good vibes lead to good things

i had good vibes after my most recent job interview in new mexico...like i had just nailed it and i'd be hearing from them. i told mike that i hoped i would be calling him with job news this week. and guess what...i was right. i got a job offer for that position AND i have an interview for yet another position tomorrow. all my impatient waiting (contradiction?) has...i think/hope...paid off. :) the job offer is still unofficial and i'm working on negotiating a bit more money, so i'm not totally celebrating yet. but i'm hopeful that it will all work out soon one way or the other.

i think the position i was offered could open a lot of doors for me at UNM, which is mostly a good thing. the only bad thing is that i'm getting somewhat close to graduation and will be expected/encouraged to go on the faculty job market. not quite ready to think about that yet...or to think about moving away from ABQ already. (though i was given an interesting possibility by my unofficial graduate school mentor...more on that as it develops.) anywho...i'm happy to finally have an offer. it was a much needed boost to my self-confidence. a girl can only take so much rejection (HEAR THAT MEN?!?!...heehee).

in other news, i'm back in texas to finish up my advising obligation to the sociology department. i was dreading the long drive but found out its not so bad when you have an iPod of sweet music (like informer by snow). should be a fun couple of weeks hanging out with friends, advising, dissertation work (i have a plan!), and going to the rec regularly with sara. all very good stuff. :)

okay..i gotta get some sleep so i'm awake in the morning. more news soon.

:)

rain in duke city

it's been showering occassionally in albuquerque this week. it makes everyone pause for a second and look out the window with a touch of marvel. we haven't seen a lot of preciptitation in any form...rain, snow, sleet. so it's kind of nice to see. sunshine is great and everything, but every once in a while...you need to see some clouds, thunder, and lightning.

trying not to get my hopes up, but...

i found out through the grapevine that my references are being checked for the position interviewed for on friday. good sign right? :)

also...i'm heading to texas again in about a week to finish up my advising stint. i migrate there every two weeks it seems. not looking forward to the long ass drive, but should be fun. :)

cross your fingers

i had an interview on friday afternoon. i think that it went very well and would be a position that i would greatly enjoy. the official title is student program advisor, but specifically i would work with transfer students in their adaptation to life at the university. it's a position that requires academic advisor skills as well as student affairs stuff and it's a new endeavor which is always exciting. i hope to hear something very soon. they did all the interviews on friday and expect to notify people in the next week or so.

i will of course keep you posted but keep your fingers crossed that i hear from one of these crazy jobs soon.

p.s.- kate tip: don't try on suits the day of your interview while in the process of losing weight. totally demoralizing. yay for fun accessories. :)

"you don't go out looking for a job dressed like that? on a weekday?" "is this a... what day is this?"

i am unemployed right now, just like the dude from the big lebowski. in a way, it's nice to have some time to chill and get things done that i should have done long ago (like clean out my big closet and get organized.) i'm hoping to get some more work on my dissertation done now that class stuff for the spring is over. and i've been going to the gym more in an attempt to no longer be a freakin' slug. let's just say that my two weeks in iowa during the winter were not kind and things haven't improved in new mexico for some reason. so, i'm trying to finally reach my goal, since i have time. :)

i've always had a dream of doing nothing, but now that i actually don't have a job, i do not have the solace i would have expected. maybe you need to have some cash saved up before fulfilling that dream. :) in the meantime, i'm really really hoping that the job interviewed for at UNM will come through. or that the interview i have on friday goes well. i'll let ya know. and in the meantime, i guess i'll try to live the dream a little.

:)

junk

i keep getting weird junk mail in my school account with crazy subject lines. the weirdest one was tonight: panties response.

what does that mean? why would that make me want to open it?

ah well...time for sleep.

aggieland update

so, since some of you are aggies and might care, i thought i'd tell you about a few of the changes i've noticed while driving around town this week. all of them are restaurant related, but i swear i'm not totally food obsessed. :)

first up, new freebirds opened up on university near 6 where all the new stuff is going. there's also a linens n' things there too.

lanes has now morphed into a newer building and is called raising canes, but i think it's still chicken fingers. i haven't eaten there so i'm not sure about the scoop on that.

new c&j bbq place is opening on wellborn near southwest parkway.

deluxe diner has gone out of business. i guess their business must have dropped off after tim, wes, mike and other MOA guys left. :)

no more double daves on northgate. it turned into a bar. luckily there is a new DDs on george bush and texas.

amazingly the place that always switched between chinese food and mexican food on texas (cazadores or something) is still open! finally something has stayed in that spot.

texas avenue is still under construction. do not ever drive on it unless you want to swear at people...A LOT.

haiku still has awesome sushi. macalisters is still really busy at lunch time and they will ask you three times if you're done with your food even though you're not apparently. :)

so..some changes..some sames. overall a good trip so far which i'll get into more later. feeling ready to head back to New Mexico though. allergies are killing me and i miss my bed.

peace out ya'll!

crazy eHow

it's funny/ironic that eHow posted this tip today of all days: http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Over-a-Break-Up

i think i could write this one. :) which is a good thing, right? means i know how. i know eHow.

hangin' out in h-town

had a WONDERFUL weekend hanging out with my good buddy (and oldest friend) Jeff in houston this weekend. always good times with the cool bobcat. highlight of the trip was yesterday. slept in, hung out by the pool drinking shiner and getting a tan (almost), and then went to eat dinner for 3 hours at a fantastic restaurant with drinks following there. i'm just going to link the places we went and tell you what i ate. that will give you an idea of how full i am now and how much rec time i will need next week!

friday night- star pizza we had deep-dish half starbust and half jeff's OCD blend (pepperoni, mushrooms, extra sauce, light cheese i think) on wheat crust. very awesome pizza.

drinks at dean's credit clothing - pricey for the girl from ABQ but tasty all the same. definitely a nice ambiance and fun people watching (aka mocking).

saturday night- prego excellent food! we had a lot of appetizers like the pan-roasted lump crab cake, corn flour crusted oysters, potato gnocchi, and calamari. i had the smoked duck ravioli ( Smoked Duck Ravioli with port-soaked cherries, roasted pear, pistachios and white balsamic sauce) holy shit it was good. AND we had dessert too. i chose a chocolate mousse tiramisu. there was also, of course, lots of wine. excellent!

drinks at the lounge at benjy's they have an awesome outside patio where we enjoyed a few cocktails. i tried one of their specialty drinks which was delicious. definitely try the blood orange margarita if you ever go there.

just when i thought i could not eat any more food, jeff and i met his friend (and my friend too) heather at baba yega. delicious food and WAY too much of it. luckily jeff and i burned some calories walking around IKEA afterwards.

so, i had a great weekend and i'm anticipating a fast and furious week in texas before my return home.

southland in the spring time

(for you non-indigo girls fans out there, the title refers to one of their songs. boo-ya.)

so, i'm temporarily back in college station helping with advising in sociology. it has been really slow this week, but nice to be back in the blue office. i thought i'd be rusty on stuff, but i seemed to pick up where i left off five months ago. helped a few students and i'm attempting to put out a fire i inherited. fun stuff!

it is cool and weird to be back. this is the glorious time of year when the town is pretty much empty. i've been able to catch up on my girly maintainence. got my nails done and my hair fixed up. both are very nice now. i've been to the rec a few times attempting to make up for all the meals out with friends. not sure i'm breaking even on that.

overall, it's good. some of my buddies are gone this week, which is disappointing, but it has been great to see those who are in town. i was so focused on leaving college station that i didn't realize how homey it was. don't get me wrong, i'm happy with the move, but it's nice to be in a place that's almost entirely familiar. there have a been a few changes...places closed, new places opened...but all in all i know where the good dry cleaner, nail place, salon, etc is in town. i look forward to ABQ being that familiar.

in other news, i have a phone interview for a kick ass job at UNM set up for friday. cross all your crossable parts for me. this would be a fantastic opportunity and would allow me to finally get out of debt and have benefits again. woo woo! i will keep you posted.

i think i'm good at this

today i saw quite a few students who were either making-up tests or picking up their final papers and stuff. a lot of the students who were picking up stuff commented on how much they liked the class, asked me if i'd be teaching more, and in general had some good things to say about the semester. one of them was a non-traditional student and my class was her first one. she was so excited to find out that she got an A. her first A in an undergrad class as a full-time employee and mom of a college-aged student. :) i was genuinely happy as i entered 200 grades for my intro class to see that some of the students that have been showing up and working hard all semester did well.

i also talked with a student for about a half hour today. i never knew what to make of him in class. he always had this shitty grin on his face and sat in the back, so my impression was that he wasn't taking it very seriously. i was wrong. very wrong. he told me last week that his younger brother died unexpectedly and he was thus behind on things. today, he turned in missing homework and lamented that he only got a 92 out of 100 on his last test (which he took during a stressful time). just goes to show that some students really care and are willing to bust their asses. in fact, i wish more students were like him...rather than giving me some b.s. excuse when the fact of the matter is that they are just slacking, they work through a difficult time. i'm truly proud of that student and hope he is also proud of himself.

so, even though i still have lots of grades to calculate and will inevitably hear some gripes about grades, i can say that this has been a very positive experience. the more i do it, the more i think i'm really cut out to do this. the administrator/teacher/small college path seems to be the right fit for me...just as i've always suspected. perhaps that makes me a quasi-academic...but i don't care. :)

time for bed.

quick wit

a few weeks ago i was watching the HBO show big love with a few friends of mine. the show is weird and addictive and makes me want to get hbo for sunday nights only. at one point in the episode, a group of 4-5 high school guys are driving around in a wood-paneled station wagon and the driver...for reasons that i still struggle to understand...pulls out his wang and uses it to steer the car. if i remember right the boys ended up in an accident. what i do remember was an instant barrage of jokes from me and my friends.

b: "he was a little 'cocky' with his driving skills."

me: "well, he was driving a 'woody.'"

d: "it was a 'head'strong lane change."

we were all very proud of ourselves. as i think is clear that we should have been.

