Fall, Qual, and Football
You know, the more I'm in Atlanta, the more I begin to NOT hate the city. I mean, it's never going to be top of my list of ohmygoshiloveit places to live, but for a mid-size city, it's alright. Also, it helps that we now have a car and can get to places (Atlanta with no car = no going anywhere because public transportation sucks).
As Fall begins to settle in (yay no more super heat and humidity, though this year hasn't been so bad), there are many things I have to look forward to in the upcoming months.
Qual: not exactly a "good" thing to look forward to, but I'm qualing in the Spring. The PhD Qualifier is basically a way for the faculty to assess your progress in the program and it's extremely essential that you pass (otherwise you have to take it again, and if you fail that, they force you to drop out). It consists of a two day written exam and an oral presentation. I'm super nervous because this test is unlike anything I've ever taken before.
Football: YES! FINALLY the season is here! I've been counting down the days for about 6 months already. I'd really like to fly back to Berkeley for the U$C game, but I don't think that will be feasible. The next weekend, however, we are driving up to Knoxville to attend the UT/UGA game. Though UT had a bad start this season (losing to UCLA), I think they'll be alright and UGA looks totally beatable. It's good timing too because Cal has a bye that week.
So, I have a confession to make. I am a hopeless online shopper. I will go to a website and spend over an hour on there, looking at clothes and putting things in my "shopping bag" only to put it all back and not buy anything. This is a HUGE time suck, and this isn't just one store I'm talking about...lately I've been spending a lot of time at American Apparel online. I used to think their clothes were horribly overpriced (and most of it still is, but the deals section is GREAT) and boring, but I find myself more and more attracted to their styles. Also, I think I'm too old for AE. I love Polo and BCBG but I have to wait until I go back to Guam to buy those brands so I can take advantage of my mom's TC2 at DFS and the huge discounts at GPO.
Finally, I've recently come to the realization that I am a foodie. I never thought that I was, never even considered it...but I've been called that a few times by several people (Liam's mom and my advisor included) so it must be true right? Then I thought about it, and, damn, I love good food. Not only that, I love quality food and don't mind paying more for it. I look back and realize that all my favorite foods cost $$$ (ikura and duck confit to name a few). So is this a bad thing? Not necessarily, but when you are living off of a grad student's stipend, can be a little difficult. *sigh* life is hard.
As Fall begins to settle in (yay no more super heat and humidity, though this year hasn't been so bad), there are many things I have to look forward to in the upcoming months.
Qual: not exactly a "good" thing to look forward to, but I'm qualing in the Spring. The PhD Qualifier is basically a way for the faculty to assess your progress in the program and it's extremely essential that you pass (otherwise you have to take it again, and if you fail that, they force you to drop out). It consists of a two day written exam and an oral presentation. I'm super nervous because this test is unlike anything I've ever taken before.
Football: YES! FINALLY the season is here! I've been counting down the days for about 6 months already. I'd really like to fly back to Berkeley for the U$C game, but I don't think that will be feasible. The next weekend, however, we are driving up to Knoxville to attend the UT/UGA game. Though UT had a bad start this season (losing to UCLA), I think they'll be alright and UGA looks totally beatable. It's good timing too because Cal has a bye that week.
So, I have a confession to make. I am a hopeless online shopper. I will go to a website and spend over an hour on there, looking at clothes and putting things in my "shopping bag" only to put it all back and not buy anything. This is a HUGE time suck, and this isn't just one store I'm talking about...lately I've been spending a lot of time at American Apparel online. I used to think their clothes were horribly overpriced (and most of it still is, but the deals section is GREAT) and boring, but I find myself more and more attracted to their styles. Also, I think I'm too old for AE. I love Polo and BCBG but I have to wait until I go back to Guam to buy those brands so I can take advantage of my mom's TC2 at DFS and the huge discounts at GPO.
Finally, I've recently come to the realization that I am a foodie. I never thought that I was, never even considered it...but I've been called that a few times by several people (Liam's mom and my advisor included) so it must be true right? Then I thought about it, and, damn, I love good food. Not only that, I love quality food and don't mind paying more for it. I look back and realize that all my favorite foods cost $$$ (ikura and duck confit to name a few). So is this a bad thing? Not necessarily, but when you are living off of a grad student's stipend, can be a little difficult. *sigh* life is hard.