"Absence makes the heart grow fonder"

It's been over a year since I last posted.  I'm not sure that anyone has actually noticed, but...

So, I've finished my first year at Clemson in the History MA program and am well into my second year.  It's getting a lot more stressful because there is a lot more pressure to work on my thesis.  Grad school is also a lot different than I thought it would be, and I don't really love it at all.  I'm basically just doing what I need to do to finish this degree and be done with it.  This also adds to my stress because I obviously don't want to go on to get a Ph.D, so now I'm left trying to figure out what to do with my life since I won't be getting a doctorate.

It's also been really hard being away from my friends.  I have friends in Clemson, but most of them are more like friends of convenience, rather than the close friendships I developed in college.  This is made even harder by the fact that I am terrible at keeping up with people long-distance.  It's been especially hard to be away from Anna and it's difficult not having a relationship even remotely like ours here in Clemson.  Luckily, my dad gets some frequent flier miles and I've been able to visit her in Louisville, and she still comes home for holidays.  Still, it's not the same as when we lived together and spent almost 24/7 together for four years.  I miss her a lot.

In order to lighten this post a bit, I'll share some excellent things that some of my students have written on their exams in the last year or so:

• Napoleon and Louisiana were the king and queen of France.
• Catherine the Great said "let them eat cake."
• "During the Enlightenment, the well educated people's lifes thinking change due to new information available but this vast increase in nollege was slow to trinkle down to the pheasant farmers who few means of communication."
• The country of Europe was struggling before absolutism because it had no government.
• Kepler believed that the earth was the center of the universe and he was eventually proven right.
• Napoleon was a leading factor in the cause of the French Revolution, which led to the beginning of the American Revolution.

"All is not butter that comes from a cow."

Thursday night, Laura came to Cola to visit me :).  Because the night-life in L-town is so exciting, we went to Rush's for supper, shopped for my uncle's birthday present at Kohl's (with my mother), watched some tv, and went to bed.  Woohoo!  However, the real fun came when we met Screepy (aka Anna) at Chik-fil-A.  Apparently, it was Cow Appreciation Day on Friday.  This means that all the crazies and the soccer moms with too much time on their hands dress themselves and all four kids as cows and descend en masse on the local Chik-fil-A.  As if that weren't frightening enough, the Chik-fil-A cow also shows up to take pictures with said kids and soccer moms. 

Too bad Laura hates people dressed up as things that they aren't.

And the guy in the cow suit may or may not have realized this.

So, at one point during our meal, the cow had been hanging out with some kids near our table, taking pictures and giving out hoofed hugs.  Suddenly, we looked up, and the cow was looming over us, just waiting for us to notice him.  Laura flipped out and screamed, "Oh my f**king God!  Get the f**k away from me!"  In the middle of Chik-fil-A on Cow Appreciation Day.

BAHAHAHAHA!!!


Finally, I'll leave you with a funny quote from Horrible Bosses, which Laura and I saw on Friday: "The key to success is taking s**t.  You don't win a marathon without putting a couple of band-aids on your nipples."

"All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind." -Aristotle

Since I have been woefully remiss in regaling my non-existent readers with stories of my adventures for the past few months, I decided that I would share some funny things that have happened to me at my new big-girl job as an administrative assistant at Buford Goff & Associates:

1. I work with my father.  Trust me, it's funny.

2. The only other person who works at BGA and is under the age of about 40 is a social recluse who likes to converse with me via email, but awkwardly runs away when we bump into each other in person...

3. I had a minor "Marilyn Monroe moment" with my dress when the air conditioner was out and we had set up fans in the hallways.

4. The last time I tried to ride the elevator up to our floor, I almost died.  Literally.  The elevator reached the second floor, then dropped (like, free-fall dropped) back to the first.  I jumped out of that thing like my ass was on fire.  Near-death experience number one...

5. I was delivering some boxes to a local architecture firm and having to walk in the street when the boxes tipped off my handcart and spilled into the street.  Lady Street, I might add, which is a very busy street downtown.  Near-death experience number two...

6. I got a paper cut so severe that I literally gushed blood all over some files the other day.  I like to think this was near-death experience number three...

7. I overheard a coworker describing how his doctor had cut several moles off of his back with a razor.  I then told the story to another coworker, who reported to the first coworker that he was scaring the help.  Thanks.  Thanks, a lot.

8. I was eavesdropping (again...) and heard a coworker describe Governor's Grant as the location for Real Housewives of Lexington (a valid assessment).  However, I revealed myself when I laughed so hard that I choked on my poptart.

9. We celebrated National Donut Day on Friday, which I was extremely excited about (if you know me, you know how I feel about donuts...).  After going throughout the office to make sure of how many donuts to pick up, I got on the intercom and demanded that everyone report to the breakroom to do their patriotic duty and celebrate National Donut Day.

10. Today, I may or may not have accidentally shut off the power to the administration department because I was running a heater.  In June.  Note to self: bring a sweatshirt next time...

