Point of Reference

Livejournal just ate my post by switching me over to the other editing mode when I hit update. I guess this is what I get for not using Semagic.

I decided to try tackling the sidewalk today on my way to campus. This turned out to be a bad idea as it cost me a pair of jeans and some skin, and while I can afford to lose the skin, I'm not happy about the loss of the jeans, especially since I have two papers due next week and thus no time to go shopping.

In other news, I read today that there's a chance Roy Moore will run for president. I would be delighted if this happened, although I'm a little worried that his candidacy might push the Republicans even further right in their efforts to retain the conservative Christian vote.

The rest of this week is all about the papers. Next week is about finishing my thesis (I hope). The week after I'm scheduled to write the paper I deferred from last term (which I think will just be a rewrite of the thesis, with the professor's blessing--he feels guilty because he promised me until June and then the SGS made him back down and assign a grade by the end of April). I think I also have to fit another statistics assignment in there somewhere, and maybe a second theory paper. Is it summer yet?

I started an entry earlier, but then made the mistake of going away, during which time it was devoured by my browser. (Yes, yes, I know, I should switch to Mozilla and all bad things would disappear from my life.) This is a much shorter retread of the original entry.

The topic of yesterday's theory class was gender, which made for some interesting discussions, though most of it is probably already familiar to anyone who pays attention to gender issues. First, of course, was the discussion of how difficult it is to balance an academic career with children (something we all know going in and undoubtedly one of the reasons proportionately few women choose to pursue a Ph.D.). The average completion time in my department is 7.6 years. Even assuming a more reasonable 5-year completion, that still puts many women around 30 when they finish. Add onto that another 2-3 years (minimum) to find a tenure-track job, and then another 6-7 to actually get tenure and forty's staring you in the face before you're stable and settled, which many people like to be when they start having children. The professor of that class waited until she had tenure and then used her first sabbatical to have her daughter (back in the pre-maternity leave days)--she was forty-four at the time. There are, of course, other options. Many women have children during the post-doc phase (although that's risky since it interferes with the publications you need to get a job), some choose to have children while still assistant professors (and hope that they can do enough research to qualify for tenure), and some wait until they've done enough to be fairly sure of getting tenure (and hope they're still young enough to get pregnant and keep up with a kid). And of course, there's always the no-children option, which also greatly improves a woman's income, bringing it almost in line with what a man would make. About the only thing that doesn't work, or so I was told, was having kids prior to finishing the degree, because apparently the degree tends to fall to the wayside.

So where's the theory from the theory class, you ask? Maybe in tomorrow's posting. I'm now heading off to bed so as to avoid falling asleep in tomorrow's class (unlike a couple of my fellow TAs in yesterday evening's class, and it's probably a good thing we sit in the balcony where few of the students can see us).

( The music meme, gakked from semiotic_trader )

In other news, MacGuy is working late again and I'm beginning to wonder if he's going to make it home tonight.

Today was much less productive than it should have been academically-speaking, but I did manage to go out and buy a new sparkly black dress for the chorus fundraiser thing a friend talked me into attending next weekend. It should be fun--if I can get caught up on my work so that I can enjoy it. Speaking of which, I have a couple of articles I should go read before drifting off into dreamland.

Still at school. Buried in the basement. Really, really sick of statistics and wishing I understood it just a little better.

steninja, you should have come to visit me this weekend. I'm making yummy, yummy stew for supper! :P

Okay, yes, not as exciting as a multi-course Japanese meal, but still tasty.

Maybe tomorrow I'll go Moroccan, if I have time to cook at all.

(I love the little mood icon that goes with hungry. Sadly, the stew won't be finished for another two hours.)

Gakked from villagechick

You have just won one million dollars:

1. Who do you call first?
Hmm, probably my father. Someone in my immediate family, anyway.

2. What is the first thing you buy for yourself?
A laptop, since that's what I've been craving for the past six months.

3. What is the first thing you buy for someone else?
I don't know. Drag my entire family on vacation, maybe? Of course, getting them to agree on where to go could be difficult.

4. Do you give any away? If yes, to whom?
Sure. Probably to women or children's groups, but I couldn't say which without doing more research.

5. Do you invest any? If so, how?
Of course. I'd sit down and have a nice long talk with a professional.

( Selective answers to the TMI meme, also gakked from villagechick. )

We just had yet another false fire alarm. That's the fourth one I've been here for since I moved in here five months ago, or just under one per month. That's more false alarms than I suffered through in 1.5 years of residence. I'm not amused. Nineteen flights of stairs may be good exercise, but I don't have time for it today.

So what do you get when you put one MBA, one Ph.D. student, and one brand new, unassembled Ikea bookcase in the same room? Proof that the skills needed for a successful academic experience are completely unrelated to the skills needed to put together a simple bookcase. Yes, folks, it was another Arts & Crafts night here at the J² residence, and we actually managed to mess up an Ikea bookcase. We contemplated fixing it for a while, but that would have involved fiddling with nails, dowling, and screws, and that just seemed like too much work. After all, it still looks like a bookcase...more or less. I'm not going to post what's wrong with it here, because there are about six people reading this who have a decent chance of visiting me at some point and I want to see if you notice on your own. But do feel free to have a good chuckle at my expense. Just don't laugh too much, or I might invite you to come fix it. ;)

Gakked from villagechick.


You are the Girl Next Door. You're the sweet one.
The quiet one. The one that he doesn't realize
he's got until you're gone.


What Type Of Retro Gal Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Quiz taken from eunice_branca.



In other news, I managed to get the paper that was due today in on time, at the low, low cost of only a few hours sleep. Of course, I later learned that I was pretty much the only one in the class who did turn it on time. Ah well, live and learn.

And now I'm going to cheat and take the subway home rather than walk for fifteen minutes, because it's cold outside.