Oprah ends and so must I
Since my last blog post I have slipped comfortably into summer. Perhaps my most favorite season, since I prefer the heat to the cold, I have taken advantage of the slow post-finals pace of life. I finished my last final over ten days ago and took a couple of days off to catch up on laundry, cleaning, errands, and bills and get a much needed haircut. I sleep for nine hours a night and am eating lots of watermelon. Though the beach is not on my agenda (at least not until a trip to Key West in August), this fortnight has been all together very summery.
Love goes toward love, as schoolboys from their books
Technically I’m not done: I still have my Portuguese final Monday afternoon. But today was the day I decided to clear my floor space and return this semester’s load of books home.
Signs of summer
This morning I was stirred awake by the sound of pounding rain and thunder. For a second I thought I was in Florida and in the middle of a tropical deluge. There is something comforting about a nice hard rainfall, especially when you’re indoors.
Celebration Lunch
Between Friday and midday today I submitted final papers/projects for three seminars. Definitely an occasion for a celebration lunch.
Let me suggest John Doe
As more details come out regarding the operation to capture Osama bin Laden, we find that history has repeated itself. Namely, in the summoning of Native American-ness during battle. Said operation was apparently called “Geronimo” among insiders and when the goal was achieved, the Navy SEALS sent the message: “Geronimo EKIA (Enemy Killed in Action.)”
On to the next one
In case I forget to say a proper goodbye, I want you to know that the show goes on. Though my tenure with the Longhorn Confidential ends soon, I will remain a graduate student at UT for the better part of this decade.
A day without glory
In the same weekend a pope made his way to sainthood, the CIA’s most wanted man was found and killed. President Obama announced that “justice has been done” as thousands celebrate Osama bin Laden’s demise.
In the interim…
So I’m still pretty bent out of shape about The New York Times charging for its online content. Ever since the changes went into effect I’ve replaced the Smartphone App with the BBC News and NPR. However, nothing can ever truly replace Philip Galanes’s “Social Q’s.” I could just go ahead and get a subscription but I can’t reconcile paying for something when it’s free next door.
The Other Essentials
At the beginning of any given semester there’s a scramble among students to buy required books, make photocopies of required chapters, and download PDFs of readings. These are the essential materials for graduate school. Yet in my experience as a student there are a few key items that are just as important as the readings. Were I ever interviewed by Vanity Fair for their “My Stuff” column I wouldn’t list my favorite stationery or travel destination; information which, coincidentally, is available in some previous blog posts. I’d list the often overlooked “other essentials” that have made and continue to make graduate life bearable.
The 4-1-1
Last night I received the surprise of a lifetime. After working on a final paper all day I put in some time at the PCL to scan a catalog and pick up more books. Then I had a marathon dinner with a friend, drove into my carport, and after opening my front door had around twenty people scream: surprise!
