I now have an ugly Boston Terrier(ish) with a smushed in face and bad breath. She is delicately named Molly. Santa Cory caved and got her for me when he realized it would eventually happen, anyway.
She's ridiculous. Having lived here for three weeks, she is finally mastering the difficulties of transitions.. how to tell green shag carpets from grass; why eating bobby pins is NOT a suitable past time; and how to sneak into my bed in the middle of the night, climb under the covers without waking me up, and maneuver so when my alarm goes off, my arm is wrapped around her, and her little lazy face on my pillow.
Most importantly, she's been my saving grace through the ups and downs of grad school. We (me and my to-be PhD) have a love-hate relationship. This term, it was a bit more hate than love. However, I know that the academic side of school is a means to an end... and that's the part that "gets to me." I like the research, I like the teaching. I like interacting with the Oranges (USC undergrads turn orange in the fall - thanks, tanning beds). I like critically thinking with my "colleagues" and playing with kids in the schools. I like autism. SO I like all of the things about grad school that will be sticking around into my future. It's the grading and constant list of "far off" to-do's that gets me down sometimes. It's a little intense.
Molly makes me take breaks -- we go for walks, we sit downtown at Starbucks and grade exams... we dance around the living room (no, really. She can do three pirouettes on her hind legs without putting her forearms down). We don't get a lot of free time, so it's nice to have a work buddy.
Overall, it's been a fun term -- I've met some fabulous people, made good grades, had some great weekend adventures.. I miss my college friends, though. And I miss Cory. And I miss having time to cook and paint and sleep :) Next term will be better. Now that I know the general routine -- what to work hard on, where I need to slack off -- I can better manage how everything is going to go.
I'm almost done, though, and Christmas break will feel sooo good. I have 70 more final essays to grade, then its just updating the gradebook and averaging things out. The end is sooo close!
Grad school doesn't leave much time for adventures, so I think that's what I miss most. Columbia is low key and comfortable -- I keep finding myself on travelocity in the middle of the night looking for SOMETHING exciting. We're traveling a lot this spring -- I'll be presenting in Anapolis and Chicago (and small chance I'll go to Philli)... so getting out of here will be good.
I don't like being single here, but I think Columbia will be a good place to start our married life. There's actually a surprising amount of things to do, and it's not very expensive. I'm just not going to go out on my own and meet a whole bunch of people (outside of people I meet through school) -- it's easier with a buddy.
I miss my buddy. But hey -- at least football season is over :)
Cory's coming in a few hours, and we have a lovely ugly sweater party tonight! Molly got an invite, but I'm not sure if I trust her in other people's houses yet -- she has no inhibition -- loves to explore and climb in people's beds and eat things she finds on the floor. She doesn't have very good manners yet...
So off to get ready, run errands, grade, find sweaters (Cory claims he's not dressing up. I claim he's wrong)...
More soon!
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