over 12 hours in o'hare...yes, its as fun as it sounds

so after a great interview experience with the interview in iowa....i had the pleasure of spending WAY too much time in the chicago o'hare airport. i arrived at about 6:30 a.m. hoping to get on an earlier flight to ABQ. the new plan was to leave at 8:55 a.m. instead of 3:00 p.m. with the hope of getting home sooner so that i could have some hang out time with friends in NM for the weekend. (and i was looking forward to sleeping on the plane since i hadn't gotten much sleep the three nights prior.) little did i know that i wouldn't be leaving the airport until 11:00 p.m.-ish that night. here's the deal.

all the flights going to DWF were closed on saturday because of a nasty wind storm. BUT this didn't happen all at once. instead i waited until almost noon to find out that i wasn't going to be on the 8:55 a.m. flight (the joys of stand-by). i was told that i'd get priority for other flights since i was number 7 on the stand by list for that first flight. that was a flaming lie. instead i was always 17 or so on the list and it didn't even matter since flights were being cancelled left and right. i finally gave up on leaving early and went to the gate for my original 3:00 p.m. flight to later find out that it was also cancelled. trying to be strategic, i decided to try to get on the direct flight to ABQ that was leaving around 7 that night. so i got on the stand-by list and was pessimisticly told that it wasn't likely i was going to go anywhere. at this point, i'm exhausted and frustrated and not sure what else to do. so i got in a decent sized line for "customer assistance." it was impossible to talk to a real human once you're in the secure area of the airport. gate agents were too busy with their incoming/outgoing flights to help...though there were three friendly people who actually did help me. in the meantime though...i was in this line. to talk on a red phone to a human about rebooking the flight. others in line were also on their cell phones waiting to talk to humans as well. i was running out of battery life so i couldn't wait for 48 minutes to get to talk to someone. AND half the time it didn't work...it would go to a busy signal or just disconnect. fortunately, people in line started working together...so when they did finally get to talk to someone on the red phone, they wouldn't hang up. instead they would keep the call connected so the next person could talk to someone. this was the only realistic solution considering the impossibility of talking with someone directly. i got lucky because i made a friend in line (he must have felt sorry for me since i was all weepy and frustrated by then) and when he got in touch with someone on his cell he kept them on the line so i could rebook my flight. i ended up getting an actual seat on the direct ABQ flight that night. and hope was restored.

i got a very unhealthy dinner and a few beers while i waited a few hours for my flight to board. and board it finally did...but late. late enough that by the time we were all on there, the weather in chicago got bad. this was inevitable since i left DBQ early to avoid bad weather and weather moves eastward usually (or so i'm told.) so we waited on the plane for over an hour with the idea that eventually we would take off. i got a nap and then awoke to the news that we could get off the plane to get some food. everyone was still hopeful that we'd be taking off that night. instead, the flight got cancelled.

in my frustration, i hustled to the ticket line outside of the secure area so i could rebook something. it was about 1o at night at this point. i called my good friends jed and jen to let them know that i might be stuck in chicago for a while. the new plan was that i would try to catch an 11:00 train to their town so i could stay with them. the next train wasn't until 1 a.m. i stand in a long ass line for american airlines. i thought about leaving at one point and just getting to jen and jed's but i was worried about actually getting out of chicago. so i endured the freakin' line for over an hour. when i got to the ticket agent, they actually were really helpful and got me on a flight out of chicago on monday night. by the time that was achieved, i had missed the 11 p.m. train. so i jumped on the el to a metra station so i could get to jen and jed's. (oh..additional craziness...o'hare was setting up cots for people who couldn't get a hotel room and didn't have awesome friends in the area...but they were in the area past security...and you couldn't get there unless you had a new boarding pass for a new flight AND it was closing at 11:30 AND the ticket counter was closing at midnight. i have no idea what the people in line behind me ended up doing since they were totally screwed. it didn't help that at some points there would be 13 agents to help people and at other points only 6. total cluster f#ck!)

