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July 31, 2006
maybe I am a crowded mind
Currently, I am a weird pot of feelings. I have a hand-full of experiments I would like to do in
the next two weeks, only one i have to do, and lots of time to do them. I have the future work
chapter to do. Easy breezy. I am getting really excited to defend. I am far enough away that i'm
not nervous yet, just excited. It is really strange to have spent 4 years thinking that the end
was so. far. off. that is so strange that it is 37 days away.
As I wrap stuff up, I am remembering how much I love research. I love the pace of my days. I love
the making of sample and the testing to see if you got what you wanted. Of course, life is bad
when you didn't, but when you do, when you have solved whatever obstacle you were chipping away
at, life is awesome. I love love love the flexibility of grad school. Of course, i can't remember
the last day (including weekends) lately that i haven't come in, but i love that i don't get in
until 10 (gotta get my run in), and I leave at 7. If i have something i need to do (appointmens
and such). I just do them. I don't have to ask premission of anyone. I am spoiled. paid
poorly. but there's a great parting gift!
I am proud of my work. I am also apprehensive to see how the advisor and my committee members
respond to it. For really no reason, except it is a reseacher's greatest fear for someone to stand
up and say that all your work is crap.
Posted by christina at 10:52 AM | Comments (1)
July 30, 2006
and so convinced and just too cool
When we were in Hawaii, I got a manicure and pedicure. It was my first one. The entire time I was really uncomfortable having someone do something I could easily do myself. I kept feeling like I needed to apologize to the girl. I don’t see how it doesn’t make everyone uncomfortable.
I also have this uncomfortable feeling about strip clubs. I don’t think people should be banned from going, I just don’t see why they do. I have a libertarian streak, so I think that if someone wants to strip or go see strippers and it doesn’t hurt anyone else, than they should be able to. It is an objectification of bodies (women, usually) and the concept makes me uncomfortable. I don’t see how one could go and not feel really uncomfortable.
Posted by christina at 4:16 PM | Comments (2)
July 26, 2006
it will rain sometimes
cuz i'm tired of editing:
current counts:
chap 1&2 3,896 words 24 pages
chap 3 5,936 words 39 pages
chap 4 6,634 words 51 pages
Posted by christina at 1:20 PM | Comments (0)
July 24, 2006
I won't let it go down till we torch it ourselves
hanging in there.
almost done with the draft. therefore basically done taking data. (ha ha. i say that know that i love data too much to quit cold turkey.)
Posted by christina at 6:51 PM | Comments (1)
July 19, 2006
didn’t you / love me faster than the devil
life is crazy. i've been working crazy hours. then jenny, my sister, got here and so i balanced the crazy hours with hanging out with her. balancing still results in crazy hours like 1:30 pm -9 pm yesterday, so i could hang with her in the morning and then work while she shopped with other sister (who is here for the summer) and then they all went to the game.
i went to the game on sunday. it was way to hot and it got way too stupid. for the second time, we left early. (the first being 2 years ago at least, when it was so cold i thought really that my toes were going to get frostbite.)
Posted by christina at 1:28 PM | Comments (0)
July 12, 2006
and the only way to beat it is to bat it down
We got our new cell phones yesterday, and my opinion of sprint costumer service was completely altered. We went on a Tuesday afternoon as I wanted to go when it was not going to be busy. I knew that the process would take a while, and even though it was an hour and a half, it was not bad. The store has a restaurant take your name and we’ll call you up system, which gets rid of lines and people impatiently waiting behind you. Our guy was knowledgeable, and even the things he didn’t know, his boss was right there to help. We combined our plans. We got new phones, which started all the good things. First, the rebates are applied there in the store. The last time I did this you had to lay out the $200 for the phone and then get a $150 check in the mail. This was an awesome (and logical) improvement. Second, the phone we had picked out (but couldn’t find on display) they did have and it had come down in price. They were only $50 (each) to use. We had gone prepared to pay the $30 more for the Bluetooth technology. Then the dude gave us a 20% discount on the pair of headseats we wanted. It was awesome. (i must note that with the rebate, our headset cost as much as the phone, but they are so worth it.)
Of course, they had trouble setting up my account. They always have trouble with my account. But they were nice and funny and we left with our phones working and Bluetooth headsets programmed. We ended up having to do the plan set-up over the phone. When ben did, they randomly gave us a 5% discount on our plan for the 2 years because we had to call.
Now I’m all giddy with the niftiness of the camera phone (my first one). I’ve never seen the need, and probably won’t use it much, but it came with the Bluetooth. I love the Bluetooth. It is so nice to be able to talk with catching the cord on things. And since it is illegal in Chicago to drive and be on your cell phone without hands free it is really worth it.
Posted by christina at 3:51 PM | Comments (2)
July 8, 2006
i feel as if i am looking at the world through the bottom of a well
duck butts.
