<1839>

I was going to try to replicate yesterday's productivity, but it was just so friggin gorgeous outside today. So after the student group meeting I fled to the harbor and made Joe come out and play with me. We sat around in the sunshine, and it was fab.

When I got home, I had a box from Am. I thought about waiting to open it, but I decided, nah. She got me some chocolate bees that have BABY BEES! inside of them. This is thrilling. And she got me this awesome solar adapter that charges cell phones and iPods and such via joyous sunshine (it can also get power from teh wall, but that's less fun). This will be useful in places where there might not be so much electricity (or weird voltages) but where there is lots o sunshine!.

Tonight: ANTM 8 premiere!

<1622>

I feel like last winter's class wrote better papers. Maybe I'm just misremembering, but I feel like grading was a breeze. This year's papers are frankly lousy and uninteresting. People have annoying writing habits. This paper I'm reading now... well, to be honest I really didn't like this girl in class. She had this really loud way of talking that grated. Her writing is equally grating. It's all absolutist, which is about the least scientific way to write ever. I can't deal.

Also, some international students seem to never use any articles in their writing while others insert them all over the friggin' place. I don't know if this is related to their native language or what. But they need a proofreader, seriously.

So, I'm revamping my other blog at yoseigo.blogspot.com. It's going to be about my Malawi trip and dissertation work. Woot.

<1323>

Grading time has been extended, thanks to my advisor, who is even more a slacker than I am about these things. Dinner last night was fun, and then we came home and played Monopoly again, since I didn't have to grade. I won the first game again, but then Joe rolled into a couple big monopolies on the second game. He let me pull some deals to get out of bankruptcy a couple times, so that actually made the game interesting as I managed to get a couple of my own monopolies together. But he beat me in the end and had amaassed loads of cash in the process. It was fun.

<2237>

The smoking ban has passed in Baltimore! We'll see if the state follows suit, but the city ban will take place next Jan 1. Too bad it can't be sooner.

<1416>

Last night we went grocery shopping and then came home and played Monopoly. I totally kicked the boy's butt. He was unaware that the best properties on the board were the orange ones, and so he didn't buy any of them when he landed on them. I got them all, built up hotels, and game over man. I also had the dark blues, so that's actually what nailed him in the end, but it was the cash from the oranges that let me build up the blues. Anyway, now the secret is out, so I bet the game requires more negotiation next time.

It's been snowing quite a bit today. We have a dinner to go to for some person in Joe's department that is leaving for Indonesia tomorrow for a year. This is really cutting into my grading time, but I shouldn't complain given how much I slacked all week.

<1646>

I fucking hate snow. Unhelpful people don't make it any better.

<2118>

Dinner was tasty, as it always is at Helmand. I've been in kind of a testy mood today, though... boy keeps pushing my buttons whether he's trying to or not. But my advisor called and he's not ready with his paper grades for our meeting tomorrow, which means I can take a little more time and goof off tonight.

<1736>

Last night I had dinner with Joe and then we went to his friend's birthday party. It was pretty fun, and cool people from his department were there (although I have to say I find people from his department more likable on the whole than he does). We went to meet up with the astrofiz kids at Max's for karaoke. We got there late, took forever to park, and then I got indecisive about what to sing, so by the time I went to turn my form in, the guy wasn't taking anymore. Even though in the short time we were there the same assholes got to sing like a million times. Boo. I was so pissed. We got all smoky for nothing. We got some pizza and then came home (to *my* house, for once).

This "morning" we ordered Chinese. Two different tofus. Yum. Now I am actually managing to get some grading done. I can't believe I slacked on it all week.

<0017>

Birthday party was super awesome. It was at this Spanish tapas place that is in an old warehouse. It's very chic. And non-smoking! We had drinks in the cocktail area from 7:30-9, and then we got a big ass table. We each ordered 2 small plates. There were 11 of us, but we somehow managed to all get to taste everything AND feel full by the end of it. The bill wasn't even so horrendous. It was a great night out.

<1646>

So, my back isn't terribly sore today... occasionally twingey. But I forgot about my arms. My arms are quite sore! I really didn't want to get out of bed this morning, with everything all sore like. I woke up at some point last night or this morning and could barely move my arms. It was nuts.

Last night, instead of grading, I ended up re-organizing my clothing shelves and getting rid of clothes I don't wear. It turned out to be a lot... a whole big box and a big garbage bag. Now I gotta get that shit over to Goodwill or somewhere. It's nice to clear out space and get organized.

