I'm still waiting for the wedding pics. Rob and Lisa are on a mini-pseudo-honeymoon in Washington DC and I'm hoping that they leave me a CD when the come back to WI to pick up their dog, Riley. Until then, you'll have to be satisfied with these gems.
The wedding was amazing. It was completely casual and laid back, and it allowed for the most genuine expression of love to come through. I can't wait to post pictures - Lisa was absolutely gorgeous and the weather was perfect. We all sat under a giant oak tree in the meadow next to our house, and the congregation was asked to share their thoughts for the couple. My dad was the officiant, and he talked about how we were all a part of creating this new marriage, and that whenever we think of Rob and Lisa, we should send them our blessings. Then Lisa said her vows - I don't think there was a dry eye present. Once she finished, it was Rob's turn. He didn't say a lot, but the look on his face spoke a thousand words. I got a great picture of that moment and I'll post it soon.
The weekend was full of celebration, and I'm beat today, but I'm so happy for my brother and my new sister. I'm sending you guys my blessings right now!
I have about 4 hours of deep reading to do tonight, and it's already 7:08, so that means I can get a maximum of six hours of sleep if I do nothing else but read tonight. So of course, I'm blogging.
I just had to update you on my week. Isaac started summer school in Madison this week. There is a community center with a child care program in the little cul de sac where my new apartment is located. Isaac LOVES his school. I hope the transition to his new elementary school in the fall will go as smoothly.
I'm really exhausted this week with the start of my theory class, my return to work, driving to Madison daily (after getting Isaac up and ready and fed and in the car), and all the reading I have to do at night. But I REALLY LOVE MY CLASS. So that's good.
And my brother's wedding is coming up this weekend. I'm really looking forward to it - Rob and Lisa were here this weekend and they are both so happy, and I'm really happy for them. Plus it's gonna be a fun party.
But I'm tired. Today I went to (gasp!) Walmart to buy a 100% cotton t-shirt for Isaac to tie-dye at school (I made sure it was Made in Bangladesh), and I think I fell asleep while walking. Suddenly I realized that I had walked smack into a rack of clothes and my arm hurt and the rack was falling over. I have a huge bruise on my arm that is going to look great in my strapless dress for the wedding. It'll match the farmer's tan and weirdo tan lines on my feet that look like liver spots. Oh yeah, I'm gonna be a hottie for this wedding!
And yes, I'm tired. I fell asleep walking. And you're sharing the road with me. Hence the move to Madison, where I can ride the bus.
OK time to read.
We really ought to convert to the metric system. Here is a map that shows in red the countries that are holding on to the non-metric system of measurement (does it have a name?)
This is Zoya, daughter of Zeenat and Tanveer. Sometimes she smiles and looks out of the corners of her eyes and it's almost overwhelmingly adorable.
Zeenat posted pictures of Isaac and Raffae on her blog, so check it out.
Isaac and I had a great time. Here are some of the highlights:
1) Riding the Metro. Isaac loves putting the ticket through the gate thingy and I love how cheap it is, and I feel cool that I know how to use it.
2) The Smithsonian: We hit the National Museum of Natural History and saw the huge fossil collection, watched an Imax movie about sharks, and bought some DIY geodes from the gift shop.
3) The Fulbright Orientation: I absolutely love being invited to this conference because the people I meet are so incredibly awesome. I still struggle with a little of that impostor syndrome when I'm around these folks. This time I gave a talk on making the most of the Fulbright year through outreach, and I scared the crap out of the folks heading to Bangladesh this year.
4) Meeting of the Bloggers: I finally got to meet my cyber-friends Zeenat and Tanveer. I found Tanveer's blog a while back and started reading Zeenotes a short while later. It turns out that we have a mutual friend, and we've developed a casual blogular relationship since then. The visit was great and I enjoyed some delicious vegetarian food cooked by Zeenat's mom especially for me (thanks Khalamma!) I'm hoping Z. posts some of the pictures she took of Isaac and Raffae on her blog so I can link! (And I was completely mesmerized by their beautiful daughter Zoya. I love girl-children!) (AND there is a child in the world who is as picky as Isaac. Raffae and Isaac ate plain spaghetti for supper.)
5) A little bit o' activism: Isaac and I stopped by Senator Kohl's office for "Coffee with Herb". He hosts these meet and greet sessions every Wednesday morning and agrees to take pictures with his constituents. I wonder why he doesn't bother to come to Wisconsin to meet his constituents very often? I put in a plug for the Fulbright program and then stood by as members from the Campus Antiwar Network at UW-Madison (they happened to be visiting DC as well) asked the Senator some tough questions while video-taping him. In case you missed the link to the whiteboard protest I did a while back, please check it out.