:)

commense wine drinking

today was a hectic day. so hectic that instead of grading tests right now, i'm going to bust open the botttle of gewürztraminer wine i bought a few weeks ago. my methods courses starte presentations about their research proposals today. overall, i was very happy with how they did, though the transitions from presentation to presentation could have been smoother. we were crunched for time though due to course evals and had some technical difficulties. i did learn that a video project will still work after taking a dive off of a desk. it was neat though to see that the students had such good ideas and they really pulled the projects together.

my office hours were also crazy today. lots of visitors wondering about grades, a few make-up tests, and a lot of grading to do. i'm sure there are not many undergrads who read this blog, but in case there are, here's a piece of advice to you. do NOT throw away homework or tests or anything you got a grade on until after you see your final grade. with TAs and crazy instructors all trying to keep track of shit, it is inevitable that mistakes will be made. and you will be a sad puppy if you find out that someone didn't enter a test grade for you and because of your expediency of recycling paper goods, we have no idea what your grade was. get a folder and put everything in that sucker.

i'm happy and amazed that the week is half over. next week will be a mad dash to get grades in and trying to find a freakin' job still. you guys are praying and crossing your crossable parts right? maybe profs will still fund me and i could just work on my dissertation all summer. doubtful, but maybe?

love yas!

not to complain yet again...but

okay, so i promise i will post a happier entry soon. but first i have to vent a bit. yesterday was may 1st and i forgot to pop by the office of my stupid apartment complex with my rent check. didn't figure it would be the end of the world, since hey....it's not even 24 hours later. i was totally wrong. i stopped by with my check to find out that i have to pay with a money order AND pay an extra TWENTY-FIVE dollars. maybe this is standard practice and i am just naive about such things. i did have a great landlord before who was very laid back (thanks mike). but still...even my last apartment experience was nicer about rent day than that...and they were stupid about most things. you had until may 3rd to pay before they started charging you extra and they still would take a check. it was a giant pain in the ass to get a money order, but luckily the post office people were very helpful and nice. anyway, the rant is mostly to talk about how stupid the policy of not taking a check is because of one day late rent. i mean for god's sake...they would take my check yesterday?! i was bringing them a check in person. what's the problem?!! it makes me anxious to get out of this building...though i would need a job to do that, huh?

rant over.

pray for employment for me soon!

ah...the rivalry

so i'm in texas recruiting people to participate in my dissertation research. i've been really fortunate because a number of faculty members here have allowed me to talk to their classes about the research in order to get in touch with students who might be willing to do an interview. i have a lot of names so far and hopefully some or most of them will actually follow through.

in one class, the professor announced me and that i was from A&M, which at this particular school is a strike against me. i always make fun of myself a bit and assure them that i'm coming at this research from an objective standpoint and won't be calling the university TU or bleeding maroon all over them. when i was done with my usual spiel, i handed out flyers and two sign-up sheets to the class. as those were going around, the prof proceeds to tell two stories about bad experiences he's had with aggies in the past and how that has shaped his (and his family's) impression of them. now, i will be the first to admit that aggies can have their moments, especially when interacting with austinites. it can get ugly. it can even be dumb. but i was a bit frustrated that this was the moment he told those stories. i'm trying to build some credibility and get undergrads from our rival school to trust me enough to give me an hour or two of their time...and stories from their professor about how aggies are dumb does not help my cause.

so...even as a grad student, trying to do my dissertation research with the assistance of my future colleagues...i encounter the rivalry. and it was dumb and ugly.

a glimmer of hope?

i asked our department head about his advice regarding finding a job at the university. before he gave me his advice, he offered me 2, possibly 3, courses for the fall. SO...that is a good thing right? the bad thing is that i still would rather find a full-time position. you know, one that would pay me enough to get out of debt and would come with benefits. i'm grateful and i took the classes and told him i would let him know if anything changes. if i teach again i would need to find something else anyway...or see if profs want to keep giving me money to do research.

a bit of good news on an otherwise uneventful day.

actually...that's not quite true. a bunch of profs at UT are letting me talk to their classes next week about my research which will TOTALLY help me get interviews. party time...excellent!

a different kind of easter ascension

look what i did today:







have a happy easter kids.

lost post

so i had half a post written before and suddenly it was not "saved as draft" and thus gone forever. :) i think it will be inspired at some other point though, so no worries.

i don't have too much to say right now. just a random post. pretty good day. made tacos. yum! i think i was inspired by the show top chef. :) i should go on that show and make my tacos.

okay....i just spaced out which probably means its bed time.

night kids.

what the..

so how is it that april is almost half way over? i must say i'm sort of happy about that because that means it will soon be pay day again. and that i will soon be going to texas to visit friends and do more interviews for my dissertation. i'm looking forward to that trip, even though it will mean a long ass drive. :)

i registered for research hours for next year. its weird that i'm two hours away from finishing the course work on my degree plan. my hope is that i can collect most of my data this spring/summer so that i can just write in the fall and hopefully graduate next spring. that's the goal anyway.

things in ABQ are good. the weather has been great lately which makes it hard to be inside. can't believe teaching is almost over for the semester. everyone cross your crossable parts that i find a job soon. or else i'm not sure what i'll be doing. :(

okay, i'm done rambling for now. :)

sunny day jealousy

it is beautiful outside today. the temperature is in the low-60s, it's sunny, the mountains are still hanging around. *grin* as i walked to my office this afternoon, i found myself feeling jealous of the couples who were cozied up together on the grass near the fish pond. i was always jealous when i saw people doing the same thing on the grass near the academic building at a&m too. i think my jealousy is because i think that'd be an awesome way to spend an afternoon, or even an hour, and i rarely get the chance to do anything like that. and if i did, the person i'd want to cozy up to is likely to be at work during the day too. seems like it would be a good thing to do one of these days though. take an afternoon, and a book, and a lucky boy, and just be.

jobby job

so, i've been a little more stressed about this job thing, though i realized that the application closing dates for some of the jobs haven't happened yet. i'm really hoping one of the positions comes through and not only so i can pay rent and eat food and stuff (though that is nice.) i also miss that office feel and having work friends. part-time instructor life is pretty isolated. i get to interact with students one-on-one occasionally, but that's about it. i'm getting anxious to be a part of a team again which i think all of the positions i've applied for would include. plus, it will be good for my ego and my sanity to know that i have a job that will have some stability, benefits, and all that stuff. it might make dissertating more challenging, but honestly, i don't think i'm the type of academic who functions well with just one task. in fact, i know that i'm not. i don't need to be (or want to be) as busy as i was last semester, but i need a minimal amount of stress to stay motivated. some might take that to mean that i love being stressed. i don't necessarily. but i work better under pressure and at the moment the pressure is a bit low. i do need to get my ass going on data collection though, since there are some potential publications being thrown around (a book and an article). so, i have a little pressure, but not enough to really get my shit together. and i feel too hermity. (yes, i said hermity.)

so cross your fingers that i will get a shot to show various UNM offices how cool i am and that ultimately i'll get to be an advisor or coordinator or something soon.

good signs?

so i checked my email today and UNM job finder told me about three positions that would be perfect for me. i, of course, applied for all of them.

THEN, my google home page word of the day this- metier: an occupation, especially in which one excels.

i'm hoping this a good sign that one of these positions will pan out. :) cross your fingers for me.

google home page also had this quote from the former mitch hedberg (awesome comedian): "I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask them where they're going and hook up with them later." -Mitch Hedberg

not a bad philosophy i think. check out more mitch wisdom from the link i posted.

back to the grind

so, my two week hiatus has come to an end. i had a great time catching up with people and hanging out with friends in texas. heck, even the road trip with mike through exciting oklahoma and west texas was fun stuff. it is good to be home and sleeping in my own bed and not living out of a suitcase (well....once i unpack that will be true), but it was nice to be obligation free for a while.
it is also nice to be able to go to the gym again. vacation was not kind to my ass. :( but that's what vacation is for right? i think i ate queso more days than i didn't while in texas.

not much else going on. trying to get my apartment cleaned up. decided to cancel my match.com subscription. not really into it and no need to pay dr. phil for his "services."

trying to figure out my employment situation after classes end. cross your fingers and say some prayers that something works out.

nobody knows that i'm a lesbian on extasy

okay, so i'm not really...but i am wearing an 80s style button that says that. if only i had my jean jacket with me. :) i'm in austin, texas at the moment hanging out with mike at south by southwest. one of the bands we saw the other night was called lesbians on extasy. they were awesome and covered an indigo girls' song which made me quiet happy. if you want the low down on the bands and stuff we've been seeing then check out sooshie.org

overall it has been a very fun trip after a successful and fun trip to chicago. i officially started my dissertation data collection which is a great feeling. i have more interviews to do there, which is not a big deal since i enjoy chi-town and will get to catch up with great friends once again. :) i will also be doing interviews in new mexico soon and in texas in april. it's great to finally have started and its especially poignant since my committee chair was asked to write a book about racism in higher ed and an article. so hopefully publications will be on the way!

it has been nice to be out of ABQ for a while and to travel a bit. i'm not anxious to get back to work next week, but it will also be kind of nice to be back home and not living out of a suitcase. cross your fingers that one of the many job applications will pan out. i'm applying for a junior faculty position when i get back too. that would be rad.

miss you all. keep the peace.

good mail

i got this letter today:

dear ms. katemonkeypoop:

our records show that you have passed your preliminary examination, satisfied the residence requirement, submitted a satisfactory dissertation proposal, and completed all formal course work on your degree program...you are hereby admitted to candidacy for the degree of doctor of philosophy with a major in sociology.

sincerely,

dean of graduate studies


WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

renaissance woman

monday i felt a bit like a renaissance woman. i taught in the morning, advised students in the afternoon, worked on my dissertation, made a delicious salad, watched 24 (my new TV addiction) with friends, mocked mike's contra skills a bit, and then proved that i could beat super mario brothers and save the princess.

i have many tricks up my sleeve. ;) boo-ya.