i managed to successfully navigate the el and waste about $8.00 (though i gave my el pass to some chicago boys hoping for good travel karma after that). when i got to the stop i needed, i made my way up to the metra connection part. i asked a normal looking guy if i was in the right place and when the train was coming. that opened pandora's box for crazy talk. all of a sudden this person (anthony) was telling me his life story which was rife with problems. apparently he was an evangelical catholic who hated jews and was in trouble with chicago mafia figures. the positive is that talking to him did two things...it passed the 48 minutes that i had to wait for the train and it took my mind off of how cold it was in that waiting area (no heat.) at the same time though, there was more than one moment when i thought to myself "this is a bad idea. he's crazy. i should get out of here." but i was really worried about missing the training and having to wait another hour to get to jed and jen's. fortunately some other guy showed up (with two six-packs of old style) and he seemed much more normal than the crazy guy.

finally the train came and i was so very relieved. jen picked me up at the station and i ended up getting to bed around 2 a.m. so that was a very freakin' long day. it was great to hang out with my friends...and fortunately my flight on monday night was only delayed by an hour. it was a long ass trip and i was very happy to get back home.

luckily my next trip is to austin. here's hoping it is very uneventful! here's hoping it is since the last two trips have been full of delays and craziness. makes me wonder about moving to the midwest a little bit...but no decisions are made so far. should here about the most recent interview soon.

later gators!

its less cold in iowa this time

so i was back in iowa for the past 24 hours or so for yet another on-campus interview...this time at my alma mater. temps were in the double digits this time...actually in the 30s, which isn't too bad considering my last trip which featured below zero temperatures that literally took my breath away and froze it which made me cough. :)

this interview experience was really great..the most comfortable one so far. likely its because i already know this school and saw plenty of familiar faces, but also i think the environment was just more open and friendly. i rarely felt like i was on the spot being bombared with questions. instead it was much more conversational and i felt like people really wanted to get to know me and what i'm about. i think if i got an offer, that it would be a fantastic opportunity for me. i'm still anxious to see what the last interview holds, but it is comforting to know that this is an excellent choice for me as well. in some ways i think it would be weird to be back in the place where i tromped around as an undergrad...but it would also be fulfilling to know that i'm in a position to make the school that meant so much to me a better place. and the people were all AWESOME! the biggest challenge in some ways would be moving back to iowa after being away so long and living in larger places. AND being so far away from ABQ and TX friends..though much closer to family and college friends which would be great.

SO...time will tell. i'll keep you posted. in the meantime, i'm grateful to have gotten out of the tiny regional airport before a big ass storm with freezing FOG hit (wtf?!). now i'm in chicago and should have gone to bed by now so i can catch an earlier flight back to ABQ.

peace out kids. more to come!

it's fuggin' cold in iowa. damn!

so i'm in iowa right now. its the quickest trip to iowa ever. i got here around 7:00 tonight and i leave by 7:00 tomorrow. i'm here to interview for a faculty position at a small liberal arts college here. i'm much more relaxed this time around, since i've got one interview under my belt and though this position would be cool, its not my first choice. that takes the pressure off a little bit, but i still want to do a good job. that's not to say that i don't have some things on my mind.

in fact, i've wigged out a couple times. i've been doing good at not wigging out in the new year, but lately...there's been a few wiggies. i think its because i'm pretty sure what i want to happen with this job search stuff and i'm worried that it won't. and not to be a bragger, but in the past i've usually not had a lot of problems getting jobs i want (with the exception of UNM since its virtually impossible to break into that system). and though i'm pretty good at this interviewing stuff, i still feel like i'm in new territory and that i'm really winging it on some level. (though i did get some good reviews about how i did at my first interview though i didn't get the position so i can't be all that bad.) still, i'm really hoping for an offer from my first choice. because if i have to move away from people i care about in albuquerque, then i should at least get to go to my first choice.

the other options would be good too i think, but they also worry me. i worry about what will happen with my dating life if i move, but i'm especially worried about the other options. i will elaborate this more when i get done interviewing. i don't know who's reading this and i don't want to totally sabotage myself just yet. :)

basically, there' s some unknowns in my life, as per usual, and some alternatives look better than others. and i have to wait to find out what will happen, also as per usual. :D so...i will try not to stress and just go with it.

