and the Conservatory. There are pretty European-style gardens in Grant Park. Or - my...
April 2013
21 posts
Life Lately
- Stuff with the dog is really good. She had her first “bad girl” moment last night when she ate a dead bird outside in our parking lot (gross), but overall she’s pretty angelic. I love her already. Oh, and my sister was our personal Wonder Woman and taught her to walk up the stairs. Molly had been getting close, but watching Kelly’s dog Lucy do it put her over the edge.
...
You guys, I’m kind of freaking out. I am so worried about taking care of this dog. I worry she’s not happy here. I worry she’s lonely in her crate. I worry she’ll never learn to use the stairs. I worry about leaving her alone. I tossed and turned all night. She’s so, so good and I love having her here, but I feel so panicky. Tell me this will get better?
Last night in the span of 45 minutes I got three emails, all of them bearing really good news.
Two of them were the professors I asked to be on my dissertation committee agreeing to be on my dissertation committee. Yay! Oh my goodness, grad school is moving fast all of a sudden.
The third email said that we’re being considered to adopt Molly, one of the dogs I mentioned in a recent post...
“Life wasn’t meant to be easy. Life was meant to be life.”
– (via zeoxfordcomma)
“[T]he thing that was so profound to me that summer—and yet also, like most...”
– Cheryl Strayed
Hey Hey -
I have a conference in Hawaii this summer (never been before) and tacked on four extra days to my trip. Trying to figure out what to do. I’ll be in Honolulu for the meeting and imagine I’ll want to get the heck out of there and see some more of the state once my presentation is done…what should I do after? I tend to like B & Bs or home rentals, but I’m...
Three Good Things and Two (Dog-Related) Bad Things
I gave a talk in front of my entire program (although luckily/unluckily not that many faculty came) that I have been anticipating/dreading for months and I am SO RELIEVED that it’s over. So relieved - my muscles feel like jello.
Veronica Mars Season 1 is up online again. I’d gotten 7 episodes in when it disappeared. Happy.
I’m eating cheese pizza at my sister’s...
What To Do If You Visit Chicago In March
Ugh. I’m sorry this is late, but I was so not into March this year. It was a gloomy, gloomy month for us, especially after last year’s insanely gorgeous, early spring.
But here it is! Two days into April I’m posting the third installment of my “What To Do If You Visit Chicago In __________” series.
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- I’ve written before about my love for Watershed, but I...
I woke up this morning to a headache, earache, and sore legs courtesy of a nine mile training run in the desert over gravel and hills. I showered and fried a couple of eggs and got to work immediately on the piles and piles of stuff I have to get done. A couple of minutes ago I needed a break, looked up from my computer and actually laughed out loud at the chaos in our condo. Dirty socks on the...
March 2013
21 posts
Dissertation Proposal Draft 2 SENT.
It was less scary than sending Draft 1, but still.
Now I’m off to Arizona to see Kevin’s parents, sit by the pool, and soak up some sunshine!
(Yes, I’m traveling again. This is getting ridiculous, I know, and I’m starting to feel stressed about money. But whatever. The flights are booked and we stay with my in-laws and we’ll hibernate in the midwest all summer...
“Good work thrives in environments where people treat one another as geniuses...”
– My cousin Sammi, new New Yorker, aspiring actress, and the happiest human being I know. I can’t recommend her blog highly enough.
I’m taking this advice and applying it to my grad school life.
I could use some help.
Can you help me think of some TV, movie, or other popular culture characters college first-years and sophomores would know a lot about?
Also, I’m trying to show diverse faces, and I’ve thought of plenty of white people already.
The object of this activity is to discuss what makes someone an adult - how we define that concept as a culture. So I’m looking for people who would...
Feeling a little scrambled school-wise this...
I did end up getting permission from that program director to potentially look at admissions records. We’re currently sorting out whether they’ve deleted too many old files to make it worth my while. If it does turn out to be a possibility, I know I have to do it, it’s too good of an opportunity not to, but I just dread the extra work and especially bugging my study participants...
What's the opposite of desensitized? Sensitized?
I have absolutely become more of a softie as I’ve gotten older. I read Anna Karenina for class as an 18-year-old and totally ate up the train suicide scene - loved it and was a little disappointed it wasn’t more detailed and gory.
I read the scene again two nights ago and couldn’t sleep.
Why is that, do you think?
My Problems Are My Problems
I’ve got a new mini resolution to work on in my quest to be the person I want to be someday now.
I resolve to not make my problems other peoples’ problems.
I am such a child sometimes. When I’m suffering, I make sure other people know it. And I often try to somehow blame them for circumstances I either created or are out of anyone’s control.
Case in point. Sometimes...
Soon, very soon, I’ll write about my awesome trip to San Francisco this past weekend and post some pretty pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge and Victorians and wine tasting.
But for now I only have time to say that I just wrote a scary email - asking a program director for access to graduates’ application essays. I’m like 90% sure the answer will be no and I hate the feeling...
I had a meeting with my undergraduate research assistant scheduled for 9 a.m. this morning.
At 8:40, I emailed him saying I might be a little bit late. Luckily, my train came quickly and I walked into my office at 9:04.
My office neighbor said she hadn’t seen an undergrad boy waiting around in the hallway. I was relieved I hadn’t kept him waiting, but he never did show up. I...
indieless asked: you talked about maybe being too slow to be kevin's running partner. What's your pace?
Two theme meals from the past twenty-four hours:
Tea and mini cakes with the Downton Abbey season finale. (Now I’m as angry as the rest of you.)
And a tropical breakfast while vacation planning. (Have I mentioned I have a conference in Hawaii this summer? Less angry about this.)