Tonight is a friend's birthday party at this cool restaurant I haven't yet been to. So that's exciting.

<1624>

Today was warm again, so I tackled the shoveling. I think I overdid it a bit and broke myself. My back is twingy. I don't feel the need to use the exercise bike today!

I should really get on these papers... I hate grading.

<1343>

Happy birthday to Storey!

It's finally above freezing, so I'm about to go out and see what the snow looks like and maybe get some shovelling done. And I have to move my car, which might be challenging, since I had to park on what was a big block of snow/ice, but which is probably slush. I had to drive for 24 last night because Tim is useless, which meant I lost the awesome parking spot I cleared out last week in front of my house.

<1413>

Got my spot back. But the ice is still too hard to shovel the other sidewalk that no one shoveled.

<1606>

The gym was productive. I always work way harder on the treadmill than I do on my bike. Today I went grocery shopping but have been otherwise unproductive.

<1638>

I continue to procrastinate paper grading. I don't like it much. Last night boy and I went to B&N to get out of the house. Then we drank champagne and watched bad TV about sex changes and such. Today we're mostly doing the same as yesterday... he's working on his proposal, and I'm being unproductive. In a little while we're going down to the gym, which I've been bugging him to do for a while now.

<1252>

I passed my orals with flying colors! They actually went extremely well. I was able to tackle most all of their questions, and the ones I couldn't, I managed to not get flustered. The exam chair has the uncanny ability to ask questions that seem really simple (Why is there such high HIV prevalence in southern Africa?) or obvious, that are actually difficult or requiring of some research. But there were definitely several points when the grilling turned into a discussion among the whole group, and when that happens, you know your project has enough interesting aspects to get folks talking.

March 7 is the schoolwide exam!

After the exam, Joe met me and we went up to Happy Hour. Then we had dinner at the restaurant where we had our first date three months ago. The food was particularly delicious last night. We hit Maggie's for a beer and then came home to veg. Today boy is working on his proposal, and I will eventually get around to grading papers.

<1044>

I ran through the presentation last night, and also some potential questions. I felt pretty good. This morning I feel appropriately nervous. I just have to get the nervous to a level that is okay for presenting. Getting amped up works for written exams, but not as well for orals.

<1800>

Valentine's Day was very nice yesterday. I went over to Joe's and we ordered in and generally vegged. We're going out to dinner Friday after my oral exams. He's supposed to come visit me this afternoon, but he's going to run into TV Night if he doesn't get his butt over here soon.

Department orals are tomorrow. I feel like I should have things to do, but really don't.

<0011>

Martes trece!

After 24 tonight I hung out with Lynn in my car while we waited for AAA to come unlock her car. She'd dropped her keys in it earlier in the day, and she was just going to wait until tomorrow, but her mom noted that if we do get a bunch of nasty frozen precip tonight, AAA is going to be really damn busy tomorrow. It took like an hour for the guy to arrive and about 10 seconds to pop the door open.

Now that I finished West Wing, I'm on to Project Runway season 1.

<1414>

I was out shoveling the sidewalk (we've had a bit of snow this morning), and I was almost to the mailbox when this homeless guy came up and wanted to help me. He radiated sadness and was clearly freezing cold. I handed him the shovel to keep him occupied while I went inside. I, of course, have little useful food in my house, but I got him some hot coffee and a scarf and a little money. I went back out, and he wasn't visible, but he was sitting on a stoop just around the corner. I gave him the scarf and coffee and money, and I ended up giving him my gloves because his hands just looked frozen. He was at least a little drunk, but mostly just sad and cold. I asked him if he had a place to go at night, and he said he usually went over to the hospital or one of the shelters, but there aren't so many shelters. I told him to get something to eat and try to stay inside as much as he could. I don't know if he will. He told me his name is Carl.

<1612>

It's so hard to leave on Monday.

It's also hard to get any work done.

<1800>

Today's Modern Love column notes that we have made no discernible progress in learning "how to avoid feeling jealous over really dumb things." I think "really dumb" is a bit strong, but other than that, I'm pretty much dead on.

I'm sometimes amazed at how hot my face can get, though, just sitting here.