okay...sleepy me.

p.s.- i had a great v'day with the boy...despite my stupid moment (sorry again boy). we had a very unhealthy but very yummy meal at my house, watch a great movie, and i got an AWESOME new bag that i'm sure i'll get a lot of use out of. thanks dude!! hugs

do i miss the cubicle?

no...i don't. :) i will miss my cubie friends for sure, but so far i am thoroughly enjoying my freedom from full-time work. i've had a chance to start some major apartment cleaning (including going through stuff to throw away), work out during the day (still have to figure out a good time...it was busy with old-timers when i went this morning), and catch up on some sleep which will hopefully make my cold go away. i'm excited that i'll actually be able to do the little things i haven't had time to do since july. and best of all, i get to work on the dissertation and class preparation without feeling like i have to sacrifice all the fun in my life. :) i can get used to this...at least until i get a real job someday. its also nice that i can pick up and fly to on-campus interviews basically whenever since i don't have many obligations now. don't have to worry about making up hours or taking vacation or whatever. just have to be concerned about finding affordable tickets and gearing up for more interviews.

speaking of which, i now have three on-campus interviews coming up. very exciting stuff!

had a really fun weekend which involved drinking too much beer probably. monday morning brought sleepy friends, as well as concern about break-ins. one of my friends has now had his house and car broken into within the last 2 weeks. :(

oh...i also have an interview on thursday for a part-time advising position. it would be great in the interim until i do get a real job and hopefully won't a) take up too much of my time or b) start anytime soon. i would love it if i could start after SXSW but that might be pushing it.

that's all my news...better get to teachin'!

back from the edge of my seat

so last time i posted about my on-campus interview and today is the day that i heard one way or another. unfortunately, i didn't get the position and they decided to go with another candidate. there are a number of possibilities for why that is, so i'm not beating myself up. it is disappointing though because in a lot of ways i thought that would be a perfect position for me. but as a wise sage told me this afternoon, who knows what doors are still opened up now. :) i still have a few irons in the fire in terms of on-campus interviews and stuff like that. and so i pull keep my chin up and find some wine this evening.

on a brighter note, today is my last day in the stupid job that has been driving me crazy since july. yay for some time to work on my dissertation and get my shit together.

everyone have a good weekend!!

back from the lou!

great weekend in st. louis! mike and i went on friday and hung out with my family for the weekend. the weekend consisted of lots of good food (including toasted ravioli-a local st. louis delicassy), a visit to the busch brewery, a trip up the arch, and just an all-around good time. the whole famn damily was there, so it was really fun to see my nieces and just to hang out out with everyone.

i followed up the weekend by preparing for my very first on-campus interview for a faculty position. i think that over all i did a good job. i was really worried about my research presentation which went so much better than the run through i had last week. and i think that the class i taught went well too. i met lots of people and answered lots of questions! all-in-all i really enjoyed it (though it was stressful) and i think the position would be a perfect fit. i have no read on it really and they are bringing the last candidate today or tomorrow. so the good news is that i will know something by the end of the week. another on-campus interview coming up next month, as well as a phone interview tomorrow.

cross your fingers that i get a job and get rid of this cold. i'll keep you posted faithful readers! :D

relief...i hope

today has been an interesting day. i got very little sleep last night and really the night before too, which i'm attributing to stress. so when i came in today i felt like i had a "case of the mondays"
that didn't last too long though, since i did some checking on a loan that i applied for and found out that i got it. though the money is not in hand, its just a matter of it being processed, which gave me the motivation to put in my two weeks notice. my big boss was very supportive about it and totally understood. i really didn't have a lot of options since i asked for reduced hours and was told no. i guess its better for the program i worked with to lose two full-time employees in 6 months than to let me work 30 hours a week. dumbasses. so, starting february 2nd, i'll be able to focus most of my time and energy into finishing my dissertation. i'm thinking about getting a part-time job as well, but luckily i don't have to stress too much about that right this second.

what i do need to stress about right this second is the on-campus interview that i have in a week! still have some things to put together for that which i hope to wrap up in the next few days.

