GET. A. FUCKING. FLU. SHOT.
Not kidding. At all. I’ve been in misery for the past 24 hours, with all of the textbook symptoms:
I should have gotten my shot this year. Hell, I could have had a free one. But nooooo…now I’m going to be at home in bed on New Year’s Eve. Fuck.
Kids, get your flu shot.
I managed to:
Can I get a hell yeah?
There’s nothing better than a good night’s sleep in your own bed after being away for nearly 2 weeks and traveling nearly 5000 miles. It helps if you have a brand new memory foam mattress topper to enhance the experience. After a long day of driving, we got home at nearly 10 last night, and I couldn’t wait to get that sucker on the bed and test drive it. It was every bit as great as I’d hoped it would be. I fear that getting excited over things like this indicates that I’m getting old.
The rest of the week will be spent cleaning up around the house, celebrating the New Year, and getting back in to the swing of things. I haven’t laid an eye on an article in nearly 2 weeks, and I have a lot on my plate for the next month, particularly if I want to go to that conference in the Netherlands. Work will also be hellacious because we’ll be trying to assign a schedule for all of the mentors for the coming semester. My workout today really highlighted how lazy I’ve been since the break began, and the fact that I’m coming down with something doesn’t help. I’m going to drink a ton of hot liquids in hopes of staving off the inevitable (?), or at least soothing my scratchy-ass throat.
As far as the holidays go, I got some cool stuff, mostly money. My holidays technically aren’t over yet because I’ve yet to exchange presents with one of my aunts, my dad, and my maternal grandmother (not the one who I visited in Arizona last week). Prolonging the joy and all that jazz. One funny thing did happen…the spouse left his wallet on top of the car whilst pumping gas on Christmas Eve in some small town in Central Missouri, and it flew off the car as we drove off. A few days later, he realized what he’d done, and performed the requisite “I lost my wallet” rituals of canceling cards. On our way back home, we stopped at the same gas station and started combing the area in hopes of finding it, each of us on opposite sides of the road. As I was walking by a bank, something caught my eye. A closer look revealed it was just a scrap of plastic. I kept walking, and a few feet later I saw IT. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I opened it, saw that all the contents were there, and then yelled, ran, and generally danced around like a lunatic. The scene was surely entertaining to passing motorists, but we found the damn thing! While replacing the credit/debit cards is kind of a pain, he’s been spared the annoyance of renewing his drivers licence, faculty ID, and losing $50 cash. The wallet stayed there by the roadside in the mud and gravel for nearly 4 days and remained undisturbed. I would like to credit the honest folks of Vienna, MO, but the more likely explanation is that no one really walks by that stretch of road, therefore it would not be seen.
Life is a funny, funny thing!
I just spent 5 days out west (Tucson, specifically) visiting extended family, and it really emphasized for me the need to get the hell out of where I’m currently living. The main purpose of the trip was to visit my grandmother, whose health is declining somewhat precipitously. Given how energetic and “with it” she used to be, it’s devastating to see her so frail and dependent on others, all the while losing her mental capacities at a pretty alarming rate. On Sunday afternoon, we went to a Christmas show to see my cousin dance and listen to a variety of holiday music. A mariachi band played Las Posadas, a song that children in Mexico often sing about Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter before Jesus’ birth. While the music was beautiful, remembering how much healthier my grandmother was the first time I heard the song made me tear up a little bit. Every time I happen to hear that song, no matter where I am, I think of Tucson and my grandma. (As I type, I’m downloading it so I can hear it whenever I want.) I really wish that I lived closer so that I could spend time with her and help out my aunt and uncle, who will be caring for her once she leaves the hospital. I plan on going back in April, after finishing up a conference in San Diego, to stay at least a couple of days. If time (and money) permits, I’ll try to go again this summer, although it may be tough to manage.
Some highlights of the trip were seeing the San Xavier del Bac mission, hiking in Sabino Canyon, visiting the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and driving up Mt. Lemmon at around midnight to see a crazy blanket of stars on Windy Vista Point. I also ate a ton of Mexican food, which caused a bit of weight gain. I’d say that it was worth it, given how amazing most of it was.
Tomorrow we leave early for Missouri, and I’m already exhausted just thinking about it. Maybe I can get some work done during the trip, to make up for my slacking in Tucson.
Despite the fact that I’ve allegedly been on break for nearly a week now, my life has actually become more hectic than when I was “in school.” (Although any reasonable grad student will tell you that you’re never not in school, if you’re doing things right. ) Whenever people say, “Oh, so your semester’s over now, huh?” I just want to laugh in their face. My life is no longer divided up into semesters, but by completion of projects, and it seems like some things will never be completed. I’m about to head out of town for a week, and then I’ll turn around and drive 10 hours to the in-laws’ on Christmas Eve. Not looking forward to that. (To be clear, I mean the drive, not the seeing the in-laws part.) I just now packed my bags for the first trip, which if you know me is nothing short of insanity.
I’ve had some time to reflect on my defense last week, and I really feel like (with a couple of small exceptions) that I couldn’t have done any better. The questions I got gave me an opportunity to really show what I know, rather than expose my weaknesses (not that I don’t have any). I already have a bunch of leads on ideas that need to be discussed in my proposal, and I’ve been busily finding, printing, and reading articles since last Thursday. The next few months will definitely be busy for me, but I’m looking forward to it. I think now I’m starting to really feel like I’m actually doing something.