"Ah, breaker one-nine, this here’s the rubber duck. you gotta copy on me, pig pen, c’mon?"

so this is another fun website that a few of my friends posted on their blogs: https://home.comcast.net/~josh.hosler/NumberOneInHistory/SelectMonth.htm

you can see what song was the number one on the day you were born. my was convoy by c.w. mccall. this fact will make dennis piss his pants. :)

"brownie bites would be like huge because there'd be eight brownie bits in every brownie bite...that's awesome.."

i haven't written in a while. i know...slacker. :)

so here's the update in a nutshell:

had a fun valentine's day. mike and i went on a progressive fast food meal this year..revived an old tradition or something. i planned our "menu" and it was a great time. ended with yummy sonic treats, hence the title of this post.

work is still going well. still like teaching quite a bit. my intro class is watching the breakfast club tomorrow. i love using films in class, partly because it's less prep time for me and mostly because i think it's such a good way to apply the material.

i'm also trying to find a gig for after may. i applied for a really cool position and i'm trying to not get my hopes up. it has been hard to even get a foot in the door at UNM for full time positions, so i'm not holding my breath. i think if i got this job though...it could be one of those futurey kind. it's not a faculty position, but i think that's okay with me right now.

i also FINALLY got started with dissertation stuff. i sent out a buttload of emails at u-chicago and u-new mexico and now i'll just wait for people to get back to me about doing interviews. i have a trip to chicago planned in a few weeks so i really hope to find some people to talk to. i feel like i'm getting some good support though from faculty and they are passing the word around. :)

i think i have two trips coming up to texas as well. i'm going to go to south by southwest and see a lot of good bands with mike. and i want to go back in april to visit people again and to do interviews at u-texas.

got to spend some time with my mom and dad and my brother and his family this past weekend. went to st. louis and hung out with them. the only bad thing was that it was the coldest weekend since january 2005 so i came back to ABQ with a cold. luckily its starting to go away.

i also have been working out more. over did it on tuesday though and now my upper-leg muscles are really really really sore. i've been walking around like frankenstein and the three flights of stairs to my apartment are killing me. hopefully they will feel better tomorrow/very soon!

so...that's the scoop poops. sorry to be a shitty friend and not to be in better touch with people. i was in a funk for a while...sort of unexplained funk...and i'm snapping out of it now. love yas!

now i'm copying phil

sara's fiance, phil, had another series of questions on his blog and now i'm copying him. before i copied shelley. i'm a copier. call me xerox bitch! :) it's all in good fun though..and there's that whole imitation/flattery thing.

before i start the list though...i finally joined a gym and worked out today for the first time in a while. i'm proud to say that i did 2.5 miles on the elliptical machine and lifted some weights. not bad for the first time back. the only evil thing about my gym is its close (very close) proximity to the local krispy kreme. that's just mean. :) i will resist and where those f'in pants that i've been moving all over the country. it will happen.

so now..the fun.

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
i look pretty cute today...and a little tired.

2. How much cash do you have on you?
i think i have a shiny fiver in my billfold. :) it's not actually shiny.

3. What's a word that rhymes with TEST?
why was breast the first word in my head. wtf?!

4. Planet?
definitely saturn. love those crazy ass rings. plus i think it's my planet or something. capricorns and saturn...no idea. oh..and my car is a saturn. :)

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list?
probably greg.

6. What is your favorite ring on your phone?
i really like "the internet is for porn" ring (from avenue q) but it's too quite...so i'm sticking with "gonna make you sweat" by c and c music factory!

7. What shirt are you wearing?
sweaty red rugby t-shirt. just got back from the gym.

8. What do you label yourself?
hilarious, smart, cute, buck wild, nerdy, foul-mouthed, generous, humble (haha), a good friend, loving to a fault, fiesty, Catholic, liberal, sociologist, teacher, etc etc

9. Name the brand of shoes you've recently worn.
i love Clarks. LOVE.

10. Bright or Dark Room?
usually somewhere in between.

11. What were you doing at midnight last night?
i was watching Roseanne on Nick at Nite and entering grades into a spreadsheet (and consequently swearing at Excel.)

12. What did your last text message you received on your cell say? it said "World Market?"

13. Where is your nearest 7-11?
um...i wanna say there is one a few blocks east of my apartment complex, but i just moved here so i don't freakin' know.

14. What's a saying that you say a lot?
while driving: "what the fuck?! what are you doing?" in life: buck wild, cheetos, monkey ass, durkheim blah blah blah, random swears, rad

15. Who told you they loved you last?
dennis

16. Last furry thing you touched?
mike's face

17. How Many Drugs Have You Done In The Past three Days?
illictit---none. prescription--two

18. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed?
at least one

19. Favorite age you have been so far?
hmm....28 wasn't too bad.

20. Your worst enemy?
usually myself (stupid second-guessing.)

21. What is your current desktop picture?
my nephew luke

22. What was the last thing you said to someone?
"so call me later?"

23. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly, which would you choose?
show me the money! i would definitely choose a million bucks. lots of debt to pay off and fun to have. :)

24. Do you like someone?
yup

25. The last song you listened to?
some postal service songs while working out. i love "such great heights"

i might be watching too much law and order..and sex in the city for that matter..

so i haven't been sleeping well this week. not sure what the deal is, but last night i was actually awakened by a nightmare at 4 a.m. (which is probably why i was a bit of an emotional basketcase tonight..that and pms..yikes!) in my dream, i was about to be shot in a street shootout that was happening as i was walking by. it was scary enough that i couldn't get back to sleep right away. so i figure i've been watching too many zombie movies with mike..or too much law and order. or it's related to a weird incident last week. i was meeting with someone and while we were talking she learned that her child had accidentially shot and killed someone. it was a weird situation, especially because her child was only a teenager. so that might be still haunting me a bit. either way...stupid bad dreams. might need another glass of wine and some serious zzzz's.

some good news: my apartment is starting to look really good i think. almost everything has a place. just need a space to store my atari. maybe mike's house? :) then we could play basketball on the big screen (it's one of my favoriate atari games because the ball is a square.) :)

bored

so, i still really like teaching...especially the intro class. but i find myself dreading office hours. i've been trying to pinpoint why i lack enthusiasm for them, especially since it's only 2 hours on monday and wednesday (which is minimal office time compared to what i've had for the past three years). i think the issue is that i share an office, so i can't really make this one mine. or at least i hesitate too because i share this space with 5 other people. we're not here at the same time, but i'm not sure it would be appreciated if i had my shit all over the place. :) i did co-opt one desk drawer to put some lunchy/snacky things in. and i have a folder on the desktop of this computer, but otherwise, i'm like a nomadic office person and take all my stuff with me (except the radio i bought..that stays.) i can suck it up though and deal, because jeez..it's two hours. maybe the real issue is that i miss when friends would stop by academic and say hi and eat candy and shoot the shit. and i sort of miss the regular student interaction i had as an advisor (though there were times that i needed a break from that.) now students just stop by when they have questions or problems, so i've only really seen one person so far. so if you're around and are bored, come by my office. :)

in other news, my apartment is really starting to look good. i almost have everything put away so that i can do some serious cleaning. then it will be fit for guests!

later skaters.

i'm copying shelley

my good buddy shells posted her responses on her blog and i'm copying her. you can find shelley's responses on her blog which is linked from mine (Bean Around the World.)