I'm glad to be back in the Wilderness for now, though, and I'm looking forward to my class starting on Monday. (That's a lie, I'm dreading it.) I still need to finish my paper, I must think about moving, my brother's wedding is next weekend, and blah blah blah. I'm gonna take a nap.
First of all, the most important news: I just finished writing a pretty good draft of my paper! I call it a draft because although it's in "final" form, I have sent it to no less than FOUR reviewers for comments. I'm sure I'll have some work ahead of me when I get their comments back, and I still have to do the references section.
Second, I'm leaving for Washington DC on Tuesday. Isaac and I have been invited to present at the New Fulbright Grantees Orientation again this year. I love this conference, because I get to meet the new crop of grantees going to Bangladesh, and I get a free trip to DC! I'll also get to visit my buddy Kei and maybe even meet fellow bloggers Zeenat and Tanveer. (Will you guys be around this week?) We'll be there all week. I've got several museum visits planned, as well as a visit to our elusive Senator Kohl (whose office I occupied in a recent protest.) Since he rarely visits Wisconsin, I decided it was a good idea to visit him in DC while I'm there.
Third, and hold on to your hats because this is a big one, I'm moving. Yes, I know it's surprising, since it's been almost a year since I last moved, but I have decided that I can no longer handle the drive to Madison. It was a sudden decision. I had insomnia one night and realized that I was killing myself with lack of sleep. Actually, I've had some pretty scary moments on the road where my eyeballs rolled back in my head - although my eyelids were open I was definitely asleep at the wheel. I got out of bed that night and applied for university housing, and was offered a place the following day.
I'm really happy about this decision, but I'm dreading living on my own. I've never really done it, you know. I've always lived with SOMEONE. Now I'm really gonna have to grow up. If the toilet is plugged, I certainly can't ask Isaac to plunge it. If a bad guy breaks in, I'm the one who has to beat him with a baseball bat. (Geez, should I buy a baseball bat?)
Isaac will be attending one of the best schools in Madison, renown for its diversity. We will both join Tae Kwon Do classes, and I'm going to host a Hindi movie night at least once a month. And let's hear it for free internet!! And recycling!! And walking to school instead of spending 15 hours in the car per week!! Yes, it's going to be good. And who wants to live in the same place for more than a year anyways??? Surely not I.
(Except that I have to leave my precious dogs in the Wilderness.)
There is yet another announcement in the works, but I'm not ready to go public with it yet, since it involves approval by some Important People. Stay tuned.
My brother Rob and I used to LOVE He-Man and She-Ra. The new version sucks, but thanks to YouTube, we can enjoy gems like this one.
(Found on TransBuddha.)
And who can resist Lion-O with his weird growing sword?
If that's not enough for you, search for the Family Guy Meets HeMan and Family Guy Thundercats videos on YouTube. Oh, YouTube, how I love thee!!
1) Is it bad that I just ate an entire jar of dill pickles for supper?
2) How much is "200 grams of chickpeas"? (2a. - Why don't we use the metric system in the US?)
3) Do I absolutely HAVE to exercise in order to lose weight?
4) If I leave the end of my paper in a messy lump of fragment sentences, will my professor notice? I mean, it's already 29 pages. Maybe she won't read that far.
5) Why did Bill Watterson stop writing Calvin and Hobbes?
6) Why is it socially acceptable to paint our fingernails blood red, but if I want to paint my fingernails black, it's a big statement? Whatever happened to Vamp nail polish?
7) What makes french fries so damn tasty?
OK, so there were a few good things - I ate my breakfast and drank my coffee while sitting on one of the Adirondack chairs by the fire pit. I watched part of Sex and the City season 5. I got to visit my sister in GB, and even drove by the Domestic Nemesis's childhood home. That was great.
But, I also spent too much money, ate too many calories, and didn't work a lick on my paper. I got behind on some of my important emails. I didn't give the stinky dogs a bath or do any laundry.
So I made a to-do list for today. Looking at the list gives me a headache.
Feck it, I'm not doing it. I'm taking Isaac to the movies instead.
I've made some major progress on my paper, and I'm actually enjoying learning about the topic, but the sweet, warm breeze of summer has temporarily paralyzed me. I haven't gotten anything meaningful done for the past three days (on my paper, that is.)
However, I have enjoyed my morning coffee three days in a row, I've slept in, and read SEVERAL books for pleasure.
This weekend, I'm taking Isaac to two movies (Spiderman 3 and Pirates of the Carribean 3). We're also going to see my sister in Green Bay, and I'm hoping to help my parents do some fixing around the house to prepare for the wedding. Looks like I'll have plenty of things to do rather than write my paper.
My June 2 deadline is going to expire tomorrow. New deadline: June 8. Wish me luck.
