Slishity-slosh:

I opened my eyes

And looked up at the rain,

And it dripped in my head

And flowed into my brain,

And all that I hear as I lie in my bed

Is the slishity-slosh of the rain in my head.

I step very softly,

I walk very slow,

I can't do a handstand--I might overflow,

So pardon the wild crazy thing I just said--

I'm just not the same since there's rain in my head.

Shel Silverstein

I can't think OR concentrate OR work on anything related to school. And I literally have two of the most important papers of my undergraduate career due soon. The DEADline is looming...I can feel it's breath on the back of my neck--but NOTHING.

Why so important? They are my last papers. My brain and fingers are working together to stop it all from happening. IT being the end. It's frustrating. It's ridiculous.

I am going to blame it on the rain. What else could it be?

~~J

Is that YOU, George Newbern?

Paul Rudd? George Newbern?
Other than being confused for one another in movies or television, guess what else they have in common? COMMERCIALS!

So in honor of being the very first site which comes up if you search "Paul Rudd George Newbern" in GOOGLE, I bring you examples of their marketing roles. (You should try it!)

Now which one do you think had the better commerical?

~~J

Give Me a Beat:

Now that I've titled this post, all that is going through my head is...

the beginning of Nasty Boys by Janet Jackson...

I owned the cassette tape, yes, the CASSETTE TAPE circa 1987.

There is a picture of me with a Walkman listening to it. I was nine years old.

Hunting down aforementioned picture would be a lovely way to spend the next few hours.

I don't have time though (or the software installed to scan the photo--maybe one day).

Cost to Apply to Graduate School:
*GRE: $150 + $100 to send scores to appropriate schools
*Application Fees (10 schools): $365
*Transcripts: $112.50

and I haven't even printed out all of my work for the accompanying portfolios--then there is the mailing cost. Oy Vey.

Am I complaining? Not exactly. I will come April if I don't get any good news in the mail--but I'm not even going to think about that. I'm just writing (typing) it down and keeping a record.

You spin me right round, baby right round like a record, baby right round round round --Dead or Alive

WOW! Such a musical day. And it's all thanks to my marching band girls (majorettes) up there--picture from Square America.

Now you know I have work to do, tons of it. BUT I can say that I finally finished a short story I've been working on since May. A first draft of it, but now it can be workshopped. Whew! So technically my work is done for one class.

I have three to worry about. Just three. ARRRGGGHHH!

~~J

Ain't Much Goin' On--

Just tryin' to finish my song*

(squareamerica)

*degree & applications go here, but they don't rhyme,
so it's not as much fun as using the word: SONG

I'm not looking at any calendars, BUT

I can tell ya that time is getting away from me.

Nevertheless, I am feeling optimistic.

Hopefully not too much so.

More than thirteen years ago, I was very

much convinced that this degree would be done

by the turn of the new millennium.

Then again, less than nine years ago, I was sure

this degree would never happen in a million years.

So maybe I'm right on time.

Runnin' at the speed of light,

shouting, "DONE!" with every task I complete.

One foot in front of the other,

no more baby steps.

I've taken to leaping.

~~J

What I Learned Today:

to accept a B- and realize that it’s a good great grade (especially in an upper division subject that is NOT your major)

Nuns ride around Memphis in late model Tercels (however, they do NOT go the speed limit)

saying “don’t drop the coffee” internally means you will do just that (in the front seat of your car even)

always have a towel in your car (see above), or in your Yoga bag

(nataliedee)

filling out seven requests for transcripts makes your hand tired

emailing with a professor via BlackBerry is convenient

some SEC schools help fund their football program by charging $7.50 PER transcript (thanks a lot!)

despite what happened the last time my Tigers played a certain team, I will be watching tonight (but closing my eyes when they "talk" about "it")

even though I will be "half-way" teaching our class (mini-presentation) on Thursday, I'm NOT worried!

(it was confirmed) that I love a bunch of people!

~~J

Who's Got the Wheel?

I really don't know either!

(square america)

Today is the day after the day I took the GRE.

Notice that my body isn't floating downstream (sorry, I've been watching/reading The Hours). But I did have a conversation about what river would be the "best" to dive into--Mississippi? Potomac? Hudson?

With that thing out of the way, you'd think I'd be jumpin' for joy (or another trite phrase), but I'm not. I'm still trying to figure out HOW I nearly ran out of time on the Verbal section. It's quite galling, to tell you the truth.