Also, sadly, Anna and I no longer live together because her new husband will not allow me to move into their house... Therefore, there will be no more roommate quotes of the day.  I know, I know. Devastating.
Instead, here's a little snatch of conversation from the home of one of my coworkers last night:
Debbie: "Man, this sinus drainage is really killing me."
Isabelle: "Well, Mommy, why aren't you dead then?"

“Music takes us out of the actual and whispers to us dim secrets that startle our wonder as to who we are, and for what, whence, and whereto.” - Emerson

I haven't posted in a while and, as you know, I'm a professional procrastinator, so I thought I'd share with you my latest brilliant creation: one of the best playlists of all time.  That's right, I said it.  There's just something about these songs.  And when you combine them.... Whew.  Musical orgasm.  Well, maybe not.  But I think it's pretty great.  Here is the list:

1. "Kaleidoscope Heart"- Sara Bareilles
2. "Poison & Wine" - The Civil Wars
3. "Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car" - Iron & Wine
4. "Two Weeks" - Grizzly Bear
5. "(I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight" - Cutting Crew
6. "Pursuit of Happiness" - Kid Cudi
7. "Somewhere with You" - Kenny Chesney
8. "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" - Arcade Fire
9. "If the Moon Fell Down (ft. Colbie Caillat)" - Chase Coy
10. "Edge of the World (A Children's Song)" - Mat Kearney
11. "Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.)" - Monsters of Folk
12. "Violin" - Amos Lee
13. "Hold it Against Me" - Britney Spears
14. "Take on Me" - A-Ha
15. "Blue Ridge Mountains" - Fleet Foxes
16. "Marry Me" - Train
17. "Keep Breathing" - Ingrid Michaelson
18. "I'm a Fool to Want You" - Billie Holiday
19. "Need You Now" - Glee Cast

“And when the future hinges on the next words that are said, Don't let logic interfere, believe your heart instead” - Philip Robison

So here's the latest of the recent stressors in my life:

My plans for next year have been thwarted.

And the weirdest part is, they weren't even real plans.  They were tentative plans.  Let me explain.  I've been feeling pressure to make some serious decisions about my career and future life.  I have really been struggling with this decision, trying to choose between becoming a technical writer or the decidedly more difficult task of becoming a history professor.  Recently, I had essentially decided on pursuing a masters in history at Clemson University and determining whether or not to go on and get a Ph.D after finishing an MA.  Although I don't think that I would be a terrible technical writer, I've always loved history and traveling, and I feel like being a history professor would allow me to continue to learn about and see things that I would not have to opportunity to learn about or see otherwise.

However, becoming a history professor is a long and hard process, much longer and harder than pursuing an MA in communications and becoming a technical writer.  Although the idea of being a professor sounds great, it is scary to think about going to school for so long and working so hard.  Also, as a history professor, finding a job would be hard and I would have to face possibly living very far away from my family.

It has been pretty difficult for me to commit to my decision to pursue this career path for these specific reasons.  Anyway, I spoke with my advisor, whom I trust deeply, about my plans to go to Clemson for two years to get an MA in history.  Imagine my surprise when he urged me to reconsider!

Before you get the wrong idea, let me just say that he did not question my decision to pursue history and getting a Ph.D.  He merely suggested that I consider other programs which would allow me to get an MA and a Ph.D simultaneously in a shorter amount of time.  Although this is a good idea and would cut down tremendously the years I would spend trying to get a doctorate, the majority of the schools with an Irish historian and a Ph.D program are not close by.

And their application deadlines have already passed.

This throws a pretty serious kink in my plans of going to grad school in the fall.  So now, I'm faced with either going to Clemson after all and taking longer to get my doctorate, or take a year off and wait to apply for the next year.

The good news is, I've discovered a program at Queen's University in Belfast that offers a MA or a diploma in Irish Studies in a year.  This means that I could live in Ireland and study Irish history and anthropology while waiting to get into a Ph.D program.  As exciting as it might be to live in Ireland, it is also a scary prospect to live so far away from my family and friends for so long.  Mostly, I feel like it's a really good opportunity and maybe I need to be stretched as a person and taken out of my comfort zone.

Anyway, these are some pretty significant decisions I'm being faced with.  I'm praying that God will bring me clarity and either open or close some doors to help me make some of these decisions with more comfort...

“Sunshine cannot bleach the snow, nor time unmake what poets know.” - Emerson

So we're back from Christmas break, unfortunately.  I super love having that time at home to spend with my family and relax after what is usually a very stressful last few weeks of fall semester.  This year, I seemed especially stressed because I had to wrap up my senior seminar for my history major.  I didn't think that I was that stressed about it, but I started losing my hair.

Clearly, I severely underestimated my stress level.

