The Waiting is the Hardest Part…
Tomorrow at 1:00 PM EST, the Truth will be revealed…
No Vodka for Ewoks?
So Jon Gosselin broke up with his 22-year-old girlfriend. No wonder he raised hell when he visited the “Today” show a few days ago. WATCH IT HERE
El Día de los Muertos
Mayan Ball Court - Xcaret, Mexico
Happy Halloween
I realize that I obsess about grad school…the evidence is right here in my blog. Truth is, it takes up a better part of my life, and rightly so if I intend on making it worth my while. So, here is yet another grad school-themed post.
Yesterday, I visited my mailbox in the History Department (I do this every now and then, but not often) and found a nice little envelope with my name on it. I knew it was going to be there, so I made the special trip up to the 4th floor of the St. Augustine Center (haha…yeah right…you know I use the elevator). Inside the envelope was this:
Yep, my application for the comprehensive exam was processed and my fate is in the hands of these three professors. Honestly, I requested them and am very lucky to have that request honored. So, this is what I’ll be busy preparing for during the next three weeks. Keep your fingers crossed and I will see you in November (who is up for a party on Nov. 10th?).
Food for thought…
This is how the Allies won the war (I know these things, I’m a historian!):
Courtesy of “The Chive“…via Dave
The End of the Line…
Two years ago, I posted my thoughts as I was about to embark on my first semester as a grad student at Villanova. I expressed my trepidation as I entered a new school where I knew no one, only to find a group of (mostly) friendly, intelligent, and competitive students. The workload has been heavy, but quite rewarding. Tomorrow, I will be submitting the paperwork for my comprehensive exam and graduation. I am hoping that the comps board I requested is honored and I am hoping that I pass this stupid exam. My God, I haven’t taken an exam since my GRE! Graduate school has been good for me…I’ve certainly grown as a person. Here are some of the things I have learned in my 2 years in the program:
- I am not the BEST writer, nor do I have the highest grades in the program (unlike when I was an undergrad), but I am average. I am on par most of the others…better than some, not quite as good as others.
- It’s ok that I am not the best. I can live with that. But I am good!
- When I set my mind to it, I can knock out a decent paper, while researching a second and keep up with the assigned readings all in one weekend. It’s all about discipline…and locking yourself away from the rest of the world for a few days.
- Coffee is still my best friend and Starbucks is my enabler.
- Diet Coke is NOT a substitute for coffee when the coffee shop in the library is closed. I must learn to pay attention to their hours of operation and plan ahead.
- It pays to keep your undergrad contacts…they can get you a job when you graduate (or so they tell me…we’ll see)
- Not all established historians can write well and not everything they write is worth reading. They are not gods and it’s ok to rip them apart on a regular basis.
- Criticisms of my writing are not criticisms of me as a person. The way I react to the criticism is a reflection of my character, however. Listen to what people are telling you, weed out the bad advice and incorporate the good.
- Your critics don’t know everything either.
- You don’t have to know everything. But if you try, you can make people think you do. My advisor taught me that one.
- Make sure you love what you are doing. It’s what will keep you going when you’re in the thick of the semester.
While I feel that I have grown academically, I think I have grown just as much (if not more) as a person. I’ve met a lot of nice people at Villanova, but no one that will become a lifelong friend. It’s just not that kind of atmosphere, but that’s not what I was there for. I was there for the excellent grad program and the stellar professors. I will have fond memories of Villanova, but I am ready for the next phase of my life.
My Memory of Ted Kennedy
I never imagined the Senate without Ted Kennedy. Until about 15 months ago, I never even imagined him to be a mortal man. The Lion of the Senate, he was politically present for so much of our late 20th century history. I happily included a quote from him in my paper on the Sino-American rapprochement, as he urged the American government to take a softer approach to our Communist rival. A bit out of context, but it went like this:
In March 1969, Senator Edward Kennedy went as far as calling for “recognition, admission to the United Nations, opening of consular offices, withdrawal of US military forces from Taiwan, the elimination of restrictions on travel and trade, and attempts to involve China in arms control talks.“
Kennedy’s statement embodied the evolving opinion toward the People’s Republic of China, one that Nixon latched on to and won himself two elections. So as not to bore you further, I will stop with the history lesson. Suffice to say, I loved Ted and will miss him greatly.
But my favorite memory of Ted is a personal one. I had the honor of meeting him when I was about 12 and living outside of Boston. My father, as most of you know, loved airplanes. That’s probably the understatement of the year. We would often drive into Boston and park at the top of a parking garage at Logan airport and sit for a couple of hours watching the planes land and take off, as he tried to teach me how to tell the difference between the models of jets. My dad also liked to take Sunday drives. We’d get in the car and just drive, not knowing where we’d end up. One day as we were out on a drive, we stopped at Plum Island airport to see if anything was going on. A small airport with only 2 runways, there was not much to look at. Then suddenly this helicopter approached. As it landed, I remember how I thought it was really cool looking…purple and black, not very large. A couple of important looking people got out, I had no idea who they were. My father commented that one of the men was Ted Kennedy. I knew the name, but I was 12…I hardly knew what a senator was. So here we are, a guy and his kid hanging out at an airport minding our own business. Ted stopped and walked toward us. He looked right at me and said (I can still hear his voice), “Come here and shake hands with your senator.” I did…I reached over the fence and shook his hand. Not comprehending who he really was…again, I was 12…I smiled and said hi. He greeted my dad and left us be. So many years later, this is my personal memory of Ted Kennedy: a kid growing up in Massachusetts, out for a Sunday drive…he could have just walked past us and not bothered to stop. But he went out of his way to walk over and say hello to a kid and her dad. It’s not much, but it’s personal. Now, the historian in me recalls this memory every time his name comes up. It brings a smile to my face. But today, it brings tears to my eyes.