so, what started out as a case of the mondays ended with plans to say good-bye to life in the cubicle. maybe i'll bring a screwdriver on my last day and push my wall down. :)

horoscope

so i've been making steps toward quitting my full-time job so i can focus on my dissertation. i think i will be able to do that this week. and it looks like the stars are in agreement with my plan. check out today's horoscope:

You are being lured into a new set of circumstances, even if you prefer to stay safe and sound in your old familiar life. You mistakenly believe that the status quo offers you more stability, but this is just an illusion. The bottom line is that you don't have the luxury to continue unproductive routines, even if they feel more comfortable. Make room for the future, for the excitement can revitalize you in ways you cannot yet imagine. Monday, January 15, 2007

now cross your fingers that everything falls into place. ;)

cross all your crossable parts

okay kids...so i've had a great start to the new year. have felt generally pretty optimistic about things and hopeful about the future. might be because i have had a few faculty phone interviews and at least one of them went well. i'll be traveling to an on-campus interview in a few weeks. however...this process is once again bringing some stress in the form of needing to get my dissertation written and having very little time. the time crunch could be because i'm working full-time, teaching a new class (yikes), and by the time that's all done i'm ready for some fun and not for buckling down with transcribing and writing. luckily two things have happened. one is that i got WONDERFUL advise from my guru friend karen about how to prepare for the interview. her tips have result in a bit less work than i was creating for myself. the other thing is that i have literally nothing to do at work right now, so since i'm not allowed to reduce my hours, i'll just work on stuff here. boo-ya! (or dousch! as a friend of a friend used to say...he got that confused, but i think its hilarious and we should start saying it!). HOWEVER, it is still my greatest hope that one of three things will happen: 1. someone i know wins the lottery and shares, 2. i find a sugar daddy (any takers? its just until august!) or 3. i get one of the part-time jobs i applied for and can quit this full-time crap. its kind of risky, but at the same time, i feel like i have to do whatever it takes to get done with this dissertation, because if i don't the greater risk is that i won't get one of these faculty jobs after all.

in terms of that...i'm still excited and weirded out about the thought of getting one of the jobs. the one i'm interview for in a few weeks seems like it would be a great fit for me. and i like the idea of only having ONE job for the first time in at least 3 years. i find my mind drifting to things like getting a house and a dog and being able to pay stuff off and getting to teach in a setting that really values good teachers. all of that would be great. the leaving friends behind in albuquerque part is hard to think about at the moment. so i won't think about that until i have to.

in the meantime, cross your fingers, toes, eyes, buttcheeks, whatever you can that i get to quit my stupid full-time job soon. :)

p.s.- i turned old last saturday but it was a raucous good time! 2007 is starting out pretty dang well!

oh the weather outside is...friggin nuts!

i had a wonderful holiday and find myself starting 2007 feeling much more optimistic and just good about things. it was very nice to have some time to relax at home and i must confess that i'm NOT ready to go back to work tomorrow.

my vacation started a day earlier due to all the crazy snow we've been getting around here. that allowed me some time to get packed and slide around town in my car on trips to target with mike. also got a long lunch with some friends, which was great.

my flight to dallas went off without a hitch. however, when i got to the gate to go to des moines, there was talk of the plane being overweight and people not going to get to fly for 72 hours. i, of course, was on their list of 13 people who would be stuck in dallas but while i was making plans for alternate routes, i got really lucky and was called back to board the plane. five of the original rejected got to go to beautiful iowa! totally felt like i won the lottery. :D

my time in iowa was pretty great. lots of quality time with family and friends and down time which i really needed. even managed to go to the gym a few times while i was home, though the diet pretty much went to the wayside. i'll try to write more about awesome home time soon.

