Discovering Television

Tonight I'd like to tell you about me and my roommate A.

She, like me, is a grad student and she is doing her thesis much like I was last week-->crunch time.

Tonight, however, we distracted each other from grading in my case and reading articles for class in hers.

We don't have cable because we are very poor and basically never watch actual television. This means our entertainment habits are characterized by the fact that I watch internet TV during breakfast and together we have been watching the same Office and 30 Rock episodes for the last 8 months during homework, punctuated by her excellent assortment of 80's movies.

Today, we turned on the digital TV box (yep! 4 solid channels) and discovered what has been on the television. It was both disconcerting and strangely alluring. We found Dancing with the Stars

It was creepy, but A was having fun deconstructing the dancers, the show and the cross advertising they were doing.

Then we got back to this

I finally convinced her to sit in the comfy chair I instituted at the kitchen table.

If she wasn't going away to get her Ph.D I might try to convince K that she definitely needs to live with us next year as well.

4.11.2010

Game Day

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Once again a beautiful Spring day found K and I in the park. We got a frisbee for the low low price of 2.99 at Target and proceeded to horse around. Since Frisbee is a kind of game, it was declared game day.

Other Games Included:

Show me your Broccoli

Climb the Tree

and Make a Zoolander Face

We had tons of fun and I am pretty sure I didn't get sunburnt, which is kinda fantastic

In other fantastic Spring news, I am in the groove again. I made some very delicious veggie and garlic herb tofu pasta and worked out last night and both made me feel whole again. I generally list Fall as my favorite season because I love the snuggliness that season inspires but I have to say I have forgotten how wonderful it is when it gets warm again. Abundance people!

4.10.2010

Whirlwind

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The First Weekend of my pseudo freedom has been awesomely crazy. So far it went:

Wake up go to campus to teach, grade, turn in copies etc.

Drive with K to Sister's and eat lunch and go to the park with Nithi

Drive to LS to get delicious Mexican food with Dad

Drive to Southwest Blvd/Westport to hit the town with J&K-->crash on futon.

Get up Today to make delicious breakfast burritos at the J&K residence and watch the boys build a computer on NewEgg-->Drive home and nap.

Needless to say it was really fun to see so many people again and feel something like my old self again. I look forward to adding to the list of people I get to see again in the coming weeks as I emerge from hibernation.

Pictures with Nithi: as usual the highlight of my posts

A little apprehensive of the tall man with the red beard.

Mom and Daughter are mega cute

Ok I have the cutest man ever

I'm FRREEE

The K Effect: Nithi couldn't stay apprehensive for long and eventually was smitten with K

Woo, what a fun weekend and it isn't even over yet!

4.08.2010

The Other Side

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First, lest I confuse people, I am not done with my Thesis.

However, the chunk of my writing is done. The process goes: I defend my thesis to my committee, they tell me what corrections to do, then I actually submit it.

However, I have the draft going to my committee tomorrow and that is a big deal.

Ta Da! A copy goes in each of my committee member's boxes, they read it, I defend it next Friday.

Also, I would like to show you just how much graduate school hates trees. Here is a visual of just the drafts that got printed (many were e-mailed to my advisor and "drafts" do not include the 90 articles in my data set or any of my sources that I had to print myself)

Sorry Trees.

So, you are nearing the end of my thesis updates, isn't that the REALLY exciting part?

Also, for your enjoyment and since I have no other news, I present a photo essay done over one of my hours of continuous writing sessions

10 a.m. in my office before teaching

6 p.m. at my kitchen table

1 a.m. at the table

8 a.m. at my table, no longer making sense

The End. Also, just to make sure you know I don't think I'm so special, I am one of four M.A. students that are defending this semester, and most of them are mega more rockstarish

4.05.2010

Dogwoods and Daffodils, Lily of the Valley and Grape Hyacinth

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These are all the flowers I saw on my walk to school today. I love Spring in Lawrence and will be taking pictures soon of the nature that abounds.

I feel like my Dad, when he used to take a million pictures of our garden at our house in Grandview when I was growing up. As kids we wondered, "What the heck is he doing? Where are the pictures of the people? Who cares about plants, Dad?"

I guess we learned some lessons along the way though, because now that I struggle to afford produce, I have fond memories of his amazing vegetable garden with bunches of fresh spinach, bell peppers, lettuce, broccoli, cucumbers, green beans, herbs and more.

Not to mention the rock wall flower garden and the deck he built himself with flower planters.

Now, while I spend most of my days writing away in either my basement apartment or my basement office, I understand his pictures and both my parents' hard work.