Friday Five

1. Sen. Barney Frank KICKS ASS and says it straight.



2. I have worn my contacts for four days in a row. I feel like a superhero or something.

3. I am returning 13 books to the library, all related to The Thesis. I am not renewing them.

4. Buster shakes and gets nervous about EVERYTHING since being put on Doggy Prozac. We are starting behavior training with him, too. I don't quite know what to do with this dog.

5. In the cookbook I am designing, under the snack section, there is a recipe for a blueberry smoothie. It is called the "Purple Cow." (This cookbook is aimed at low-income folks with kids.) It explains how you can mix a smoothie together in a ziploc bag, then snip the end to pour it in a cup. It says, you can "milk the purple cow."

Milk the purple cow.

I cannot get over this. I am very, very tempted to delete that before it goes to press.

Happy Friday to you!

Warm and Fuzzy

Over the weekend, A. and I headed up to the mountains - twice - on Saturday and brought home two cords of firewood. A. went up again last night with a friend and brought back two more cords. We are all set for a warm and fuzzy winter!

Because of all the pine beetle kill, the Forest Service is thinning out trees on all the campgrounds to keep the tress from falling over and smooshing people/critters or from catching fire. This means getting firewood this year is stupid easy. It was so little work I felt like I was surely stealing it. Trees were already felled, cut to 5- to 6-foot lengths, and stacked. We were loading up our first cord when a fella in a Forest Service bobcat-thingy pulled up. He asked A. what diameter wood he was looking for, then puttered off only to return with nearly half a cord of wood in the bobcatpthingy's claw. Woot! So nice of him.

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Sunday, A. and I finally made it to another Rockies game. This was only our second of the season! Usually we have been to four or five my now. I don't know what has kept us so busy, but clearly we need to get more games on our calendar.  It was fun to go to the Cubs game; there were at least as many Cubbie fans as Rockies fans.

Then! We went to Jess and Torsten's! I am so glad to have finally met them. Actually, it felt like we had already met and just hadn't seen each other in a while. It was a comfortable, relaxing evening with friends. Wahoo!

What  a wonderful, smart, good-looking couple. They were so comfortable to be around because they are so happy and comfortable with each other. Montana is sweet, sweet, sweet! And so freakin' soft. And sweet.

We could have visited for hours, if only A. and I hadn't had to drive two and a half hours back to Wyoming. I am tickled that they live just down the road! (Around here, 2 - 3 hours away is pretty close.)

Wahoo! It was a great way to start the week.

Have You Ever Dated Someone a Second Time?

As I settled back into my office after a three-hour meeting on Monday morning (Gah!), I found an email from Thesis Advisor #2 waiting in my inbox.

All in all, he really like what I sent him a couple of weeks ago. He said I showed "tremendous command of the theoretical framework" I am working with, which completely made my day. His suggestions for Chapter 2 are clear and I should be able to handle those without too much misery.

If I am able to address the issues in Chapter 2 that he pointed out then the issues with Chapter 3 will be clear and pretty easy to deal with, as well. So, not too bad. I am not overly worried about this.

Check me out! Did you read that last sentence!?!? "I am not overly worried about this." HOLY COW, you guys.

So, yeah, I am in a rather good place with The Thesis right now. 

Except. 

Thesis Advisor #2 is going on sabbatical. He warned me of this, so that is not really a crisis, just a REALLY BIG BUMMER. I asked him who he recommend take his place as chair, and he said he "actually" (his words) recommends Thesis Advisor #1! Gah! Thesis Advisor #1 does have the best background for what I am doing, but.... shit. 

Thesis Advisor #1 has published about one of the spaces I am looking at. That should be a good thing. Right? Except what if he is so dead set on his own ideas that he refuses to acknowledge mine and what I have done so far? I am not worried about my idea getting tossed so much as I am worried about getting buried in a muddle of vague "ideas" and "suggestions" from Thesis Advisor #1. Like before.

But, before I was neck-deep in depression and anxiety. Maybe this time I can see through the shit, or at the very least, call him on it and insist on clarity? Wha?

If I do go with #1, I am going to explain up front that he needs to respond to me and my requests within a week or so. I am not afraid to do this. (Yay! The old me, the REAL me, wouldn't be afraid to do this, either. Maybe I still am a bit of a spit fire!) Maybe if I say this out loud so IT IS OUT THERE he will be embarrassed enough by his past behavior he might make an effort to be available. Maybe.

Thesis Advisor #1 does not like fiddling around with abstract theory. This IS The Thesis: fiddling around with abstract spatial/social theory and creating a methodology based on it to apply "on the ground." I think this is exciting. Thesis Advisor #2 admits #1 isn't a fan of abstract theory, but because that chapter is "really solid" I shouldn't have to worry.

Right.

Since the gist of The Thesis is to create a methodology based on abstract theory and simply uses this particular space as a testing ground for said methodology and is not trying to definitively explain this particular space, it should be okay. Right?

Thesis Advisor #1 is totally content to let me run on my own without bugging him, obviously. So maybe he will just help me finish and call it good?

AAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!

Potential Thesis Advisor #3 really isn't into spatial theory stuff I at all, and isn't familiar with the theorist(s) I am working with. But, she is curious and a bit of a dare devil, so I think she would be willing to dive in. However, given this, it may take longer to finish with her than Thesis Advisor #1.

Do I really want to chew my way through THREE ADVISORS? 

So much for the good place.

For now, I am fine tuning Chapter 2 and re-writing Chapter 3 and ignoring the fact that I don't have an advisor. 

What would you do, Oh Wise Internets?

Waterproof

I had to go buy some mascara over my lunch break because I cried all the morning's application off during my therapy appointment. I made sure to buy waterproof stuff.

So, yeah.

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I am toying with the idea of trying to work some of this stuff that is coming out in therapy here, on this little site. Does that make you squirm? It makes me a little squirmy. I worked long and hard not to know this stuff about myself. Why the hell would I set it out there for all of you? 

I think it could be helpful. If I am working through ideas and issues and digging up stuff, and knowing  I have to work through them at least competently enough for someone else to read perhaps follow along, I might dig in and do it a bit more honestly. You know? If I were to just keep a private journal I don't know if I would push myself the same way as if I know someone out there was going to read it. I could just quit mid-sentence. I could delete the entry and no one would be the wiser. Certainly not me.

Of course, this could drive the five of you away quicker than a cattle prod. 

I could just clam up and resist this inclination all together. But, that game plan is what landed me in the foul box to begin with. 

So.

What do you think? Good idea? Bad idea? Maybe a different blog for it? 

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I could use a piece of dark chocolate right about now.

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Happy Friday to you.