After spending an anxiety-ridden Friday as a chaperon on the first grade zoo trip (Isaac cried three times* and the only other child I was in charge of watching ran off a few times and gave me palpitations**), I started worrying about my paper. I decided I couldn't work at home and went to stay at the Domestic Nemesis's apartment in Madison. She was gone for the night, so I stayed up and worked until 2 a.m. The next morning I got up at 6:30 and worked until about 3:00, at which time I realized that I needed to celebrate my A/B in Stats.
I recruited the Domestic Nemesis and HobNob, and we, umm, behaved ourselves for a few hours all over downtown Madison. Yay for A/B's!! And I love the Piano Bar!
It's so awesome to have a friend that's cool with you just showing up and staying at their apartment even though they are not there! I could have robbed her blind! I did her dishes instead. Hope she didn't mind.
After eating some excellent palak paneer at a new Indian restaurant, and later attending an important meeting on Sunday, I went home to visit with my siblings. Rob and Lisa came from MN and Page was here for the local high school graduation. I got to hang out with them a bit (but I'm sorry to say I was crabby - blame it on the paper!)
Today I'm working on my paper again. I hate this paper and I wish I was done with it! Actually, since I'm very interested in the topic that I chose to write about, I am kind of enjoying writing this paper, but I would rather be hanging out with my sibs or reading some of the new comic books that hobnob gave me.
I gave myself a deadline of May 30, but mabye June 2 is better.
* It was only my fault once - we were looking in a tank that was labeled "scorpions" and we couldn't find any. I said, "I hope they didn't escape!" and then I shouted, "Oh my God Isaac don't move! It's on your shoulder!" I suck at parenting.
** I generally don't like watching other people's kids because if anything were to happen to them I would not be able to stand it.
As you may know, my brother Rob and his fiance Lisa are getting married on June 23. The wedding will take place at our house, just to the east in a beautiful pasture under a perfect oak tree. Today I went for a walk to inspect the wedding site and enjoy the morning sunshine, and I found this strange edifice...
My first thought is that this must be a badger house. Has Bucky taken up residence here in order to eat my doggies because I refuse to care about Wisconsin football? If it is a badger, will he or she come out and try to eat the wedding guests on June 23rd?
Wendell, my critter sleuth, what do you think is living in my meadow? Maybe your dad, the PETA lover, will be able to help with some humane relocation of the beast?
Or maybe it's a sasquatch!!
P(Katie's grade is an AB)= 1-P(Katie's grade is not an AB)
= 1-(7/8)
= .125
But I got an AB! I defied probability!!
A celebration will be had this weekend.
My dad's hobby is community theater. Here he is on stage as Little John in the upcoming production of "The Legend of Robin Hood...Sort Of". The sheriff is searching for him, and he's pretending to be a tree. My dad is so funny.
Link via Rezwan.
Deshantori is a documentary about Bangladeshi migration. It's over an hour long, and pretty intense, but it really made me think differently about those reports of people found smuggling themselves into countries.
This week my mentor Dr. K. came to the Wilderness. She had a conference in Madison but stayed the week, helping me with assorted grad school tasks. She also cracked the whip a little and we worked on Nari Jibon stuff. She gave me some wonderful advice, bought me some new digital equipment, and generally encouraged me to keep slugging through grad school. Hooray for mentors!
Last night we drove to Chicago with my mom and the local librarian to this great bookstore called "Women and Children First" (Google it, i'm too tired to put in a link.) We had preordered copies of Barbara Kingsolver's new book (Animal, Vegetable, Miracle) and we got to see her read from the book.
While at the store, I found three other books that I simply Had To Have. HobNob has got me all excited about graphic novels. I'm reading Watchmen (heavy) but saw these Persepolis novels on the shelf and had to buy them. They are about a girl who grew up in Iran with Marxist parents...I'm not letting myself open them until I finish my paper!!
Kingsolver is always on my "favorite authors" list - the Poisonwood Bible definitely changed my life and got me started thinking about colonialism, development and the whole "US/THEM" construct. I then devoured every other book she's written. It was really great to meet her and I know this picture is sideways but again I'm too tired...see her autograph??? 
Here is photographic evidence of how tired I am. Today has been designated "Locate the source of the bad smell in my bathroom" day and "take gratuitous naps" day. I don't care that it's beautiful outside, I am going to recover a little bit of sleep/hygiene.
And last but not least, a sexy pic of Gina who was chair-dancing. Gina, thanks so much for freely letting me sleep on your couch, call you randomly and live vicariously!!! Hooray for girlfriends!
I finished my stats exam. That's all I'm going to say about that.
Now the only thing I have left to do is write a term paper. Once it's turned in, I will have officially survived my first year of graduate school.
In other news, here is photographic evidence that I've turned my child into an obsessive compuslive list maker:
 | "I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best." |