A latte by another name…
That’s us, at a Starbucks in Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Hey fellow Starbucks-aholics, would you go to a stealth Starbucks? Apparently, Starbucks is trying to compete on the local level by opening stores with more localized names. The argument is, and it is a valid one, that many people prefer small, local, non-chain coffee shops rather than the behemoth Starbucks. So now you have the giant, evil chain store coming in under a new name, attempting to fool you into thinking it’s also a small shop. It kinda reminds me of the Pepsi challenge…will you like it better if you don’t know it’s Starbucks?
Personally, I stay away from small, independent coffee shops if I can for one simple reason: consistency. I am picky about my coffee and I love what Starbucks serves. I found something that works and if I didn’t know a shop was a “Starbucks in disguise”, I doubt I’d go into it out of fear of paying money for sub-par coffee. You can walk into any Starbucks and order your usual drink…it will taste the same every time. My mocha frappuccino in Mexico tasted exactly like the one I got in North Carolina, which tasted exactly like the one I get at my local Starbucks. I like predictability, not a crap-shoot. That’s just my take. Comments?
Not that I need a reason to go to The Bell…
The Taco Bell chihuahua died yesterday at the age of 15. You know, “Yo quiero Taco Bell”…
So in loving memory of Gidget, Todd and I had dinner at Taco Bell this evening.
In an unrelated note, our order number was 666. So I killed it with fire sauce!
Yes, I wear my pajamas to drive-thrus. Who doesn’t?
Boredom + Exhaustion
= This
This was at Todd’s office last night after we spent the day with Lynn and her family at the Oxford Valley Mall (didn’t see any extraterrestrials there). I was beat and needed something to do to stay awake while he did some server work stuff. So, I took all his pens and placed them on a continuum from “awesome” to “caca” based on how they wrote.
Then we went home and I fell asleep on the couch.
July 4th in Chelmsford Rocks!
The local Rod Stewart guy (remember my post about Rick Larrimore? Here he is!) had his own float in the parade. Lynn sent this to me…she said he was singing “Some Guys Have All The Luck” in this shot. Gotta love the Rod Stewart guy!
Sadness…
Billy Mays has died. Every time he showed up on my tv, I rejoiced with a loud “IT’S BILLY MAYS!!!” Todd and I just love this guy! Many times I have sat mesmerized by his infomercials…whether it was the Awesome Auger (need it!), OxiClean (have it!), or my all-time favorite Big City Slider! Everyone is so sad that creepy Michael Jackson died, but I am seriously bummed out that Billy Mays is gone. I will truly miss this guy!!!
I make no apologies…
I’m not one of those crazy people…really I’m not. The story goes like this: my sister-in-law, who is apparently my partner in crime for more than purse shopping, and I were on our way to K-Mart and happened upon a Fox News van. As she asked me why they might be in the area, I replied that it was probably because of last night’s episode of Jon and Kate Plus Eight…they announced their divorce. On off-hand comment on her part about how since they live so close by to her, we should go find their house. Deciding that it would be a good idea to go down the road to Wernersville to get gas (seriously, we were that close anyway), perhaps we should just keep going and see where they live.
Move ahead, we are at the Sunoco and she mentions that she would like a Diet Pepsi and then mumbles something about acting dumb when she goes inside to buy it, I shrugged it off and waited in the car with my nephew. A few minutes later, she gets in the car, closes the door, and announces that they live off of Brownsville Rd. Apparently, she mentioned the news van(s) to the gas station worker and he replied that it was because of Jon and Kate. She acted surprised that they lived nearby (she cracks me up!) and he divulged that they lived nearby and Kate was in recently to fill up her gas tank.
So off we went, and you know what? We found it! Yep, we found it because of all the paparazzi! A nice police officer smiled at me as I snapped these pics from the car. We didn’t see anyone outside…just a white Nissan and the big van they use to haul around the brood. I wouldn’t have bothered them anyway…just taking an innocent look at the house.
Nope, not a stalker. Just a couple of women out enjoying a beautiful day in Berks County, PA.
 
  
Jackass!
This is what the Villanova parking lot looks like all summer long:
And this is what I came out to yesterday afternoon:
Thank you, jackass, for scratching my bumper! There wasn’t an entire lot full of empty spaces, was there?!
Yes, I left them a nice note telling them that they need to park more carefully. I was actually nice. What I should have done was point it out to the security guard, as the car had no Villanova parking tags. But I always think that karma will reward me in the end. I’m starting to think that’s BS. So, buddy, I know your piece of crap Taurus is probably paid off, by I still owe 17k on my car. Don’t F with it!
I feel better now.