my trip back to ABQ was also not without drama. i realized after leaving marshalltown that i had too much stuff and would have to pay extra to check three bags. so i repacked stuff and made sneaky plans to gate check one of my suitcases. this was not an issue at all from des moines to dallas, and i assumed that it wouldn't be one from dallas to albuquerque either. i was sort of wrong. as we were making our descent into the international sunport in ABQ, we were diverted to el paso. turns out a bunch of fog came to visit the airport and we couldn't land and didn't have fuel to circle. after refueling in el paso and waiting for over an hour, we were informed that we couldn't land in ABQ and that the flight would be going back to dallas. the problem with that was the fact that there were 72 people flying stand-by for our flight when we left dallas, which meant that the chances of leaving on the next available flight were slim and none. AND since it was weather related, they would not pay for our hotel and we wouldn't get our luggage. i decided to deplane and get a rental car and drive the 4 hours to ABQ so i could ring in the new year with friends instead of alone somewhere in texas. lucky for me a lot of other people had that plan and i ended up sharing a dodge caravan with 4 other people. the only problem was no luggage...including my gate checked bag...which had all my dissertation tapes and various other things that i didn't want to be lost in an airport. however, the focus became getting home while contending with fog and dreaded black ice. i got to mike's at about 12:10 and drank some champagne with friends.

the next day we went to the airport and found two of my bags...but not the one i really wanted...the gate checked one with all my dissertation work! LUCKILY it came today and that's a huge weight off my mind. now, i will hope my luck continues in the new year. i have an on-campus interview for a faculty position in st. louis that would start in august and if i get it then i must have my dissertation finished. if they make me an offer then i will do some serious rethinking about my current job situation. i also have a phone interview for a school in austin coming up as well.

so...that's all my news in a quick nut shell. now i should probably get some sleep for work tomorrow.

happy 2007 friends and family! :D

beer and bread for weight loss

so mike and i have both been doing the body for life thing, as you probably already know. i've been waiting and waiting to see some more tangible results and this week i was finally rewarded. I've managed to lose three pounds this week which allowed me to cross my first weight-loss threshold. AND i fit into some pants that fit last winter but then stopped fitting by spring. i'm not sure if this means i'm down a size...but it might. hopefully things will keep progressing, since my goal is really to get down one more size and to lose about 15 more pounds. (i have a feeling that could be tricky with christmas coming up.) the funny thing is that mike and i both noticed that after skipping the gym and eating steak and bread and drinking beer on monday night, we both woke up the next day having lost weight. what's up with that? :D anyway, i have lost 10 pounds so far on this plan and i think it shows.

lots going on this week. we have two holiday lunch things this week for work which i have to make stuff for. i'm meeting a new friend for happy hour after work tomorrow and some other friends are meeting later for a cookie exchange party. i have to give finals on saturday morning (woo!) and finish up grades quick. party on saturday night and god knows what else is going on this weekend. i can't believe in a week i'll be headed home to iowa for the holiday. i really can't wait for some time off though.

in other news i was offered a phone interview for a faculty position. that will happen in january. i saw a few postings for cool jobs at the community college here, including a part-time one with benefits that would be my dream come true! i really really have to work hard on the dissertation as you know from my last post, so that position would be so cherry! keep your fingers crossed for me, especially since faculty members don't seem to want to give up any funding.

feeling more holiday spirit this year than i have in the past. more on that in the next post.

i hate to beg

and yet...its what i just did. i emailed my committee members for my dissertation to see if they knew of any funding that would allow me to work less and focus on my dissertation more. now that i've finished collecting all my data (WOO HOO!!!), i really want to have the time to just transcribe and write. this is especially important since i have a phone interview for a faculty position in january (can i get another WOO HOO!). and it looks like i could get an on-campus interview at a different school in january as well. what this means is that i MUST finish this sucker relatively soon. in fact, i will most likely have to have it finished by june. june...6 months away. that's not a lot of time...especially with my 40 hour/week work schedule right now. so cross your fingers that this will work out for me. or if you are wealthy and want to sponser my dissertation, let me know that too. ;)

more posts to come!