<1601>

Last night Joe and I went to dinner in Towson and then hit Babies R Us so I could buy something for a baby shower today. We discovered that play pens are now called play yards for some mysterious reason. They still pretty much look like cages, nothing like what I would think of as a yard. I also had to explain the idea of hoodie towels to Joe.

This afternoon was the baby shower. The real benefit of this event was that it was smack in the middle of TASPlication day, meaning that I could get out of reading dozens of student essays in DC. Reading apps is good and all, but I prefer doing interviews (which I will also miss this year while I am in Malawi). The shower was fun... all the grad student folks there who do not have babies stood in the back during present opening and tried to figure out what the heck some of the gifts were for. I think the best one was the peepee teepee, a little hat for when you're changing a baby boy to prevent getting peed on. Mysterious.

Now I should do work. Or take a nap. I had a big cupcake at the party and am starting to sugar crash.

<1701>

Success! R emailed someone he knows in another department and she agreed to be on my committee. So I ran around and got the form signed and turned it in! Now I have schoolwide orals on March 7, and I'll probably leave for Malawi sometime after the 16th. I think R wants me to leave the 23rd so I can help grade papers for his third term class, but I'd like to get going with this trip.

He also seemed to like my slides for next week, and I just have a few edits to make.

<1104>

Cold cold cold. I told the boy to meet me at the place where we're having lunch, instead of making me walk all the way to his office and then halfway back with him. I can hear the wind outside. It scares me!

<1824>

The place we wanted to go for lunch only has a few tables (this is the place we went, Jenn), so they were all full. We decided to get takeout and go eat at the student union, which was a way better idea than getting food at the student union. It's always nice to see each other during the week. We ate in this room that is a bigger failure than Loker... it had lots of couches, a giant TV, several TVs set up for video games, pool, foosball, and air hockey... and it was totally dead at lunch. So it was a good place to eat and chat and be silly.

I feel like I may actually pull off this oral exams mess. I seem to have wrangled at least the five main committee members into 2 time slots. I have yet to get a yes on a second alternate, which needs to happen by tomorrow. My dates are unfortunately close to spring break, and people who are travelling are taking off early. But I feel like someone has to say yes soon. Probability demands it.

Aw sweet, I thought the long papers were due tomorrow, but they're really due Monday. Maybe I'll read them as they trickle in over the weekend. Or maybe not. I'll probably actually put them off until after my department orals next Friday.

<2205>

I graded one paper! It sucked!

OMG, Grey's Anatomy. Damn you, show.

<2212>

So, one thing I forgot to note earlier is that I like this whole Project 365 idea with the photos and all. I'm going to start on my birthday and try to capture every day of age 27. I've been trying to post daily starting this month, but the photos can wait.

<0127>

I finally finished all of the West Wing tonight, after something like 6 months. Maybe more. It was funny, cuz around season 5, I felt glad that they ended after 7 seasons, but by the end of the series, I kinda wanted to see whtat the new administration would be like. Alas, it's probably better that it's over.

At TV Night, we watched the pilot of Dexter, featuring the wonderful Michael C. Hall. It's awesome-sick. I'll probably have to watch the rest on my own because I think we'll be back to our regular dramas until I leave for Malawi, if I ever do.

I finally emailed my advisor about my dire need to get a faculty member to agree to be on my committee so I can schedule this crap so I can book a flight so I can go to Malawi and come back and spend all summer goofing off. I mean, seriously.

Also, can I say, thank goodness for this potential snowstorm coming in. It has warmed us up from the bitter cold that has been around the last couple of days.

<1208>

It looks like it snowed about an inch last night, judging from the backyard. Most of it is melted already out front. There's still a team of folks working in the street on a busted pipe from a couple of days ago... I had dreams involving jackhammer noises.

It also seems to have gotten cold again. Booo.

<1626>

Erg, typhoid pills. Thank goodness yesterday's was the last one, because they give me gas and stomach cramps.

Also, erg faculty members who do not email me back. I have no idea what to do at this point, but I need to figure it out soon so I can schedule!

<1835>

We left to go to the party yesterday and ran into Joe's classmate/neighbor out front, so he came with us. I got all fussy about parking again over by the Hopkins Deli... poor Joe had to see me get all frustrated with driving twice this weekend. I get a bit tired of the driving. Anyway, we had to park far away and it was cold, but at least there was parking at the party. The party was just fine, and Joe realized that it was nice to have me there because he could always say he had to go check up on me if someone annoying started talking to him.

