Vindication

One of my classes this semester is discussion-based (as I recently told one of my friends, I don't have that many tests but really every week is a test as you are forced to dissect and analyze the hundreds of pages you've read that week). I really enjoy the class, it's with my favorite professor and adviser, but somehow I keep ending up in arguments in the class, mostly with one guy. Now, I like to argue as much as the next person (possibly a little more), but I hate arguing for the sake of arguing. So, in order to put my time to better use, I made it my goal this semester to have the professor say at least once every class, "I agree with Marin." So far I am at 100%. Last week I was getting piled on yet again (I don't mean to be a lightning rod but somehow everything I say is controversial. How is that possible?) and I jokingly complained that I was going to stop talking. At that point Ann (my professor) pipes up and also starts arguing with me, but then suddenly realizes that she's actually saying what I was just arguing and says, "oh wait, I agree with Marin, stop piling on her!"

Vindication.

You Know When...

You know those times when you're sitting in class and there's dead silence because it appears that no one else has read the particular article you're supposed to have read, so you eventually venture a comment that you hope is correct based on the few things the professor has said (because you had forgotten about the article until five minutes before class and so only skimmed it in the most cursory manner) and all of the sudden you've started a fierce debate about the article and people are saying, "I agree with Marin!" and you're thinking "oh boy, I wouldn't do that if I were you, I was making all of that up."?

Welcome to graduate school.

Before and After

Before...

During...

And after!

Now spring has to come!

Seriously lucky

I'm about to finish my first semester as a doctoral student and I fully intend to write a post about that, but in the meantime I just have to say that I have been seriously lucky with the ward I landed in. Last week I went to church after being gone for three weeks (sick, Utah, sick) and I was shocked at the number of people who came up to me, asked me where I had been, and told me they had missed me. There are just really good people here, and they have been incredibly kind to me. It's always a pleasant surprise to be in a great ward because let's face it, there are some doozies out there (yeah, that's right, I said it.).

Also, as an aside, I just read through that first paragraph and ended up removing three unnecessary commas. Tess Morris, my high school English teacher, would be so proud. Her favorite thing to write on my papers was CS! which of course stood for Comma Splice! Apparently some things never change, even as a doctoral student I am still just trying to please Mrs. Morris.

I am now ready to be advised

Because I officially have my advisers! I am very excited, kind of because I said I would ask them this week and get it taken care of but didn't really believe I would actually do it. Look at me doing stuff I say I'm going to do.

Anyway, I spoke to my major adviser on Monday and she was totally gracious about accepting and actually even seemed pleased that I had asked. She is one of my current professors (in fact earlier in this blog I said that she was scary. Obviously I take that back wholeheartedly, she's actually a lovely person (and I'm not just saying that because I've hitched my star to hers for the next 4 years)) and she studies international norms and institutions with an emphasis on the censure of states when international norms are broken. Now for those of you paying careful attention you will notice the lack of the words "war" or "peace" in there. I've shifted my thinking a bit and I am still intending to study conflict, I'm just going to approach it on a smaller, less wholly international level. It's hard to explain and I don't have time right now anyway, but I'm excited about it.

I had to email my minor adviser because he's not teaching this semester. He wrote back this morning and said he, "has no problem with being my minor adviser." I know, it doesn't sound like he's delighted beyond measure, but since he has a reputation for being somewhat irascible and I half expected him to say no, I am delighted with his response.

Anyhoo, I'm a happy camper right now and feel like I've made really good choices.

Things and stuff

I just finished reading a book that was recommended to me by one of the few people whose reading recommendations I will always take (yes, I am a snob who carefully screens recommendations). I had time to finish the book because I have a terrible cold and so stayed home from church (and they of course sustained me in my new calling the one Sunday I miss. More about that later). The book is called The Elegance of the Hedgehog and it is a beautiful book. It's French, with all of the implications that come with that, and at times it got a bit pretentious for my taste (it's the disconnect between wanting something to be popular and yet obscure at the same time). The end made me cry and was one of those books that I want to fling across the room when I finish (I don't know, there's just something satisfying about throwing a book that has made you think and feel) but of course I had to restrain myself since I was actually reading it on my Kindle (best invention and gift ever).

I haven't written much lately and of course it's because previously exotic Indiana (heh) has become normal for me and I no longer think in terms of what I can share because it's all pretty normal. Also I've been busy. School is going quite well and I'm feeling like I have more of a grasp on what I eventually want to study. I'm going to Utah for Thanksgiving at the end of this week and before I leave I have decided that I have to have talked to my prospective advisers and asked if they will advise me (Purdue requires that you have a major and two minors and you have to choose an adviser in each area). I'm not looking forward to that partially because I hate asking people for things and partially because there is no one who is a really good fit for what I want to study. For my major I have decided to go with someone I think will be a good adviser rather than a perfect fit academic-wise. Cross your fingers that she says yes.

I also now have a calling. I am the Young Women's Personal Progress leader. This makes me laugh. I think it will be pretty delightful working with the young women, but I hated Personal Progress when I was a young woman and now I will be urging others to do what I only did very reluctantly. Such is life.

The weather here has been fairly good. Early in the week it was in the 70s and then dropped down into the 30s a couple of days later and it is now in the 50s. I think the weather is why I'm sick. My body has a hard time adjusting to rapid changes in temperature.

Speaking of being sick, I am ending this now because I have been sitting up too long.

Perspective

Grad student after finding out the printer in the grad lab isn't working and he will have to walk 50 feet down the hall to the undergrad lab:

"It's like we're living in a third world country!"

Uhhhh....