10 Firsts:
Real Best Friend - Laurel Smeins
Screenname - I think the first one was on something called ISCA and I was known as HappyMarmot
Pet dog name - No dogs, but our first cat was Sylvester
Piercing - Ears only
Crush - Justin T. was always my crush in elementary school and in high school my first crush was definitely John C. College...definitely Father Dennis (this was pre-priest status)
Car - The first car I drove was a hot ass Ford Ranchero. The first car I attempted to buy was a Plymouth Neon
School - Woodbury Elementary (WOLVERINES!!)
House location - 1103 East State in M'town
Favorite Toy - my doll Martha (who I still have)
Name - Katie (shut up Mike) :)

9 Lasts:
Time you smoked - too many cigars at Mike's a few weeks ago
Food you ate - meatball sandwich
Car ride - home from dinner with a friend
Movie you watched - Sliding Doors
Phone call - Jared
Song you listened to - Hebrew songs
Bubble Bath - can't remember...probably finals week last semester

8 Have you evers:
Dated a best friend - for the most part
Been arrested - no way
Danced with no music - sure
Been on tv - most recently I was interviewed on the news because of this high school program i was working with one summer. it was awesome because the caption under me just said "kate" as if the people in b/cs would like "whoa..hey! it's kate!!" :)
Kissed someone & regretted it - without a doubt
Cheated on your bf/gf - no
Been on a blind date - ugh..yes
Been out of the country - yes i have and can't wait to go again

7 Things you're wearing: pj bottoms, white tank top, bra, hoody, glasses, underwears, a smile

6 Things you've done today: taught people, went to k-mart, mailed a box, unpacked boxes, dinner with a friend, went to synagogue with same friend

5 Favorite things: hanging with friends, watching movies, coffee drinks, good music, laughter

4 People you most trust: only 4?! Mom, Dad, Mike, Dennis (and many others...you know who you are.)

3 Choices:
Vanilla or Chocolate - Vanilla
Hugs or Kisses - yes please...i mean hugs
Pens or Pencils - Pencils

2 Things you want to do before you die:
Have a family
Write a book

1 Famous Person to meet: I wanna say Jon Stewart off the top of my head.

Your turn!!

toot my own horn

on wednesday a few students came up to me after the lecture and let me know that they were really trying to get into my class, because their own section of intro was "horrid." in between classes i always get some lackluster coffee at the student union and while i was in line a girl told me that she really enjoyed the lecture and that her boyfriend was actually disappointed that time was already up. all of that was very nice to hear and leads me to believe that i'm doing a pretty good job with that class anyway. it's kind of funny because i was intimidated by that course since it's huge compared to the others. but the students seem to be interested and engaged in the lecture for the most part. i know i'm not reaching everyone but i'm reaching a lot and they seem to really enjoy the class. they participate, they take notes, and they ask questions. it's totally awesome and a pretty big change from my experience last semester at the community college. the other two courses are going alright too. the subject matter is less interesting and since i've not taught it before it's more challenging. but overall, i dig this teaching thing. i don't want to be a bragger, but i think i have some skill in this area and it's something i really like. woo!

all else is well in ABQ. making friends. enjoying the view. can't wait for my new camera so i can show ya'll some pictures of my new digs.

moon rise

on saturday night i got to watch the full moon rise from behind the mountains. it was absolutely beautiful and amazing. i saw it happen once when i lived in austria and i was mesmerized. it's nice when nature makes you stop thinking about all the stressors of life. honestly that was part of the reason i was so excited about moving here. moments of awe to break up the day. i haven't been disappointed so far.

i have to say though that it's taking a while for it to hit me that i live here now. maybe the move was so fast and furious that my brain didn't really process it. still seems like at some point mike will be taking me back to the airport and i'll be on my way to texas again. i'll meet up with tim and sara for guac and shiner and we'll bitch about stuff and laugh our asses off. (miss that). i think it just takes me some settling in time and once i get that accomplished...this will feel more like home. once all the boxes are unpacked and safely shoved under my bed, pictures are on the wall (need your help with that mike), and i have people over for the first time (which will hopefully be soon), i suspect it will all sink in. this is not to be read that i'm not happy to be here. i definitely am (though i miss my texas peeps something fierce). it's just hard to get out of the "what's coming up next" mode. i've been anticipating moving and finding a job for so long, i have to break my old habits and realize that i've done it. :) anyone else have this problem or is this specifically and idiosyncratically kate?

in other news, i start teaching tomorrow. i was/am really nervous about it, but i think it will go well. i finally got my syllabus done for the methods course and feel much better about that now. gotta go copy it this afternoon, check out my classrooms, get a parking pass, and submit a paper or two to the american sociological association meeting. busy busy busy.

in a quil daze

somehow in the land of enchantment i managed to catch a cold. it's better than the flu that was going around, that's for sure. but it's still no fun to be sick and sniffly. luckily i'm well-stocked on vitamins and orange juice so hopefully i'll be able to kick this cold's ass before classes start next week.

things are going pretty well so far. i finally have cable, internet, and utilities set up after the apartment switcheroo mix-up when i moved in. and i have access to mail too. basically i'm connected to the outside world again. still have some unpacking and settling in to do. AND i have to get my syllabi together for my classes. gotta say that i'm sort of nervous about teaching. my intro class is going to be giant and the other two courses are new ones for me. i will have two TAs though which will help a lot. it's just a matter of figuring everything out at this point. and figuring it out fast.

okay friends, now that i have interweb in my house i will try to be in better communicato. :) peace out.

i'm now on the 30 side of 30

hi friends,

today's my birthday and i'm officially old. 20s no more. i've heard that the 30s are way better than the 20s, so here's hoping that's true. though i have to admit that the 20s weren't so bad. now though...30.

i always had this vision that i'd be like jennifer garner in that movie 13 going on 30. successful career, skinny, cool clothes, cute boyfriend. not quite there yet. i'm on my way to a successful career and have some cool clothes i think (including some i bought today.) i DEFINATELY need to start going to the gym soon. thank god i live on the 3rd floor of my apartment building. :) stupid holiday weight.

it occurs to me that i'm rambling. :) so the news is this: i got all moved in, bought a new bed, and turned 30 today. i'm going out to dinner tonight in ABQ which should be a good time. wooo!! and i got two massage gift certificates from mike which i can't wait to uses. moving hurts your muscles.

hope you all have a great weekend. miss my peeps.

UPDATE:

i had a wonderful birthday! lunch at pei wei, birthday coffee and cookie from satellite coffee (it's an awesome coffee place), dinner with lots of people at chama river brewery, and then drnks at spectators. AND i found a pair of jeans that fit despite my christmas weight gain. looks to be a beautiful day today!

bring on 2006

happy new year's eve everyone. so...i'm ready for 2006. the end of 2005 has been very bittersweet. had a great weekend with some of my closest friends, but also spent time with my grandmother for probably the last time ever. that was hard. tomorrow though, i start a new adventure. dennis and i will be driving to texas and then preparing to move to abq. i'm ready for this new chapter in a lot of ways, though the realization of saying good-bye to texas friends has not yet hit me. (look out guys...i'm pms-y).

quick run-down of 2005

january- moved into 205 with some crazy ass roommates, turned 29, met sara! :)

february- found out my mom was cancer-free,

march- wild and crazy times in new orleans for a conference

april- got new roommates and old roomie moved out

may- finished dissertation proposal, had to start taking heart medicine, fun dave attell weekend with mike

june- advised my ass off, got to meet my new nephew luke, ana (a.k.a.-june bug) was born, defended my dissertation proposal

july- traveled around like a fiend (especially to new mexico), found out i'm going to get published

august- busy month of advising, started teaching, began last semester of clasess, hurricane katrina (*:(*)

september- dad recovered from a brain aneurysm and surgery, hurricane rita, hung out with mike for his b'day.

october- went to the abq balloon fiesta for the second time, parents came to visit in TX

november- took and passed prelims...that's enough for november

december- new niece was born, finished up my last semester of classes, started packing, hung out at home, found out grandma is sick (*sad*), gained 10 pounds probably (*grin*), and got ready for the next year of fun!

okay..so i'm sure i missed some things. don't hate me if i did. don't!! congrats to everyone who had cool stuff happen in 2005. here's to lots of good things in 2006. love you guys!

ho hum

Lethargy: 1. Abnormal drowsiness, stupor. 2. A state of indifference.
From the Greek lethargia, drowsiness.

so apparently being in my hometown brings on a bad case of lethargy. i managed to do a few things today, which is more than i've done on most days. but in general, i just have no desire or energy or whatever to do much more than sleep in, watch tv, eat, and hang out with my parents and occassionally some iowa friends. i have emails to respond to, news to celebrate (congrats sara!), bags to pack, advising tips to write, CDs to make, books to read (for fun for a change). and yet...i have not worked up the ergs to do any of that. maybe it's being in iowa. it's cold, gray, kinda dreary...makes you want to just curl up by the heater and relax. it might also be that i'm recooperating after this semester. who can tell? all i know is that in about a week i'll be on my way to albuquerque and once i get back to texas on monday i will have a fuck ton to do.

sidenote: grandma is still in the hospital, doing a bit better, but will be moving to a nursing home after she leaves the hospital. :(

happy holidays

hi friends,

i haven't updated in a while. my immediate family always does christmas on some day other than christmas, so we did all our gifts and food and everything on monday night. it's weird to be over with christmas before it even starts. it was fun to spend time with everyone though. i got to meet my new niece and play with my nephew a bunch! luke is talking a lot which is a bunch of fun.

i've been sleeping a lot this week and getting little things done for the move. and i got my hair done. gotta love free cuts and colors from my aunt. i'm now much closer to my natural color, which is very dark.

the sad news is that my grandmother went to the hospital yesterday. she has pneumonia, which is not a good thing for an 83 year old woman with 1 and 1/3 lungs. she had TB when she was a young woman which resulted in diminished lung capacity long ago. she's hanging in there through high blood pressure, a fast pulse (about 90 resting), and very labored breathing. i'm off to see her now. say a prayer for her continued health.

hope this post finds all of you happy, health, and enjoying this special time.