Today I've been totally useless. And still no email from a 7th faculty member to be on my committee. I'm going to have to try to schedule for the 7th or 8th of March, if that's even possible. I hate schoolwide orals.

<1626>

Yesterday we did some shopping, and I got the exact hat I lost at City Sports. At least it was on sale. We spent much of last night watching really terrible movies, with an interlude for some Discovery Health about chimeras (people who have 2 sets of DNA due to early merging of 2 embryos) and ending the night with the AD pilot. That show is even funnier the second time around when you realize how much stuff is important later that seems quirky or innocuous in the first episode.

Today we're going to a Soc dept Super Bowl party, and the boy has been complaining about it all day. He's not a huge football fan, or a huge fan of most of his department. Based on the stories he tells me, I can understand. It's nice to be part of a relatively normal department. So, pretty soon we'll go grab something to eat (there will only be snacks at the party) and head over.

<1516>

Yesterday I vegged around and exercised and cleaned my house. Then I met up with the boy and we went to Iggie's for dinner. I was grumpy at first a) because I was feeling a bit yech, I believe from the Typhoid vaccine (even though it was my off day), and b) I had to find parking, and I hate hate hate parking during rush hour on the street. But once we got settled in, I was feeling better. After dinner (and jabbering a lot about social science), we met up with the Happy Hour crew at Brewer's for bourbon and cigarette night. I had a sip of bourbon, but opted for beer. And no cigs. We actually had to leave because the smoke got to be so intolerable. I can't wait for the smoking ban to get passed, if not statewide, then at least in the city.

Today it's supposed to be cold outside, which has kind of nixed our plan for a walk.

<0009>

Went to an DC chapter of the old high school alumni association tonight and chatted with some folks. There were more people from a wider variety of classes there this year, but I mostly just talked to people I already know. Woo networking. I did learn a factoid that once upon a time Academy offered fifth grade, and thus there are 8-year lifers floating around somewhere. Ohter than people who failed a year, that is.

It was fun. Getting down there wasn't so bad, except that I missed the turn walking and had to retrace my steps. Getting back was horrendous. First, I left a tad too late to walk back to Union Station. Then, I had thought the train left at 8:45 when it was actually 8:40. I arrive one nanosecond past 8:40 onto the train platform, and if the conductor had just moved out of the doorway, I could have easily jumped on as the train was moving at about a foot a year at that point. So irksome. So I bought a ticket for the 10pm Amtrak at double the price. It didn't leave until like 10:20, only about 25 minutes before the MARC would have. And somewhere I lost my hat. Not cool. So, maybe on the whole, not a worthwhile trip.

<1229>

I've been super delinquent about updating. I streamlined the front page, and I'll eventually be inspired to add back in more stuff of relevance. But people mostly just come here to read the blog. I'll put up photos once I get to using the camera more.

January was pretty standard. It started off with my advisor's Winter Institute class, which was pretty dull since I've sat through it 3 prior times. I see Joe all weekend, although I think we've finally progressed to the point where he is willing to leave his little cave and maybe hang out at my cave. We attempt to only see each other on the weekend, but we seem to have this Wednesday tradition of hanging out too. :) On the whole, things are going well.

I'm having a hell of a time scheduling my schoolwide orals. I managed to get department orals scheduled for Friday 16, but schoolwides have to be scheduled a month in advance. It's stupid. I have to try to get 7 faculty members on board for one date and time a month in advance. It's madness. So, I won't be leaving for Malawi until March 5 at the earliest, and it might even be later than that if I can't get everyone to email me back. I got a couple of shots on Tuesday, after I did a practice oral, and I still have Typhoid pills to take.

I still don't know how I feel about going to Malawi for three months. It's exciting and all that, but it's both a really long time to be so far away from home, and a really short time to try to get in all the research that is planned. I don't really know if I'll be able to pull it off and how much support I'll have.

Tonight I'm going to an AA thing in DC. Last night I dreamt that I was walking around the North Building and/or Music Building (they were glommed together somehow), and there were all these new hallways along with undeveloped parts that didn't even have floors poured in... they were dirt. But one of the new developed parts was a library of, like, chiropracty journals, run by a faculty member in my department. A couple of other faculty members from my department were sitting around talking about how this guy would go to conferences and make these recommendations about the requirements of a good chiropracty program, and they just mirrored what he had managed to put in at the school. But it did look like a nice library, and it was full of people. I have strange dreams.