Anyway, I had a good Christmas break, even though it felt super short this year.  It was also an emotionally turbulent time since I felt like it was my last real Christmas at home.  I'm pretty serious about maintaining traditions, especially around holiday times, so the prospect of no longer living with my parents and celebrating Christmas the way we always have was a struggle for me.  My family is also going through some significant changes, which will probably also affect our holiday traditions, so it was pretty hard for me to come to grips with the fact that my childhood is essentially over and everything is going to change.

Literally, everything is changing.  I'm graduating college, I will no longer be in a position where I see my friends all day every day, I probably won't be living in my childhood home at all anymore, some of my best friends are married or are getting married very soon, some are moving to different parts of the country and even the world, we're getting jobs, etc.  I've never responded to change very well, and these are some pretty significant changes.

Anyway, over Christmas break, I went to Washington DC with Campus Outreach.  It was an awesome time to learn more about God with some of my best friends.  I think we were all challenged during the week and that we all learned a lot about ourselves and about the Lord. I became more committed to really relying on God for my happiness and my strength, rather than my earthly relationships.  Even though they are important, they are relationships with sinful humans who will let me down, whether purposefully or not, and they will never be able to satisfy me.  I was confronted with the fact that I believe the lie that I need a husband to make me happy and that God is holding out on me by not providing me with a man.  Jesus is so much sweeter and more satisfying than a human man could ever be, even if he were the perfect man for me.  That's something I often struggle with, and it was good to be reminded of the truth when the world around me often encourages me to believe the lies of Satan.

The other day, I studied Psalm 69:1-13 in my quiet time.  The word that I found myself using the most to describe this passage is "beautiful."  It is a beautiful picture of salvation and the worth of God.  David is declaring his love for the Lord, even though he is being persecuted for it.  It shows that we, as believers, are not exempt from suffering: "For it is for Your sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has covered my face (7)... and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me (9)."  However, despite being reproached, he claims that "zeal for Your house has consumed me (9)."  How many of us can claim that zeal for God has consumed us?  And David continues to persevere and pursue the Lord because he recognizes God's infinite worth.  I was convicted of the fact that I am more concerned with my reputation among those I live with and my sorority sisters than I am in reveling in God's worth.  I often forget that Christ's sacrifice is far more precious than how others think of me.  Anyway, this was just something that I found particularly beautiful and interesting and pertinent.  I hope someone else can learn something from it by reading this.

On a lighter note...

Although we are back at school, we are not really back at school since this is the second snow day we've had this week.  That's right folks, it has legitimately snowed in Clinton, South Carolina (and by legitimate, I mean about six inches).  This is probably the most natural snow I've ever seen in my life.  Calhoun House had a pretty good time yesterday playing in the frosty, white goodness. We were spectators of a particularly epic snowball fight in front of the dining hall, attempted to sled down a hill on Rubbermaid bin lids (not very successfully, I might add), built a sweet snowman in the front yard, and watched some Pride & Prejudice in the cuddly warmth of our beds.  We also made a fairly risky venture to Waffle House last night for some breakfast for dinner.  It was a good bonding time for the house mates.  Today has not been as fun, as the roads are iced over, the dining hall ran out of food, and we had to make a rather treacherous trek to McDonalds on foot... dangerous.

Here are a few photos of what we at Calhoun like to call the Great Blizzard of '11:

The Calhoun mansion itself in all of its snowy glory

Anna and me outside the house

Housemates in the snow

Neville

A closer look

Our snowman

Roommate quote of the day: "This is how I got stuck in my pants last night..."

How did this happen?

So, I'm home for Thanksgiving break. With all of my new-found free time, I decided to watch some afternoon tv. This should probably be listed as mistake number one. Afternoon tv is not necessarily known for being noteworthy or educational... Anyway, I ended up watching some Dr. Phil. Let's go ahead and call this mistake number two. Today's episode addressed bullying, specifically an incident in which four 18 yr old boys forced a 15 yr old boy (whom they had bullied for weeks) and forced him to get a homosexual slur tattooed on his rear end in a basement, threatening him with physical beatings and shooting him with a bb gun. When they were arrested and convicted of assaulting a minor, one of the boys and his mother complained that he had been victimized by the media and that he should not have been expelled from school.

Seriously?

Seriously.

I am so tired of people not taking responsibility for their actions. I mean, this boy forced a younger boy to get a permanent tattoo on his ass, and he's claiming that he's a victim?! Unbelievable.

I think this especially bothers me because I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Recently, some students at my school were caught vandalizing a statue on campus. This was a beautiful celtic cross statue created by one of the art professors. Apparently, these guys got drunk and thought that it would be funny to push the cross over, breaking it off of the base. I was so frustrated that these boys did not respect that this was something that someone else had created and worked really hard on.

When did people stop caring about others? Why do people think that anything is ok, as long as they're having fun? I feel like nobody cares about how their actions are going to affect others.

Hopefully, I'll have a cheerier post next time.

And hopefully I'll stop watching Dr. Phil in my downtime.