There’s a decent possibility that I may be going to a conference this summer in the Netherlands, if my adviser and I can figure out a way to do a brief write-up of my dissertation topic by the end of January. It’s going to be expensive as hell, and the frugal aspect of my being cringes at the price of the flight alone (four figures, dudes!), but I’d be stupid and crazy as hell if I didn’t take the chance. It’s THE conference in my field, and going could really open some doors for me, not to mention I’d be in the Netherlands (one of my many motherlands) in the summertime. Keep those fingers crossed!
I’m defending my prospectus tomorrow.
Yeah.
For the most part, I’m ready. I have a healthy amount of anxiety, my handouts copied, and my PowerPoint presentation lookin’ snazzy. My only hope is that I don’t get a question that I just can’t answer. Oh, and that no one gets too pissed off about the fact that the data is already collected, so that my committee has to retroactively sign off my study. At this rate I’m on warp speed, so a little bump in the road won’t be the end of the world. Even still, I hate conflict, and I really hate feeling like I’m not good enough.
Maybe my worrying is all for naught, and I’ll be well on my way to writing my proposal starting next week. My adviser thinks that I can have a proposal (the first three chapters) done by Spring Break, which would basically let me completely finish by August. I may drag my feet on scheduling a final defense or putting in graduation paperwork so that I’m not finishing too early.
If you’re so inclined, think some happy thoughts for me at around 2:00 PM CST.
My 9 question essay final is finished! I was productive as hell today! This morning, I got into my office around 9:30, left at 11:30, returned at 1:30 and left at 4:15. In 4.5 hours, I completed the entire final from start to finish. I’m so sick of typing and reading right now, but it’s done, dammit!
This weekend will be spent finishing my PowerPoint presentation, preparing for my defense, getting stuff done around the house, and (hopefully) watching Alabama kick some Gator ass. I’m debating whether I should bring some sort of edibles to my defense meeting, and if so, what they should be. Maybe I’m overthinking this, but I’m worried that if I bring something store bought, I’ll come across as lazy or gauche. If I bring something homemade, I’ll seem “too” feminine (read Nice Girls Don’t Get The Corner Office). Even worse, if my home-baked goods suck, I’ll just come across as pathetic.
Hell, who am I kidding? I’ll just bring some blondies and call it a day. I should probably think more about my theoretical framework and methods and less about the virtues of Krispy Kreme vs. homemade brownies.
My prospectus defense is officially scheduled for next Wednesday (the 10th) at 2 PM. I generally feel pretty awake in the early-mid afternoon, and Wednesdays are usually good days for me, so I’m hoping that it will be an auspicious time. The room is reserved and everything, so no going back! I’ll be working like a dog to get my presentation together, and I’m meeting my adviser on Monday to talk things over to make sure I’m completely prepared. It’s strange, but I’m nervous in a way that I haven’t been since leaving the music world nearly 4 years ago. In the days leading up to a performance, I would be incredibly nervous, but in the impending moments just before I went on stage, I was always strangely calm and in control. If I can just make it through this week, things will be good for me.
In the meantime, I also have a take-home essay final exam to complete by Monday at 5:00. There are 9 essays in all, so I can probably knock it out in a few hours, but thus far I’ve resisted getting started. I know I can do it, so there’s no excitement for me. I won’t procrastinate a ridiculous amount of time (as in the past), but no way will I get started any earlier than tomorrow.
This will be my last busy academic weekend for at least a month, so I can deal. I’ll get my work done, I’ll do my best, and all will be right with my world.
This trip was entirely too much fun! Some highlights…
On our first night in NOLA, we saw some absolutely faced girl fling a bottle at a bartender (because she thought he hadn’t brought her friend his drink). He looked at her and said, “Get the F*CK out of my bar.” However, in her inebriated state, she had no idea what he was saying, and stared at him with glazed eyes. He had to physically pick her up and throw her out the door. Good times! The bartender said he’d never had that happen to him in his 28 years of bartending in New Orleans. Pretty crazy stuff.
On our first full day, I had what could only have been an allergic reaction. My eye started watering uncontrollably, it was as red as it has ever been, and it hurt like hell. In desperation, I grabbed an empty pill bottle from my purse, filled it with water, and put my contact lens from the offending eye in the bottle. I walked around the NOMA with one contact in, my sunglasses on (because light and movement overwhelmed me), and the spouse leading me around. I know that everyone thought he was bringing a blind woman to the art museum. I eventually got to the point where my eye would tolerate the lens, but for most of the trip, my eyes just weren’t right. Not to mention my runny nose, sore throat, and cough. Aside from that, I managed to have a good time.
We had Thanksgiving dinner at Bayona and it was beyond amazing. Because I’m a vegetarian, I got some special accommodations, and these proved to be even better than any meat dishes. The courses:
It was just as amazing as it sounds! I was so incredibly full afterward, and passed out in a 3 hour food coma. That’s living the good life. Overall, our dining experiences in NOLA were nothing short of amazing. My clothes don’t fit anymore, but I’d almost say that it was worth it.
If I could score a job in New Orleans, I’d be there in a heartbeat. As a new academic, I’m not sure how feasible this is, nor do I know if anyone, anywhere is really going to want to hire me. I’ll assume nothing until I have an offer in hand.
The day before we left for vacation, I submitted my prospectus to the committee. I will most likely be defending it sometime on Monday or Wednesday of next week. In the meantime, I have a 9 question essay final due a week from now. This next week will be frantic and hellacious, but then I’ll have a few weeks off, so I can survive. One day at a time.