i am batman

today we had our departmental holiday lunch. i stopped in, ate a few bites, and then attempted to run out to finish my last class paper. i realized though, in my attempted haste, that i'm going to be moving soon and that i should take some time to say a "auf wiedersehen" to people. (quick aside: i'm sticking with "auf wiedersehen" instead of good-bye...there's something so final about good-bye and who knows when i might be wandering back this way. so, i will be true to my german heritage and say 'until we see each other again.' much less permanent and scary.) i wandered around the rotunda and interrupted people's turkey eating. one of my friends announced to other friends that i, kate parks, am a superhero. he told them about my feats of strength of taking two classes, teaching two classes, taking prelims, and advising. he was duly impressed and further proclaimed that: "Kate does more before 6 a.m. than most people do all day." of course, its more like "Kate does more after 10 p.m. than most people do all day." i'm not sure that's actually true, but it was still nice to hear. and if you're a graduate student who had not yet experienced the fun of faculty hazing...i mean prelims...i don't recommend the superwoman approach. be nicer to yourself. because the superhero methodology means you have to make sacrifices, like not getting to spend enough time with your friends, having a crazy schedule that rarely allows for spontaneous fun, not getting enough sleep, not eating healthy food all the time, increased levels of stress that lead to heart problems. you get the idea. maybe if i was more gadgety like batman (i took a "which superhero would you be quiz" and it said i was batman) i could have made less sacrifces. who can tell.

regardless, i will be relieved to finally turn in my last paper tomorrow and to start a new adventure that should pull me in fewer directions. at the same time though, its starting to hit me that i'm going to be gone soon and that "auf wiedersehen" is just around the corner.

so much for productivity

so, i was planning on getting a lot accomplished this weekend, but i wasn't as productive as i had anticipated. i did get some boxes packed and some clothes packed. i have a lot more to pack though and i dread getting the attic down stuff later this week. maybe i can twist the arms of friends to help me get that done. stupid being a pack rat. :)

i also didn't get much done on my paper. i'm hoping to get some of it done tomorrow during the day. would it distract my students too much if i worked on fine tuning data on my laptop? i can type quietly. :) here's hoping they get done early so i can get a few more things done.

chances are this is going to be a busy week. hope i get a lot of friend time in since it's the last full week in texas. weird.

more later. must sleep.

imal ove mach ine

i love that mad gab commercial, hence the title of this post. "i'm an olive machine?" classic. for some reason that one is sort of related to this rambly blog post.

so i was composing my next blog post in my head while shopping in HEB for mulled wine ingredients. i was thinking about the notion of soul mates and how it used to be something i believed in...but the more i think about it, the more i'm convinced that it's a hollywood version of what love is about. and weirdly, sara posted about the same thing on her blog, but i swear i didn't read hers until just now. sara and i have this weird sister thing. we're frequently finding ourselves wearing the same colored shirt or something without any prior planning. it's downright eery sometimes. it was nice to read her blog today and realize that we're on the same page because we're either a. both PMSing or b. both unconvinced about this restricted version of relationships, love, and fate. anyone else agree with this?

there are a few reasons i'm unconvinced of this soul mate thing. one is that i've met a few men in my limited time on this earth that i wonder if i could have shared my life with and these men are pretty different from each other...not a just different versions of the same guy. i think different people bring out different aspects of ourselves and there is not one formula for happiness and completeness where this is concerned. sure there are some people that are better fits than others, but to narrow it down to just one person makes finding that person seem almost impossible. can you say needle in the g-d haystack?

the other reason the soul mate thing seems unreasonable is because it seems like a cop out. instead of coming to terms with the fact that people are not perfect and will have idiosincracies and picadillos and, let's face it, make mistakes sometimes...the idea of a soul mate sets this expectation like there's someone out there that will never let you down...never disappoint...never hurt you...never make you cry...never piss you off. i'm not sure that's realistic. some of my closest friends have pissed me off sometimes. not one of us are perfect. and yet i don't stop loving them and caring about them. they continue to be important in my life. they mean the world to me. why should it be different for our significant others?

i'm not sure what sparked this post exactly. maybe its all the christmas movies on or something. i just think that there are many versions of our soul mate out in the big world. in fact, sometimes it feels like this love thing is about being in the right place at the right time or something. because what if your soul mate lives in guam and you live in swaziland? you're just destined to never be together? not sure i want to by that.

what i do want to do is go soak in the bathtub. since texas was covered in ice yesterday i flew off our front steps and now my shoulders and arms are sore. not sure if they are related but i think bath time will help..as well as bed time.

impression management at its worst...yet again

so, i was reading my friend sara's blog (which is linked on this blog so you should read it because it's rad) and she posted an article about my former employer. i'm writing this in the hopes that i won't somehow get retroactively in trouble from them, but i'm pretty sure that won't happen. and i've been talking about writing an exposé for a while now so i might as well get started.

the gist of the article that sara posted was that a student at said university was suspended for posting some negative things on his blog about his classmates and professors. for some reason, the university decided this was a violation of some sort of code of ethics and that his post was unprofessional. i share sara's political concerns about this...especially because we're supposed to have that whole freedom of speech thing that's..i dunno..protected by some crazy document that we hold very dear. however, having worked at said institution for a year...i'm concerned on a different level.

i was a resident hall director in what was considered a party hall. literally from day one i was dealing with disciplinary problems. almost every weekend there were issues. by the end of the semester...almost half of the people in the hall had a file in my office for breaking some kind of policy (both serious and not so serious.) i dealt with vandalism, intoxication, drugs, racial harassment, a fire....the list goes on and on. i even heard a case for another building that involved a student being in trouble for his fifth..count 'em FIVE...drug violation. were any of these students suspended for their conduct? the answer is no. so why is it that some fiesty blog posts are worse than students endangering their lives and disrespecting other students and their community every damn weekend?

the only logical answer that i could come up is that this particular university was able to keep negatively publicity away from the constant misconduct of their students. that's the nice thing about being located in an economically-deprived part of town...you don't have to worry about pissing off the neighbors too much. BUT...if someone posts something negative about you on the interweb there's a good chance that the impression management will fail. so that student has to be punished. maybe i'm missing part of the story...but it really doesn't make any sense. we saw students in fights, who had severe drinking problems, who destroyed property, who broke state law...and yet these student's actions were not considered a poor reflection on the university?

the end of the article makes an important point about how this action by the university will have a big impact on student bloggers in the future. i have no doubt that it will. it just makes me sad that a university would make this stand and ultimately censor their students. but who gives two shits if they are bribing homeless people to buy them beer. no need to make a stand about that.

thank you captain obvious..i mean pei wei fortune

it's almost 1 a.m. when i ate at pei wei the other day i cunningly took an extra fortune cookie so i would have one to enjoy after eating the left overs. so the fortune said: "the night life is for you." um...doy!

i'll take the mountain view please

so...i would say it's official. i am moving to new mexico in early january. i'm going to be teaching and researching and taking in the enchantment....oh..and i'll be freezing my texas-converted ass off for a while.

the weird thing is that this is coming up very fast. next week is finals. then i go to iowa for a while. then i come back with dennis and head west. fearing that i won't have enough time to play with all my texans before i leave. stupid paper let to do.

mmm...kaluha cigars

so...i totally love sara and tim. those two crazy kids are freakin' awesome and i don't know what i'd do without them.

in other news, this week went really fast. i found out on wednesday that not only did i pass my prelim, but i passed it with distinction. that doesn't officially mean much...but unofficially means that i did a really good job and my committee was really really happy. if anyone wants to read the actually answers, i'd be happy to put you to sleep with them. the typos are impressive though.

it's amazing that the semester will soon be over. i have to shit a research paper, wrap up my classes at blinn...oh, and move 800 miles away. though the job situation is not 150% guaranteed..it's looking good. good enough that i need to just say "yes, i'm going." it's actually really exciting to be heading off to a new place. that is not to say that i won't miss my friends here dearly. i certainly will and i think i haven't made moving real in my head yet because doing that means facing tough "auf wiedersehen"s. but there's something to be said about getting to teach, getting to try on a new city, and just getting to do some new stuff. i'm relatively young, so this is a great time to try new things like this, right?

anyway, i had two cigars and two beers and i'm sufficiently buzzy (not drunk mind you...just buzzy). i should shower and go to bed. actually, i should pack first since i'm going to ABQ to find an apartment.

have good happies kids.

tight pants

hi kids,

so...it took a few drinks for me to feel that the test was actually over. thanks to everyone who came to play on tuesday night. i have wonderful friends...so amazing. :)

i had a great weekend. definitely needed a break and really didn't get ANYTHING done for classes. so..this week will be a bit busy. i finish one class this week and have to write a short paper (which does not seem like a big deal after the prelim ordeal) and my other class meets a few times and i have to write a research paper for that one. tricky, but doable.

i'm also heading to ABQ this weekend to find an apartment. still not feeling like anything is official, but hopefully more clarity will come this week.

as far as thanksgiving, ate a lot of great food (thanks 2nd family!), had a lot of fun with friends (thanks people!!), watched some great football (thanks ags!), and got to relax and laugh and just take it easy (thanks mike!) it was all much needed.

so now friends, we enter this countdown to the end of the semester and possibly of my time in texas. totally wacky stuff.

love you friends and fam! love love love love love!

(and hugs to sara especially)

and the verdict is...

I PASSED!!!! WOO HOO!!! :)

knot in my back

um...oral exam is tomorrow. no, not an oral exam at the dentist..though i would prefer it at this point and i HATE the dentist.

talked to my good friend karen who took hers today and she said it was quite mellow. so, hopefully it will be okay and all my nervous energy will be for nothing.

luckily nervous energy helped me get more done in a half hour than i accomplished all day saturday.

better go put my sheets in the dryer, make nachos, read stuff, drink more wine, and hopefully get some sleep.

make my money

what's the deal with adsense? does anyone know? i contemplate how cool it would be to get paid to write my silly blog...so is this the way to do it. or will it just annoy and alienate my readers? thoughts?

it occurs to me..

it occurs to me that there was talk of having a big birthday bash for my crazy 30th birthday party and that i have no idea where i'm going to be living at that point. the way it looks, i might be in ABQ. so texans....can you come to ABQ to play? it'll be fun....swear. :)

it also occurs to me that there is no way in hell i did enough studying this week. in fact, i know i haven't. after writing for 6 days straight, i found myself unmotivated and exhausted last week. this weekend, i did a little bit, but i'm not sure if it was enough. i ended up cleaning and eating with friends and taking it easy and sleeping. so, i have a feeling that i'll be stressed out the next two days until i get this crazy oral exam done. not sure how i should have studied...but pretty sure i didn't do enough. what the damn shit fuck!?