Why did I get THREE ridiculous reading comp passages? (One was related to a class I am taking, which means I probably answered questions the way I would answer questions, not the author of the passage)

Then came the over-thinking & the FLASHING clock in the corner. Yes, it flashes at you when you're about to commit a whammy.

I honestly thought about NOT getting my scores--which is something you can opt to do, by the way. You can say--NO SCORES! And nothing is reported, but you have to spend $$$ and reschedule.

But after I got my scores--thirty points under what I was shooting for...ARRGGHH! Again, my body isn't floating downstream.

I was stuffed with mezzaluna pasta last night instead. Crescent-shaped ravioli filled with four Italian cheeses. And I get to have the leftovers for lunch today! YUM!

I won't look at the calendar, but I know I don't have THAT much time left before the semester ends--my undergraduate career ends. I'm hangin' on for dear life, but someone's got their foot on the gas petal...

~~J

Dreamland:

Last night I had a terrifying dream about taking the GRE! And the strange part is I wasn't even thinking about it when I went to bed (not consciously).

I felt confident after taking a practice exam yesterday afternoon. I did better than I had done all summer long. My "percentile" was acceptable.

In the dream: I was taking the exam on a strange computer. All the questions were so much easier than expected.

My genius had me light years ahead of every human thought. But the keyboard wasn't working and the mouse was going haywire.

In other words, I couldn't physically pick the "right" answers.

The ones I THOUGHT were "right."

AAAAHHHHHHH!

Photo credit goes to....??? It's a found snapshot while browsing Square America. (Get over there! You'll be amazed at "our" amateur work)

I didn't even find the website on my own. That credit goes to the author, Katherine Center. And as if being a published author wasn't enough, if you take a gander at her website you will see how the threads of creativity weave together a fantastic woman.

I submitted ON PURPOSE the first part of an application to another graduate school yesterday--by the way. Very satisfying. I might even do another one today, just because!

~~J

11/12 = Fantastic!

It all started with "a good hair day." Yes, I am being a bit vain--but is it absolutely true!

Then I met with one of my recommenders--and those ten letters of recommendation she wrote for me? complete! Done. Finito!

Coincidence? I mentioned my "accidental" submission to one program (aka I hit "submit" and assumed I would be prompted to enter credit card/payment information--NOPE! it SENT!)--just the FIRST part of the application...but I've gotten emails from the Director of the program already.

Long story, short--I mentioned this and SHE KNOWS THE DIRECTOR! What a small world. So that letter was addressed specifically to him. This means nothing in the long run, it's a numbers game, percentages are never in the applicant's favor--BUT it never hurts!

I was picked up by my BFF (one of my classes was cancelled) and we went to lunch at Fino's. Yes, the best little Italian grocery store in the city. What could be better than Fino's with your BFF? Exactly.

The lecture in my Philosophy class was interesting. (My proposal got the thumbs down, I have to go back to the drawing board with that one, oh well I wasn't "feeling" it either.)

Pecan Pie Cookie for snack (from aforementioned BFF) after before class...yum yum yum!

I came home to mail from aforementioned university (the one I sent the application to online, because I was a bit trigger happy)....NICE!

Then onward to YOGA:
ARF! (Downward Facing Dog)

Not my favorite pose (I've said this time and time again)--but tonight? Not so bad. I only had to modify it a few times.

AND when we went "one-legged" or "three-legged" depending on your point of view--I was a rock star.

(that means to pick one of those legs up and "throw" it over to the side, aka bend the extended leg at the knee)

Of course, my heels never stay flat on the floor--but tonight, while on one-leg, SUCCESS! (My left foot was flat on the floor!)

Moving Right along---apparently my Personal Statement is COMPLETE! I was informed of this by a professional (person I trust dearly)...and she wouldn't lie...but I had a feeling when I sent her the revision.

Next up? THE GRE (on Monday)! But who can stop me now? That's what I thought too....nobody!

~~J

Color Confused:

"Whisper me something
any sound will do
I want some secrets
just between me and you
The sky is gray my clouds are blue
very blue
The sun is the strangest hue..."

(Jaymay)

Two Down:

Proposals.
(not of the marriage kind)

Paper proposals.

They seem "smarty" enough even.



of course, this means I have to write aforementioned "smarty" papers soon.

Oy vey!

I'm very proud and or confident about one of these final projects.

In that one I'm jumping back a few years (2001) and using an album by one of my favorite singer-songwriters to explore cross-gendered music. What happens when a song originally written and performed by one gender is covered by another.