We got back safety from our trip around the country. Utah was good. The mountains that surround that area are so beautiful. i totally understand why people live there. In my recent memory, i have not been anywhere else where you can see mountains all the way around you. The fourth was filled will grilling and 2 hours of fireworks set off by Ben's extended family. It was a lot of fireworks. It probably has been 20 years since I've been see fireworks set off (i.e. not the professional kind). I found a great park new the hotel to run in before we left on Wednesday. Running, i've found, is a great way to see the area. The parks in Orem (where we were) was quite nice.
Upon return, i freaked out as I hit the 6 weeks until my thesis is due mark. So i work. And I write. A lot.
i will always equate living in chicago with people hitting me.
This morning I left around 9:30 for school. I was sitting at a light by my house. It was an alternate route than I usually go due to a large truck in the street the I usually take. The guy in front of me at the light wants to turn left, I want to turn right. The light is not turning. We sit there forever. The guy behind me also wants to turn right. he gets angry and pulls out from behind me, hitting my right back bumper and keeps going! He turned the corner and was gone. I was stuck behind left turn guy so i could not follow him to get a license plate.
All I could do was honked at him.
I did not know what to do, especially since I was stuck behind the non-turning guy. I finally get the guy to turn so I can turn and inspect my car. It is not that much worse than what someone would do in a parking lot. It is a little worse than a scrape. I was so annoyed, but after my incident with the bus, know that the police can't do anything. It isn't over $500 (my deductible) so i'm not going to report or even fix it. seriously. this is ridiculous.
Then I went to the farmer's market before going into to the office. There is something about walking around amongst all the fresh food being sold by the people who grow it that made me realize that it is just a scrape.
Life is not about my paint job, but about falling asleep curled up in my bed with my kitty laying her head on my hand.
Posted by christina at 4:48 PM | Comments (0)
July 3, 2006
i've been everywhere
The puppy is Lilibee, Ben and Julie's awesome puppy. We saw Ben and Lilibee when we were in New York. This is my Ben and Lilibee. She thinks she's a lap dog.
We have made it to Utah. Steve and Jen's wedding was so awesome. It was perfect weather for the outdoor ceremony. The food was good and the music awesome. They have great taste in music. We admired their selections so much that we'll probably reflect a lot of them at our own reception.
Yesterday was all travel:
After my run around beautiful state college, we left at 9:30 for Pittsburgh. we took another way which was thought to be faster, but was not. We cut it close, but made our flight. We were stressed just because you never know how long a new airport is going to take. the lines could be that 30 mins we had to spare before boarding, and now days it is the bags that have to be there early.
4 hours in car to Pittsburgh.
Turns out, Pittsburgh isn't that busy. There was no line at the american desk (unheard of at o'hare). Security was quick. We has time to be sandwiches at the expansive au bon pain at not expensive prices. Pittsburgh airport definitely gets my cheapest airport designation, though was new and nice.
3 hours on plane to Dallas.
we had a lay over in dallas, where we met up with pete and had more sandwiches from au bon pain (we correctly assumed that everything would be closed when we got to Utah at 8:30 on a Sunday). Of all the choices in the dallas airport (which is HUGE), it was the best for the body.
1.5 hour lay over in Dallas.
3 hours to Salt Lake City.
So I live in a world without kids. The very few kids I'm exposed to are under five. On the plane to SLC, there were more kids than adults! It was crazy, but did not compare to the airport. It is amazing.
Everyone is quite nice here. We are staying in another Hampton, which I really like. The mountains are awesome. I really love the Rockies. Ben's mom's family is really big, and half of them aren't even coming. so many kids. so. many. kids. i was warned, but nothing could have prepared me.
Posted by christina at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)
July 1, 2006
the screen door slams / mary's dress waves
Central pennsyvania is quite beautiful. We drove through it to state college, which is also really pretty. I love college towns. Since all of my schools so far (and for near future) have been in major cities, I've never experienced life in a college town with cool t-shirt stores and yummy diners.
I stumbled upon a great running trail. i ran around the Penn State campus to the public golf course, around it, and through some pretty subdivisions. No sidewalk seams.
Stupid sidewalk seams in Pittsburg tripped me yesterday. I scrapped up my left knee and right palm pretty well. I continued with my run with little pain. My right knee was the one that really started bothering me. it is black and blue. I ran this morning will little pain, but walking to lunch after about killed me. So here i am laided up in the bed icing my knee. I want to be able to dancing at the wedding tonight so I am trying to be still.
I am pretty excited about Steve and Jen's wedding. Ben and i are the only ones from Northwestern. I think there is one other couple from Chicago coming. The wedding is pretty small, though since they both went to Penn State, there will be a lot of their college friends there. Steve and I have talked about the weddings a fair amount (we ride home together a couple times a week), so i am interested to see how all the planning comes together.
Posted by christina at 1:58 PM | Comments (1)