Monday, November 24, 2008

Popular?

Today I hit the pinnacle of my social life.

I now have 101 friends on Facebook.

Imagine that! Lil' ole' me, socially inept, perpetual wallflower, third-wheel extraordinaire -- has hit the magical three-digit mark. Of course, people who are truly cool will quickly meet and exceed my meager statistic, if they haven't already. (And if you are a generation or two younger than me, the popularity bar is much higher -- somewhere in the mid-500s.)

But for a moment, let's just pretend that I'm popular.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

No more juice


This is my brain on dissertation.

Photo by Petoo http://www.flickr.com/photos/22155732@N00/469759384

Thursday, November 6, 2008

This and That

My latest gimmick for getting my proposal written resides in a cheap kitchen timer. I set it for 45 minutes (which is often the longest stretch of time in which I can sustain focus) and work until it goes off, at which point I set it for 15 minutes of blissful "do whatever you want" time. Lately, it has taken me the entire 45 minutes to write one paragraph. I won't even begin to calculate how long it will take me to write the entire dissertation at this rate. Eek! Instead, I will use the remaining 11 minutes and 42 seconds to make random comments. Here I go!

A note on the election: Like many Americans, I was enveloped in the warm fuzzy feeling of democracy in action when I cast my ballot. It was a gorgeous fall day and living in a free and peaceful country felt particularly delicious. My giddiness turned to solemnity as I listened to McCain's remarkably gracious concession speech. Then there was the historic moment when Obama took the podium as our first African-American President-Elect as the cameras panned thousands of jubilant people who were witnessing the unbelievable become reality. I wouldn't wish his position on anyone -- given the perilous circumstances of the present, it takes a double-dose of audacity to think that anyone could manage the job. Still, I just hope and pray that he will exercise wisdom and statesmanship. And I marvel that despite all our flaws, America remains a country where transitions of power are smooth and peaceful.

Additions to my "less-effective" list: 1) accidentally flushing my contact lenses down the toilet, 2) writing a check for over $600 to my voice teacher to pay for my $15 lesson (thankfully, she didn't cash it)

Favorite comfort foods at the moment: 1) "tension tamer" herbal tea, 2) homemade hot and sour soup (chicken broth, ginger, garlic, lime juice, chili sauce, green onions, and mushrooms), 3) a plain old McDonald's hamburger with the little hamburger patty, minced onions, lots of ketchup, and a pickle, 4) caramels

Strange dreams: Although I haven't spoken Russian in years or even thought about Russia lately, I dreamt in Russian the other night. Go figure! My brain really must be in overdrive these days.

Number of great workouts of late: zero

Number of days sick with apparently the same bug: approximately 18 out of the last 30!

On that note, I bid you all adieu and return to my regularly scheduled program of dissertating.