Annnnnd... I'm confused again.

[byelka58]

Graduate school has reduced me to such a level that I cannot even quit the thing correctly. To be fair, I was never any good at making decisions unless 1) I could flip a coin or 2) there were definitely no take-backs; i.e., the result was either unimportant or immediate. Leaving the program in two quarters' time, of course, is neither of those.

Comments

[gabbiana]

14) Your advisor makes good points. I can see why you'd call him the Devil, of course: Who *is* he to go shaking your resolve like that?
14a) But yeah, high school students do suck.
14b) And free pass to Europe? Holy pastries, Batman!
14c) "I have to admire the fact that I'd be forced to do something I would probably enjoy but almost certainly never make myself do otherwise." Yes. Think of grad school like visiting Jackson, except in lieu of an AIM chatroom of distant presences, you've got several embodied fellow students, and also two advisors (who may or may not be embodied, especially if one is the Dark Lord), and instead of a weekend trip to Wisconsin, you've got a yearlong pass to, uh, St. Petersburg, or wherever.

15) I like that your life is like The NeverEnding story: Name your problem (or princess), and it goes away (or recovers its kingdom).
15a) Okay, that metaphor sucked.

16) Speaking of yummy frozen treats, I'd like to recommend this ice cream. It is good in a way that 100-calorie ice cream should never

[byelka58]

I highly resent being shown up in my own comments. For future reference, your goal should be to suck as much as me, plus 5%, or to rock as hard as me, minus 5%.

I will attempt a full response later; meanwhile, here's the poetry thread. Good stuff is to be found therein.

[byelka58]

His arguments are annoyingly good, which is how I think of Satan, mostly. Like he would have a very reasonable-sounding response, one that touches upon every sensitive spot in your brain, deftly combining flattery and implied challenge, and then he'd encourage you to think about it, all very open and no-pressure and draw-your-own-conclusion. But when the door closes behind you, he spends a few moments just looking at it. He intends to win.

You read Sinfest; you know what I'm talking about.

While we're on comics, I note that although your Neverending Story metaphor didn't entirely work (on the other hand, the empress and the problem both reside in an ivory tower, which is quite good), it does fall within a general uptick in NS references in my life of late. For instance, Overcompensating a few days ago (check the alt tag). I think I'll go put a necklace on my head and eat an apple core.

The thing is, I don't think you do know what Winnie "the Pooh" the Pooh would say if someone took his honey. I'm picturing the scene in Mystic

[kalliwoda]

"Only now it's a naked, strung-out bear, and his paws are bloodied from desperate sucking to capture the last sweet bits of honey matted into his fur."

That is the funniest thing I have read in a long (pauses to laugh and regain control of herself) time, and I haven't even seen Mystic River. I did hear that it mostly involves Sean Penn screaming at people, though.

[byelka58]

That movie is so packed with Actingtm that it's difficult to watch.

I feel a little bad imagining Mr. the Pooh in such a state, but there it is. You know Eeyore wouldn't be surprised.

[gabbiana]

I'm not quite sure Eeyore would be surprised at anything. He's like Spock that way. Or you. Congratulations; you have just become a donkey. Next, you must travel the ancient Mediterranean on a fabulous quest that will only end with your submission to the goddess Isis. Have fun with that.

And I still don't think Pooh would say "bitch." "Witch," maaaaybe, if he'd had a really hard withdrawal.

[byelka58]

Thank goodness for the internet. Does any other medium lend itself so perfectly to discussions about the withdrawal symptoms to be expected from fictional characters? Of course, I'd still be right if we were having this conversation via telegraph or coded messages inserted in classified ads. Tough break for you.

Let's leave our thesis topics out of it, though, lest things get really ugly, boring, and/or tearful. Oh, and worthless. Can't forget that.