dilemma

so, i was opening my mail and found a letter from the property management company of my apartment complex and it turns out they are raising my rent by $40/month if i renew my lease. even though that's not a lot of money, its way too much for the "amenities" and "service" i get. part of being able to justify living there was that it was under $500/month and now it will officially cost as much as my bigger and nicer two-bedroom apartment that i had in college station. this presents a dilemma. i have moved something like 14 times since i graduated from college (which is less than 10 years ago). that's a lot of moving. and yet, i would venture to guess that i could get more for my money somewhere else. SO..what to do. i spent some time looking at craigslist this morning to see if there were inexpensive places and i found a couple. i also learned that people will post pictures of the most random shit when they are trying to sell an apartment. for example: http://albuquerque.craigslist.org/apa/234380195.html did they mean to post a picture of a bird? is that really a selling point for this property? "live here and hang out with this bird...who will probably wake you up early in the morning against your will." weird stuff.

insert intriguing and profound title here

i had a great time in texas. i was able to catch up with some friends and i managed to get all the interviews done that i needed. i talked with 11 students and my goal was 10. so that worked out really well. the trip involved A LOT of driving, so i'm very happy that i won't be going anywhere again until christmas time. after i was done in austin, i stopped in college station to get some coffee with sociology friends and then headed to houston to spend the holiday weekend with mike's family. holy cow was it awesome. we ate way too much (but luckily i didn't gain any weight...nor did i lose any despite my evil scales first read this morning!). it was good to catch up with mike's family and to just get some down time. we even played golf on saturday and though i didn't do great, i did save our team a few times. :) on saturday/sunday mike and i made the long-ass drive back to ABQ, which was also fun.

now that i'm back though, it seems i'm even less motivated at work than i was before i went to the lonestar state. i didn't actually know that was possible. but i think after spending time doing this research and getting fired up about it, its difficult to get amped up about entering data into electronic forms ALL DAY long. i've applied for a few other positions and i'm still hoping something miraculous will happen so that the situation is different next semester. i was hoping i'd get to teach more classes so i could just do that and not do this full-time thing. but then i sacrifice benefits. so its either financial security and no time or more time and no financial security...at least in the short term. what i do know is that i MUST get the dissertation done by august 2007, so cross your fingers that i win the lottery or get one of the part-time jobs i've applied for (which sadly pay more than what i make full-time...bleck).

so, being back in the grind has brought on kind of a feeling of being lost right now. looking forward to an evening at home though to just relax and kind of settle back in to life in ABQ.

peace out.

fortune cookie

so, things are going well in austin. i should have 10 interviews done before i leave on wednesday and maybe even a few more people interested in phone interviews. :)

ate lunch at pei wei for lunch today and this was my fortune: "tell those you love that you do."

pretty nice, no?

so love to ya'll. :)

texas here i come

so after work today i will be on my way to texas to hopefully finish my dissertation interviews in austin. i'll also get the opportunity to catch up with some friends and to hang out with mike's family for thanksgiving. looking forward to that A LOT. weirdly, i'm also dreading and looking forward to the drive. i'm dreading it because i have to get kind of a late start and won't be able to leave ABQ until about 4 or 4:30. my hope is to get to fort worth and find a hotel, get some sleep and then it's a quick jaunt to austin the next morning. i have two interviews already set up tomorrow afternoon, so i'm hoping all goes well with the travels. so, i have some dread because i have a long drive ahead of me after a long day of working. BUT, i do like to have the quiet time in my car to just think about stuff or sing really loud or talk to people on the phone (i have a handsfree thing so no worries.)

i'm hoping this trip will be kind to my diet...though i think that could be difficult. i won't tell you about pounds lost or gained...since it's been at a plateau for a while now. but i do feel stronger and have some muscles. i can even run/jog/walk 1.5 miles in 20 minutes. sure...not that impressive, but considering where i started a few months ago...its pretty damn good.

if anyone is bored tonight and wants to help me stay awake on the ultra exciting drive through west texas, give me a call. :)

more soon!

updating the list

haven't done this in a while, so though its boring...let's see the progress. then i will write more later when my brains have woken up about how things are going. in a word...kinda busy.