"i feel the seasons changing....and my life is never gonna be the same..."

gotta love hurricane jane lyrics. if you don't know..they were this great band from ok city, though i'm not sure they exist anymore. i've been rocking out to their cd in my car all week and those lyrics seemed especially appropriate.

why? because things are changing. in a few months, i will likely be moving to albuquerque. i was offered the opportunity to teach 4 courses at UNM and i've been itching to get out of texas for a while. it's really exciting, though in my head its still not official. :) but dennis is coming here to help me move and i'm probably going to look for apartments soon. hopefully by then it will have hit me that, yes, in fact, things are changing. i've never been really good at change but this is one that i'm looking forward to. however, days like today reminded me that i'm going to miss college station a lot too. not such much college station itself...but the little life i have carved out for myself here and my awesome, incredible, kick ass friends.

i went to a soc. department picnic today and i was talking with a bunch of my colleagues. it was good to be there because they reminded me of how far i have come in the past 5 years, and how much i've accomplished. and they were all so encouraging about the next part of the exam. it is still odd to think of myself as one of those ABD people. i know i'm not officially ABD, but even that i'm close is weird. i remember when i first started graduate school and looking up to those students who finished or were close to finishing. and now, i'm one of those people...and its just weird. i know i've changed in 5 years, but i still feel like a novice in some ways. here's hoping i won't feel like one on tuesday.

anyway, there's a lot of big stuff coming up and this semester that i never thought i'd make it through is quickly coming to an end. thanks to all of you guys for your constant support and friendship and love and funnies and hugs and stuff. i never would have made it this far without ya.

okay..gotta go start studying. still a saturday afternoon slacker after all these years. ;) i guess something things never change.

quick question

so..brad pitt is attractive and stuff...but he's not really that great of an actor. i'm watching seven on tnt and i love this movie but there are some times when pitt just isn't that great. anyone agree..disagree? he's not as bad as keanu reeves ("whoa...excellent!") but still.

this is a test

mike can figure out what people used as search terms to stumble across his blog. and people search for such hilarity like "wild humpers" and stuff to find his.

so this is my experiment...ready?

ninja turkey fuck!

any new readers?

how about:

ass monkey clown

OR

rabid cheeto fetish

OR

foot to face! (which is on a wristband i own...don't ask)

now i fear who will start reading this. *grin*

some news?

i might have some news. i was offered four courses at university of new mexico in the spring. though i would not get benefits, it would be a really good opportunity i think. i've been hoping to move and i would get to teach some rad classes i think. SO...i may have accepted it, but i'm still waiting for a little bit of information. i'll keep ya posted. :)

insomniac

how come i can't sleep? it's like 2:15 in the morning. shit fuck! :( stupid brains thinking and stuff. you'd think they'd need a breather after last week.

oh yeah..

it's possible that in 10 days i will be ABD!

let's check my to do list. this color font means this wasn't done in march but is now.

Things to Do: Dissertation/Graduation


Spring 2005

- Assemble Committee (complete)
- Thesis Publication (complete)
- Southwest meeting (complete)
- Dissertation proposal (complete)
- 2 courses (complete)
- File Degree Plan (complete)


Summer 2005

- Defend proposal (complete)
- Put together prelims list (complete)
- IRB (submitted but bureaucracy is being a rat bastard)
- Research design for NM project
- Lit review chapter (Joe says this is done, but i don't think it really is)
- Pre-interviews


Fall 2005
- Last two courses (just about done!)
- Austin interviews (gotta wait..stupid IRB)
- Write introduction and methods chapters (um...not really)
- Do some kind of OGS paperwork that I'm sure is required at this point? (exam request or something like that?)
- Take preliminary exams (just about done!!!!)
- Publication? (this was lofty...instead i got teaching experience though)
- Move? (still kind of iffy but its starting to look promising. cross your fingers!)

woo! more on the move news when i know more. :)

day..none more days

so...i have officially turned in the written part of my exam. it is off in cyberspace somewhere on its way to my advisors PC. i'm not sure if it's done well..but the operative word is that its done. now i just have to sweat bullets until the oral part on the 22nd.

i have to say that i am very very relieved to have the written part done. for the record, i wrote about 75-80 pages in 6 days. just so you know, that is a virtual fuck ton of writing. actually, scratch that..its an actual fuck ton. you'd think after doing all of that i'd feel pretty comfortable predicting whether i passed or not...but i really don't know. you can't know what this process is like until you go through it and then once you do go through it, you find yourself wondering what the point of it all was. more than anything, i proved to myself that i could do it. it would be an unstatement to say that i have had a lot on my plate this semester. so it feels good to know that despite everything else, i was able to do this. i only hope my efforts pay off.

thanks to everyone for your awesome support. i have awesome friends and family. it rocks.

now its time to enjoy some serious tv time and wine and to get some freakin' sleep. :)

HUGS!

day five

um...day five is over. i'm not sure i got enough done today, but i'm happy that i still pretty much have two days left. i estimate that i have one and a half questions left. so, i hope i can get a bunch done tomorrow so that saturday won't be a full day. i have until 5:00 p.m. to turn my answers in, but it would be really really nice to get it in early. we shall see.

gotta sleep so i can get up early. i couldn't get to sleep last night at all. stupid brains keeping me up. :)

day four...i think

first half of the exam is done. not sure if its done well..but it's definitely finished. part two starts at 5:00 tonight and i have until 5:00 on saturday. i took a break this afternoon and mostly just vegged out and did nothing. probably should have taken a nap since i'm feeling a bit tired now. i did get to bed at 5:00 a.m. after all. but i can say that i wrote something like 40 pages in 3 days. not an easy task.

i've heard from karen that the race and ethnicity part is less scary. :) yay for that!

i'll update again later. :)

half done!

day three

this day has not gone as well as the others. one reason is because i'm really tired. this process is exhausting and stressful, so even when i do finally get to go home and go to bed, i haven't slept well because my mind is going crazy thinking of all the things i should have included or that i still need to do in general (like get a damn job if i'm going to move, etc etc).

also, i had to spend part of the day getting grades figured out for the students i teach. they complained to my supervisor that they haven't gotten their last exam back (which they just took on the 27th!), so i had to bust ass and get all of that updated. their complaints and my lack of time meant that i didn't curve the exam like i was thinking about doing.

i still have some work to do on question three and some editing to do on the other two questions, so it is likely that i will be here late tonight. luckily food is on the way. my next exam questions arrive bright and early at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow and are due on saturday at 8:00 a.m. i'm increasingly nervous that i'm not going to pass the oral part of this exam, since a lot of this stuff so far hasn't been on the instant recall. but, i'll jump off that bridge when i get to it.

back to work..

day two

hi friends,

i am taking a much needed break. i have been working on question two since 10:30 this morning and it's now 6:30. i did take a quick lunch break to warm up some yummy soup i made last week, but otherwise i've been trapped in my little blue office all day. luckily, i think i'm a few hours from finishing this question. i have the problem of trying to incorporate WAY too much literature because i'm worried about the higher expectations of me since my test is open book. i was also optimistic that i could have all three questions wrapped up by tomorrow at 5 (thus cutting my 72 hours short), but i'm not sure that's going to happen, so hopefully my chair will give me the entire allotted time. *crossing fingers*

my friend karen is on day three of her exam right now. she said the first day was awful (as was mine), the second day was a bit better (i see a trend), and on the third day, she rose again. whoops...i mean on the third day she felt pretty happy. so, i'm hoping for a happy tuesday as well. i strategically saved the question i felt the most comfortable with for the last day. strategery at its finest.

so far i've learned that it's dark and creepy in this building at 1:30 in the morning, that you should not forget to take your heart medicine when you have anxiety issues (thanks for bringing those tim), and after staring at books and articles and computer screens for so long my eyes have spells when they no longer want to function.

what's keeping me afloat at this point is an assload of diet cokes in my tiny new office frig, encouragement from you guys (THANKS!) and the knowledge that in a few short days i will be done. now that i've started this written part the oral part is even scarier for some reason!

well, i think my break needs to officially end now so that i can get home at a reasonable hour tonight. i know its sick, but i really want to get home in time to watch laguna beach on mtv. don't judge me too much for that one.

