Something good in Texas?

Finally something good has come out of Texas (lets try and forget Hicks & Gillette all you LFC fans). The courts decided that the claims to take the sect children was baseless, so lets hope that they can be return as soon as possible. It just goes to show that, again, that Texas brashness needs to be reigned in. The cowboy attitude should be left to John Wayne movies.

f’ed in the a for the third year

so for the third year running I have been denied funding from the department, but it is more the university’s fault. i know there is a hierarchy for who gets funding, but one would think that I could get SOMETHING. it does make me feel neglected or forgetten; but I know that is not true. I had some great letters of recommendation written for me, and that is nothing to scoff at. So I guess I will do what I have been doing—making the best of a shitty, neglected situation and forging ahead, albeit with NO classroom experience which, let’s face it, has got to be over rated, right?! How needs experience in the field you are going into? Not I damnit!! <heavy sigh>

katrin’s birthday…day

so, twas a nice day to spend with katrin. enjoyed pancakes for breakfast, a chicken philly for lunch, did some grocery shopping, worked out, and then made a delicious dinner: a kind of free-form florentine lasagna. it was great. all in all a wonderful day with the wife, and (i hope) a great birthday for her. sundays have become our day, so it is nice to share them. till later, cheers. 

looking up the face of the mountain

started collecting articles and books for the dissertation reading list. things are going to be crazy till the end of the year. lots of reading; lots of writing; lots of mental hurt. got a really interesting book on perception called Art, Perception, and Reality. That is the newest school related book. My fun book is The Ball is Round. This is a great book on the history of global football (soccer). It has been a great stress reliever these past few weeks. More to come as things move along in the dissertation process.

the moose family cometh

so it came to pass that once every…well once in a while, the moose family came down from their western new york semi-palatial bungalow to mix it up with their dispersed western new yorkers now living in eastern new york. it would be a great affair, with bananas and microwave pancakes, guac and apricot wheat, and an in utero chicken wang con la familia. how grand! the little moose darn cute, although she had some “standing” issues. we shall see if she is able to master the ancient greek art of balancing while standing upright! (check Aristotle’s Posterior Analytics for the conclusion!)

what’s wrong with us

watching commercials on television has provided me with a glimpse at what is wrong with this country (possibly much of the “developed” world). we don’t pay for things with money that we have. there are countless commercials for things that allow ‘no payments’ or ‘no interest’. we don’t have to pay a thing…now. it is amazing how much credit card debit we are in. i thought that my debit was bad, but hearing how much debit others are in has blown my mind. i get nervous at a couple hundred dollars—but other people have thousands of dollars of debit. perhaps it was my parents advice not to spend what you don’t have; or maybe it was the fact that i have always had to work for my money, and although i don’t allows spend it wisely, i have never been one to spend frivolously. i splurge randomly and sporadically. well, i will continue to spend wisely, albeit on single, spaced out purchases, possibly of the alcoholic variety. cheers to all.

run, coffee, the Black Keys

went for a brisk 28 minute interval run; worked the abs; drank a large iced coffee; tuna sandwich with carrots and humus; did the dishes to the new Black Keys album “Attack and Release”. not bad. wish the Katester were home, but Nannying it up. not much else to report. very uneventful. hopefully i will make this a reoccurring habit. cheers.

Temporary freedom

Wow—has it been that long since I posted? Oh, thats right, I sort forgot about this whole blogging thing. Since the comps have been done it has been quite nice to not have any work of ANY KIND over my head. I can just read a book, workout, play wii, or (most importantly) hang out with Katie. My runs have been more frequent; done a couple 5k’s, a 5 miler with Katie, and a few harder mile/intervals to get a feel for my base mile time (currently standing at 6:25). So I hope that I can continue this through the rest of the spring/summer when it gets really hot. I am not a big fan of running in humid weather, but if “the global warming” is coming I must be able to out run it. Nuff said.

(sigh)

well, the hell of the last two weeks is over. I have spent 6 months studying for the comps and at least one ended in fucking shame. not much else to do but hold my head up and continue the work. press on in the face of aburdity.
one ray of hope and sunshine in the midst of it all. watched to kill a mockingbird with gregory peck. i was stopped in my seat (is that possible?) the way it was shot, the screenplay, the acting…it was stunning. well deserving of the oscar for best actor.
so let us leave this episode with a serious moment: vagina…that is all.

Feeling F’d in the A

So the History Comp is next Monday. Trying to keep the flame burning.
Thought I’d add a word of the day, for shits a giggles:

JeJune - adjective
1. without interest or significance; dull; insipid: a jejune novel.
2. juvenile; immature; childish: jejune behavior.
3. lacking knowledge or experience; uninformed: jejune attempts to design a house.
4. deficient or lacking in nutritive value: a jejune diet.
[Origin: 1605–15; < L jéjūnus empty, poor, mean]