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 (complete)
- Research design for NM project (I'm not doing this anymore)
- Lit review chapter (Joe says this is done, but i don't think it really is. And its not...so I will finish that one by the end of December too)
- Pre-interviews (complete)

Fall 2005
- Last two courses (completed)
- Austin interviews (ended up starting these in April 2006 due to IRB and time issues and will finish by December 2006 if all goes well next week)
- Write introduction and methods chapters (yeah....I need to do this by the end of December)
- Do some kind of OGS paperwork that I'm sure is required at this point? (completed)
- Take preliminary exams (Done and passed)
- Publication? (not yet...some are in the very early stages)
- Move? (Done....at least until August when maybe I'll be moving again?!)

Spring 2006
-Interviews in Austin
-Interviews in New Mexico
-Interviews in Chciago
*I started all of these and worked on more NM interviews in the summer. Now I'm almost done with this part.*

So I guess I need to add to the list

Fall 2006
-Apply for many many faculty positions (Mostly done)
-Make a job talk and sample lesson plan
-Write three chapters of the dissertation (hmmm)
-Wrap up teaching for the semester and plan next semester's course
-Finish data collection (just about)

there's much more to add to that list, but its mostly small stuff and stuff that i hope will happen...like maybe finding a better paying job here in ABQ and finally really cleaning my apartment and getting rid of stuff.

okay..guess I should do some work since I'm at work. Whatever though. :) More later.

holy exhausted batman

so, its my final night in chicago. i can proudly say that i am leaving tomorrow having completed 9 really really good interviews. if i get some people to do phone interviews then i will have wrapped up this leg of my research. somewhat hard to believe and i hope that my time in austin is just as fruitful.

now, i'm looking forward to dinner with some college friends and then an evening of relaxation and sleep. in order to get to campus on time for my first interview, i had to get up at 5:20 (that's 4:20 albuquerque time) in order to catch the train into the city. and i didn't sleep well since i had some things on my mind and was nervous about missing the train. i did manage to make it with a minute to spare. :)

this trip has really been great. i got to see jen and jed and their son ryan and crazy insane dog, daisy (who has inspired me not to get a jack russell terrier...no offense...they are just too high maintenance for me). jed and jen and i went to beautiful milwaukee on saturday night and had dinner with our duhawk friends chad, theresa, and greg at harry's bar and grill. we had way too much fun for sure. ("GOOD NIGHT CHAUNCEY!") we also went to a very cool german bar called von trier.

thursday i caught up with my friend becky who i haven't seen since 2003...and that hardly counts since it was only for a few minutes. we managed to talk and catch up for about 5 hours. :) we're actually meeting again tonight (with more college friends) and will have to resist staying up late. i think given how exhausted i am though, that i will likely poop out before it hits 8 in the windy city.

looking forward to getting back to my own bed in albuquerque and putting my suitcase back in the closet for a while....or a week. :)

anywho...that's all from me for now. have a good one kids!

crazy starbucks karma

so i'm feeling a little trapped at this starbucks in chicago at the moment. i'm in town doing research for my dissertation and can't get internet access where i'm staying. so i meandered in what i thought was the right direction to find this starbucks...and luckily happened upon it without issue. good karma from the get-go. but it gets better.

i order my drink and i get one of those "do our on-line survey and get a free drink" things. then when i go to pick up my venti percent hazelnut latte, i notice that i was given a grande (one size smaller for those of you who don't speak starbucks.) so that barista guy gives me both drinks. not bad but more coffee than i needed at 4 in the afternoon...so i figured i could take the other one back to my apartment and drink it in the morning.

after being here a while checking email and hoping to hear back from the many many students who have emailed me with interest in the study, i start getting cold. this is a rather drafty starbucks...mostly because its friggin' cold in chicago and every time anyone opens the door we get a preview of what it will be like when i finally leave. so i ordered a venti caramel apple cider mostly because it has no caffeine and i don't want to be up all night...but i do want a warm-up. to my surprise, the barista does it AGAIN! so once again i leave the coffee bar with two drinks. i currently have five drink cups on my table and i'm sure people in here, when they stop studying for a moment, think i'm the most wired person in chicago right now.

now my hope is that i don't pee myself tonight...that i find my way back to the apartment without issue, and that the many many students who have emailed me will actually have time to meet with me while i'm in town.

here's hoping karma stays on my side for the rest of the trip. :)

HAPPY HALLOWEENIE!! :)