:)
love you guys!

day one

so i thought i'd use this medium to update you guys on how things are going this week since i probably will be relatively incommunicato. plus, it gives me a bit of a break from time to time which is a good thing.

yesterday tim helped me get my books and articles and shit up to my office and i unpacked it all last night which was a good plan. even if i somehow don't pass the test, i now have a very organized office. :)

i got here at about 10 and downloaded the questions for the first part of the exam. i choose three of the five questions and then write 10-12 pages for each answer in three days. then i do it again on wednesday with a new set of questions to choose from. the questions i'm starting with are for my minor area, which is demography. they are hard and involved, but doable i think (hope). i'm happy to be using my own computer to answer them since my office computer was being a rat bastard this morning. it's always making noise like it's thinking about stuff, so i find that i have turn it all the way off while i'm working. (can't stand the constant noises while i'm trying to concentrate..yay for quiet blue laptop of wonderfulness.)

i'm about 7 pages into the first answer and have a lot more to do. i'm thinking about staying here late tonight and getting a lot done, so that i'm not under too much pressure once the building is full of people again. still waivering between confidence and fear. :)

i just took a quick break and went to go get some lunch (yes..at 3:30) and i stopped at old navy. why did i stop at old navy you ask? well, because it's hard to dress for the freakin' weather lately in texas and becaused it's ninety-fuckin'-two degrees today, so i needed to get a t-shirt and some flip-flops. sure i could have gone home to do that, but there are too many distractions there and those items are on sale since apparently in some parts of the world it is less than ninety-fuckin-two. *bitter midwesterner* not that i want snow..but damn...i'm sick of summer. i can't even remember what my winter clothes look like at this point. *stupid global warming*

so, that's the scoop. i have a cute new t-shirt (unfortunately the only one i liked and that was cheap was a white one and..well...i have a blue bra on today...but since no one will likely see me, i should be safe) and i think i'm doing well so far on the test. i hope so anyway.

take care kids. catch ya on the flipside!

it's november so...

so WHY is it supposed to be 87 degrees on sunday?! what the hell texas?! i want to get out my cute sweaters already!!! sheesh!!?

post-prelims fun

so..i haven't taken the exams but i already have some ideas about what i want to do afterwards. specifically there are two movies i want to see. one is rent because it looks pretty good in film version and i LOVED the show when i saw it in milwaukee. the other is that movie with sarah jessica parker in it. i think it's called..uh...i have no damn idea. maybe the family stone?

i also want to get a rec massage after i get done with the written part...hell, maybe even the oral part too?

there might be other festivities too. first i gotta pass that shit though. :)

"it's the final countdown"

hey party people,

SO..t-minus one week until exams start. i've told a few of my friends that i waiver between complete fear that i have not studied enough and total confidence that i'm going to kick ass. somewhere in the middle of that is a profound need to just get the fucker over with. so i'm actually anxious to start, because the sooner i start, the sooner i'm finished and the closer i am to either being ABD or getting a new car. (mike has such confidence that i'll pass that he said if i fail he will buy me a new car. if i pass then i don't get a new car and instead get "the satisfaction of having passed.")

great weekend with my parents. a lot of just hanging out and takin' it easy. also went to see the ags yesterday which was abysmal. luckily there were two fly overs (one for pre-game and one at half-time) which were super cool! lots of good times and good food with mom and dad which was awesome. definitely sad to see them go tomorrow. :( i'm really glad that they got to meet some of my texas peeps!

still no word on the job at UNM. keep the stuff crossed people!

hope you're all doing well!! *hugs*

sweet irony

so my classes today were supposed to read chapters 1 and 2 from a book called the mcdonaldization of society by george ritzer (i have an extra copy if anyone wants it). the book is all about how the ideals of fast-food restaurants have permeated into other aspects of our lives. for examples, check this out: McDonaldization and/or Another McDonaldization site.

where is the irony? it lies in the fact that after my classes were over i rushed to my car, rushed to just brakes, and then rushed to wendy's to get a fast lunch. :) so..maybe ritzer has a good point. :)

in other news, i'm busy as hell, getting excited about my parents coming to visit this weekend (any ideas about a fun Sunday day trip?), and the looming exams are less than two weeks away. *shits pants again*

"now rake 'em up bitches!"

last night i saw a funny commercial on adult swim. it starts out with a green screen with peaceful music playing as autumn leaves fall. and then at the end it says, "now rake 'em up bitches!" i thought it was quite hilarious so i had to share it.

and it relates to what i've been thinking about today (no..not bitches). today is the first real autumn-like day that we've had in college station and i have to say that i love it! LOVE IT! fall is definitely my favorite season. i love the clothes, i love (and miss) changing leaves, i love football, i love fall scents (like pumpkin and cinnamon and things in that genre), i love crisp, cool fall air, i love thanksgiving, i love caramel apples and hot apple cider, i love the memories i have of the fall...i just love it. so i'm very excited that at least for a few days, the weather is more iowa-like than texas-like. i almost want to indulge in a Home Sweet Home candel (one of those Yankee candles i think), because that scent is fall to me...and makes my heart feel all warm inside thinking of family, friends...and just fall. :)

especially relevant

my great friend adam showed me this cartoon today and i definitely related. all hell breaks loose in two weeks. *shits pants*

busy saturday

so, i'm not sure i got very much read today, which means i have a lot to do tomorrow and during my free time (*snort*) next week. i did get quite a bit accomplished though. i got my car fixed (finally), called them about fixing another part which they are going to do for cheap, went to Kroger to get some water and diet coke, got my hair fixed because it was dumb, read for a while at starbucks, cooked yummy dinner, and typed up notes for one book. gotta get more done for sure, but my friend adam is in town this weekend before he goes to iraq SO some of it will have to wait until tomorrow! need more motivation. :(

wiped out

hey friends,

this has been a long ass week. i was so tired when i got home yesterday that i fell asleep while reading something...just passed out a little. it might have been related to getting multiple free wine samples from the cute waiter at olive garden, but i think it had more to do with only getting about 6 hours of sleep every night this week. so i went to bed at about 11 last night and didn't wake up until 9 the next day...which probably meant that i needed some sleep.

my car has been causing me headaches this week. i had to get my brakes fixed which cost more than i thought it would. and in the process of fixing my brakes, the manager of the place rolled down my passenger window, which is the one that once rolled down won't go up again. this was a thorn in my side all week that i didn't need. fortunately after being a bit of a squeaky wheel, the brake place is going to pay for saturn to fix the window. woo! justice!! thanks to mike, tim, and my parents for giving me some insight on that one.

had a phone interview for a job on wednesday. everyone cross your fingers because it'd be really cool.

i think i might head to bed soon which is probably lame for a friday, but i'm still beat. got a lot of reading to do tomorrow.

have a good one.

i'm having a good kate day

it's true. i'm just feeling really good about stuff today. i got a lot accomplished this weekend (i hope!) and had some fun too (thanks tim, sara, tony, and dave) and i'm starting my week off really well. i feel pretty today (oh so pretty...i feel pretty and witty and bright...). :) i think we all have those days when we just aren't feeling great about our looks and today is not one of those days for me. my crazy new haircut is under control now that it's a little longer. i got some new clinique products (clinique bonus time!) and found a new lipstick and eye shadow shade that are cool ass! and somehow studying for prelims made me lose weight this weekend. that never hurts the ego.

other great news is that i have two phone interviews for jobs this week. it would be so great to get that part figured out so i'm optimistic!

i'm also feeling good about the big ass exam too. not cocky about it, but like it's a hurdle that i can jump over. i still have to do some reading/skimming and have a lot of work to do, but mostly i just want to tackle this thing!

so...it's monday and very much a good kate day! love it!!

:)

self-imposed hermitude OR "is it december yet?"

did anyone ever watch rocky and bullwinkle. one of their cartoon segments always had two titles which was part of the inspiration for the title of this. another part of the inspiration is the fact that i plan to be holed up with books and binders and articles and file folders and such things for the next two weekends. it's really wacky to be this close to my prelims because i don't feel like i'm at all ready. i've been assured by many people that it will be okay...and most of the time i'm sure that it will be, but there is still a lot that is intimidating about this test. i want to pass, but i also want to do a good job while passing. this semester has been so busy that i don't feel like i've prepared enough and i know that there is more that i could have done. hopefully i will be as productive as i need to be the next two weekends and during the free time that i have during the week. what that means is that i'm probably going to be a terrible friend. i've found that it's really hard for me to make spontaneous plans lately. i actually had to schedule a time to have lunch with sara. how crazy is that?! i should be able to just say 'yes...let's go to lunch in 20 minutes,' but life isn't going to work that way until november 12th at the earliest and hopefully november 22nd at the latest.

luckily it hasn't been all work. had a fun time in abq last weekend for balloon fiesta (though we didn't see many balloons.) went to see blue october with jeff and sara on wednesday night and stayed up way too late, but it was a good time. my parents are coming here in a few weeks so that will be kick ass too. and every once in a while i get to chat with friends on the phone for a bit and just kick back. i can't help but feel like every time i watch tv for a half hour or whatever, i should have been spending that time studying.

so...that's my crazy life right now. can't wait for thanksgiving for many reasons. ;)

p.s.- kate = foozball champion. just ask mike. :) BOO-YA!

piece of shit car

i always joke around that as soon as i get my car paid for that it will immediately self-destruct and fall into a million pieces. well apparently my hoopty is not going to wait until it's paid off (which is about a year away!) so here's the run down on the piece of she-at!

1. i was driving the other day and a screw fell out of the ceiling and onto my lap. it turns out it holds my sunvisor in place. so my car was raining parts on me the other day, as soon after i was pelted with a screw, the plastic piece that was being held on by the screw also took a dive.

2. yesterday i was relishing in the awesome weather (thank god it's finally cooling off...mother nature was having some serious hot flashes here in texas for a while! damn!) and so i had my windows down. but not all the windows, since the driver's side one won't go down anymore. that will be convenient for my drive-thru needs. and on the way to work today i had the passenger window down and for a while it wouldn't go up again. this scenario made me hate automatic windows. luckily it did go up and now won't come down again. excellent.

