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December 08, 2005
4:42
It's the middle of the night and here I am, sitting in front of the computer. Did I just come in from a wild night at the clubs? Am I planning on a pre-dawn trip to the gym? Are digestive problems interrupting my sleep? One of these answers is correct, and has nothing to do with dancing or exercise.
Not that I have that much to say tonight, but I've exhausted my TV choices (ahh, Celebrity Poker, how I love thee) and I'm too tired to do anything productive. So I'll just try to remember the wild, exciting things that have made my life worthwhile over the past several days. Hmm, it does not look promising.
First of all, yesterday I had a meeting with the Ph.D. people at American University. The result was that now I'm seriously questioning my interest in another graduate program. I'd never been to an "informational interview" and I felt like I had walked into a special club where I didn't know the secret handshake. It was a little pretentious (or maybe that was just my outsider-looking-into-the-very-very-very-special world of doctoral academics) and I just didn't feel like it was the "right" place for me. For one thing, it seems a little silly to try and sell yourself for an exclusive program that--in the end--really means that 6 years of my life will be spent moving towards a career in academics, when really I know that I'm not particularly interested (or good at) teaching. Something about my intolerance for stupid people, many of whom seem to get into college with little or no problem. So maybe my chances in this program are better than I think.
Second, as part of a little self-appointed project, I've begun collecting updates from my former classmates in Sweden. The goal is to put together a little "where are they now" newsletter that would provide updates on everyone's activities over the past 6 months. I have to say that talking to most of them has given me a little boost in self-confidence. For one thing, it seems like a bunch of people are still trying to make meaningful career choices. Either they are still looking for work, have gone back to their old jobs, or have taken "other" jobs in hopes that something better will come along. So it's not just me--hurray! At the same time, most people are phrasing things in a really positive light, and I wonder what everyone's honest assessment of the Sweden program was. As I look back, I have to admit that while the whole experience was great, the academic program has not positioned me to be more successful in my career--which is super-ironic, since the whole point of the program was about "strategically moving towards success".
Third...hmmm...I don't really have a third point. Oh, I saw Vanity Fair last night. On a scale of 1-5, I would have to give it a 3. I wasn't a huge fan of the type of story (a little Dickens-ish for my taste), but the acting was nice and the costumes were lovely. On the other hand, I would like to recommend a troika of independent films, which I highly recommend for immediate viewing: Pieces of April, The Station Agent, In America. Taken together (or over the course of 2 weeks), these movies made me want to become an actress, or at least a film critic. Dear Reader, go rent them NOW.
Ok, I think that's enough for now. I'm going to crawl into bed and try to ignore the churning nausea and hope that I'm bright and chipper in the morning. There is a growing list of things to do, and procrastination does not seem to be the best approach any more.
Comments
did you get my life-report?
Posted by: gizmo guy at December 10, 2005 10:17 AM
I just got another request from you today to send it even though I sent it a month ago.
Posted by: gizmo guy at December 10, 2005 10:18 AM
please stop spamming me.
Posted by: gizmo guy at December 10, 2005 10:29 AM