Doesn't that seem brilliante'? I can't claim the idea as my own. It actually came from a lecture concerning the Liederkreis or song-cycle composed by Robert Schumann--a German romantic composer during the 19th century. His wife was actually the subject of our lecture though--Clara Schumann is amazing!

My "other" proposal was born out of the Shriver Report and I think I over-thought it. We'll see what the professor says--I am way out of my league on that one.

Full Frontal Feminism, deal with it!

So today's photo was taken from my BlackBerry. I wore my plaid Birkenstocks for the first time this semester. The weather was perfect. Swirling leaves and warm temperatures led to interesting sights on campus:

• Peter Pan & Tinkerbelle in full costume (fairy wings included)
• followed by two girls, arm-in-arm
• a crazed-squirrel trying to decide which tree to scale
• five or six tiny birds sharing a chocolate chip cookie

I survived. Now onto another day...(GRE countdown: SIX days)...

~~J

Calendars:

aka my extra super enemies.

REALLY! I can't look at a calendar anymore--and won't be able to until the beginning of the year, I'm sure of it. I was going to find a cool example/photo of a marked up calendar to post, but just Googling "calendar" made me want to vomit. Honestly.

It's a relatively new aversion. I discovered it a couple weeks ago while I was at work. I started looking at the schedule. Then it began--it started in my stomach before rising to my brain (the fear).

Before I knew it I was flipping and counting and mumbling dates and times.

• HOW many weeks before I have X, Y & Z due?
• HOW many days until the GRE?
• HOW MANY DAYS UNTIL FINALS?
• HOW am I going to mail ALL of these portfolios out by Dec. XX

I bought a cute little planner at the beginning of the semester. I made an Excel-type chart too. I can NOT look at those--or the FEAR rises.

ONE. DAY. AT. A. TIME.
Yesterday I walked into a random salon and proclaimed:

"I need my hair cut!"

Highlights? Naw. A "Glaze"...SURE!

Wax my eyebrows? No problem.

The stylist probably could've sold me some prime land in Florida! I was worn out. I had finished & turned in my "mini" paper (discussed on Tuesday)--I was DONE!

And mini-pampering session was PERFECT! (Thanks Rowdy!)

I took a few funny pictures late last night. I have no idea WHAT that shadow is (the one beginning to slide across my face)...I think it's THE FEAR (of calendars)!

~~J

p.s. I haven't had a "soda" since SUNDAY! That sOUND you JUST heard was my horror-movie-screamin'...

Happy Birthday, Flutterpup!

aka Buttercup.
Six years ago you came into this world.

It was a dark and stormy morning, until you arrived--

a lil' ray of sunshine, a blue-eyed wiggly girl, the color of peanut butter.

You've been mine (and I, yours) ever since.


(with the help of Aunt Raven & Bosco, Aunt Jodi & Kaiza, Aunt Stephie, and Oma & Gordon along the way)

Even though you used to "wiggle" (in-utero spinal cord injury they say) now you only tremble when frightened or excited.

You love green beans, peas, "smushy" treats, and ice cold water.
You love your KONG! alongside any number of stuffed animals.
You love "chasing" squirrels--although really you just want to play.
You love....

And we love you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Baby Girl!

~~J

the Urge to Blog--

...becomes extremely strong when I have another assignment due (or I should be working on aforementioned assignment because it is due really soon instead of blogging)...

Lucky you (that one reader).

So begins the first week of November. So begins the rush to Graduation. Of course, one must pass her classes in order to graduate--so let's keep that in mind.

I have been a busy girl. I nearly have a personal statement ready to go (it's just like workshopping a fiction piece, although it's nonfiction & almost as important as the fiction pieces included in my portfolio).

Halloween 2009 aka Lenny Kravitz rocks my world!!!

it's blurry*
it's Lenny from the third row.

Give me a break--
He. Is. Scrumptious.

Great friends
+ HIM
= a night not soon forgotten.



Back from Lenny dreamland. *snap snap* FOCUS!

2nd philosophy paper about Men doing Feminism is due in 48hrs
I have two project proposals due in seven days
I have another abnormal psychology exam coming up
In less than TWO weeks I take the GRE...

Each of these is enough to make a lesser person hyperventilate. WHO AM I KIDDING? I need a brown paper bag, STAT!

Oh yeah! And this is my second day off "soda." NOT water (dressed in brown), just "pop."

~~J

*proof I need A with me at all times--at least to capture events on film.