3. my car is loud. this one is my fault. it is badly overdue for a tune up and now it sounds like one of those giant pick-ups that guys pimp out to make louder (which i don't really understand.) so i need to suck it up and pay $500 or whatever to get all this shit fixed. makes me think of the song "ode to my car" by adam sandler. and it also makes me wish i had won or will win the lottery or something so i can get a new ride before i go outside to find the saturn upside down and on fire. :)

peace out!

p.s.-thanks for all the messages, emails, and thoughts last week. sorry i haven't responded yet to a few of you. dad is doing well and got to go home yesterday which he was very excited about. :)

my dad was a zipper head

hi faithful blog readers,

i'm in houston right now waiting for my flight to college station to board. the trip to and from iowa were both buck wild crazy, but the good news is that my dad is doing really well. he had a rough day on friday. felt sick to his stomach and threw up a few times. but since then he's had a better appetite and all that good stuff. when i got to des moines on thursday they moved him from icu to a regular room, which he was very happy about. someone made the mistake of telling him that he'd get to move out of there before there was a room ready which pissed my dad right off. so he was happier after the move and really glad to see all of his kids i think. my brother and his wife and their two year old son came up from st. louis and i think it was good medicine for my dad to see luke. :) (and it was good medicine for all of us i think.)

it wasn't easy to say good-bye to everyone yesterday. but the good thing is that dad will probably get to go home on wednesday. they removed the staples from his head on saturday and he's just doing really well given the circumstances.

it was nice to be back at home and out of texas with all the chaos of the storm. that's a whole other blog entry though. i didn't like to be home under those circumstances, but i really needed to see the family and friends. and the weather in iowa was very autumnal which i also love. i miss fall so much. especially when i return to texas and it's predicted to be 112 with the heat index today. why did i leave? :)

anyway, that's the update. everyone's doing well. thanks for all your thoughts and prayers and help and stuff. i appreciate it more than i can express probably. and big props to tim smith who took me to houston on wednesday night and then had to drive back to college station that night. it took him 5.5 hours. i owe him so much beer it's not even funny. thanks tim smith!!

have you ever been so exhausted that you literally can't see straight?

i have. in fact, i was like that today. where i had to put forth a lot of effort to make my eyes function. the thing is this has been a long week and it's only tuesday. lots going on with school and teaching and work. and yesterday i found out my dad is in the hospital. he had an aneurysm in his brain and luckily they caught it quickly. he had surgery last night and they clamped the artery that's been causing the problem. the surgery was pretty invasive in terms of my dad's skull having to be removed in one place. the good thing is that he's in great spirits. before the surgery he was saying he was happy that this happened because now he has proof that he has a brain. (classic ron parks line.) he also told my mom today that he wanted her to make him a cardboard bill for the bandage on his head. i guess he's missing wearing his usual trucker style hat. (and not the von duch trucker hat...the real ones. he has one that says: "wisconsin: land of cowpies and beer farts" or something like that). so, fortunately dad is doing really well under the circumstances. mom had a tough time yesterday but is also doing much better now that dad seems to be okay now. i'm looking forward to spending time with the family this weekend. (thanks to all my awesome friends for support me with talks or beer or cheese fries or laughs...ya'll rock!)

so, i have to read for a while and then get some sleep. busy days coming up as well!

coffee break

so, i'm pretty much exhausted today. long, tiring weekend that was also pretty fun. i had a great time at the game, even when i almost passed out from the heat. we certainly btho SMU which is cool, but what we should have done so i'm not sure we should overreact from excitement there. nonetheless, it was quite a game! also spent time with friends eating meals and drinking beer which is not a bad thing. and i read some stuff that will be very helpful for the prelim exams which are now 48 days away. i over-estimated on the 10 weeks i think. scary bath!

i feel like there's kind of a lot going on right now. teaching, classes, job searching, studying...it's been hard to find time to play with people and even harder to find time to work out which sucks. i find myself longing for the day when all i'll have going on is a job, but i wonder if even then as an academic i'll really have more time. i hope i will. my new goal is to ride my bike for 30 minutes every day. i'm sure i can find that amount of time and every little bit helps, so i'm going to try. if only i had my own elliptical machine and somewhere to put it.

before i start rambling more and this gets too long, i want to share a link to a story in the school paper, the batt for you locals, that made me smile and appreciate aggieland a bit: good ags "gig 'em, green wave" made me smile.

WHAM!...literally

i went to visit mike this past weekend in albuquerque. his birthday was on saturday which was a great excuse to get out of town. it's a little scary that i already needed a break after only two weeks of school...but i did. we had a lot of fun to say the least. hung out with some of mike's buddies on thursday night and ate yummy grilled food. on friday we slept in and ran a lot of errands, including finding new glasses for mike which are way awesome! we also went to dinner at pappadeux with mike's friend kurt. kurt introduced me to an awesome band called the postal service. they kick ass. check them out right now. do it. okay, wait until you're done reading this.

saturday was mike's birthday. he's officially on the 30 side of 20. we celebrated by hanging out on the roof of his house (it's flat adobe style) and watched college football and drank beer. (and i got a sunburn with crazy tan lines.) that evening we went out to dinner at an awesome place called charma river and then went to get a few drinks at a bar that also had karaoke. we all sang a few songs and had a good, low-key time. towards the end of the night a guy started singing "wake me up before you go go" which we were obviously very excited about. he was doing a good job too until he got into a fist fight with some people. it was crazy. we were waiting for the chorus and instead so a wad of people throwing punches. needless to say, he didn't finish the song. i found it hilarious that a fight broke out during one of the happiest songs ever. so those shenannigans inspired the subject line. :)

sunday was another relaxing day. mike made some fan-freakin'-tastic eggplant parmesean. holy damn it was good. that kid can cook like a mo-fo! i foolishly forgot to steal some left-overs before i left this morning.

anyway..good weekend. this week is probably going to be a busy one. at least i got to rest up before it all start. thanks mike. :)

10 weeks

hi friends- i'm going to switch gears a bit. in the next few days i should have a date set for preliminary exams. it's a formidable hurdle but one that i'm constantly assured i can get over. and the anticipation of the relief that i will feel once it's over with is a huge motivation. it will be freakin' AWESOME to get to enjoy the holidays without concern about big scary exam. i have an idea of what the format will be and now that it's becoming a known entity i'm feeling less anxious about it. so much less anxious in fact that i realized last night that i hadn't taken my heart/anxiety drugs for 3 days and wasn't having any problems. (don't worry...i got the prescription refilled so i'm back on track!)

i'm heading to NM this weekend to visit the birthday boy...i mean birthday man this weekend and to take a bit of a break. w00t!

have a good weekend!

you need power to run the coke machine..

i was eating dinner with a friend on friday night and the restaurant we were at blew a fuse. obviously, the power was out for a bit which didn't stop some patrons from trying to use the coke machine. it was one of those moments when you totally take for granted how much we rely on electricity for day-to-day stuff. then i was talking to another friend on sunday and he brought up something important. the people affected on the gulf coast by katrina who were not able to leave before the devastation didn't have power. doy..we knew that. but i don't think we've really thought about it. we were able to see the relief efforts and to some degree the scale of the disaster. people in new orleans and in other areas affected didn't have cnn. what they did have was destruction and death without a clear path out of it. i can only speculate that not knowing what was going on and what was going to happen and if help was on the way would only add to the despair they were already experiencing. they might not have known about the rescue copters and were worried about not being seen by them since people were stuck in places underwater, so they were shooting in the air to get the attention of the heros doing rescues. it wasn't about anger or shooting the hand that is attempting to help you. it might have been about being seen by copters flying constantly overhead but not stopping yet for them. with the lack of organization in the relief efforts in some areas and a mass of people without information, it should be no wonder that the victims would feel desperate.

just a few more things, because i'm not sure anyone is reading this. one...if your only assett was your home, would it be easy for you to leave it? if you had no television, wouldn't be hard to know the full extent of the storm? does it piss off anyone else that it seems like a better job was done evacuating animals and pets than was done for our fellow citizens? (sorry...just saw a stupid story on cnn). is anyone else frustrated that the federal government cut spending for FEMA and for the levee before this happened? okay...so much venting. here are a few really interesting articles to ponder. this is a good time to unite while thinking critically about what happened and what the next steps are.

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0903-20.htm
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0904-29.htm

a time for compassion

hi friends-

i've been thinking so much about the disaster in new orleans and around the gulf coast lately. the images on the news are hard to even comprehend. and that's what has stuck with me. there's a lot of talk and judgement going on of the people affected by this horrible crisis. and while i certainly don't and can't condone shooting at rescue workers, i've also realized that i am fortunate that i don't know what the victims of this are really facing. i'm lucky that i live in an area of the country that was not affected by this. i'm blessed that i have food and water and a home and i don't have to see dead bodies floating in water or grapple with the notion that i have lost everything that i own, i have lost members of my family, and that i've lost hope of being rescued. this is a time for compassion for those who's situation is beyond what most of us have ever experienced. maybe that's what makes it hard to understand why people would be so angry or loot or whatever. i don't defend the fact that people are breaking the law, but i recognize that i, in the comfort of my air conditioned office typing this on a decent computer with my iced coffee drink, have no way of truly understand what the victims are going through.

my friend wes found a really good article on fark summing up some of the aftermath. check out his sept. 1st post. http://thirteenthgeneration.blogspot.com/ actually, wes has a lot of good information on his site but that article was especially good. it makes the point that now is the time for us to come together. to help those less fortunate. to practice compassion. to cherish humanity. i think after things have calmed down a bit and people are once again safe, it will be time to ask some tough questions about the poverty in this country. people are already asking those questions and it's time we really pay attention.