Sorry, no blogging... admissions has taken over my life. I can't think about anything else. I don't even dream about anything else. So, even if I could get it together enough to blog, I would have nothing very interesting to say.

Thankful

Ok, a few days late on the thanksgiving post, but we've been busy. :)

So, first, I am grateful for my wonderful husband(!) Before meeting Matthew, I didn't entirely believe that I would ever find someone who complemented me so perfectly, who would be so willing to go along with my crazy schemes, and who would make me laugh every day. Whatever else goes wrong in the world, just being with Matthew calms me down and cheers me up. I am head over heels in love.

Second, I am grateful for family, my immediate family and my growing extended family (Matthew's family, Claire's family, etc, etc). My mom and I may get a little snippy sometimes, but we talk on the phone nearly every day, and she and my father have always been amazing supportive. Spending the past few days with Mom, Dad, Brian, Claire, and Matthew was just fantastic. It's so comfortable and easy to be with them. I don't think my extended and extended-extended family always entirely understands me, but they are really great and accepting and fun.

Third, I am grateful for my kitties. Maybe that makes me a crazy cat lady, but I just adore the kittens. Right now, one of the little furballs is snuggled up next to me under a blanket, purring away. And I love them even when they try to sleep on my head in the middle of the night or whine for food.

Fourth, I am grateful for my job. In this economy, I am happy just to have a job, but to have a job I love that actually uses my education, where I'm given a ton of autonomy and paid very well, that's almost unbelievable.

Finally, and not least, I am grateful for my friends. I know I'm not always a very good friend. I disappear and fall of the radar for weeks or months at a time; I get married without telling anyone in advance; I don't blog very regularly; and I'm not even very good at answering emails. But I somehow have friends who've been willing to put up with all of it. You guys rock. :)

Ok, enough sappiness. I'm going to eat leftover wedding carrot cake.

This is only a test.

Exactly how old am I now? Staying out til 9pm drinking white wine gives me a headache the next day? Really?!?

Everyone (at least everyone in my little corner of the world) says that universities are the safest places to be in a bad economy. People will always want to go to college, and when they can't find jobs, they want to go to grad school. This is mostly true, although there's some question now about whether students without funding could even get student loans... The real problem is that universities, especially private universities, rely on endowments. And endowments rely on two things: (1) earning money on interest and investments; (2) rich donors with lots of money from interest and investments donating more money. Obviously, this economy is not so favorable to either of those. Rumors have been running rampant at my university that there would be massive budget cuts, but no one has yet known what that would mean. Well, I still don't know what that will mean, but I do know now that I need to cut my budget and that we're going to give out even fewer fellowships this year than usual. Oh joy. I *think* my job is safe, at least for a while, but it's getting scary here. And everywhere, I suppose.

So, um, what the heck do I spend my time online doing now??

Very relieved, very happy, very tired.

I was hoping for a better night for the Democrats, and I'm disappointed in California today, but the Obama happiness trumps all for the moment.

But wow, is today going to be a long day at work.

If I've had email conversations with Rashid Khalidi and live in the same neighborhood as Bill Ayers, am I a terrorist?

Is this really the way to win an election? Didn't we learn in 2004 that running against your opponent is not nearly as effective as running as yourself. McCain's flaw (that I hope is enough to crush him) was to allow, and in fact encourage, the election to be about Obama. My father who is usually completely apathetic about politics, is so disgusted by the mail and robocalls trashing Obama without explaining what McCain would do that he is almost ready to start knocking on doors for Obama. If Bush beat not-Bush in 2004, I think it's a fairly safe bet that Obama can beat Nobama. Anyway, I hope so.

In other news, oh, who am I kidding, there is no other news. Any moment I'm not hard at work at my new job, I am obsessed with the election. I apologize to everyone I have been ignoring. If you would like to talk, feel free to call or email, but be warned that I will likely talk about nothing but politics. Just ask my mom (she's as bad as I am, though).

I just looked at the balance on my retirement account. I probably shouldn't have. It's now worth less than what I have put into it. And then I talked to my dad who just lost thirty times what I lost in the past few months. As he pointed out to me, neither one of us planned to touch our retirement account soon (although he may need his sooner than I will need mine), and we should just chill out and hope the market corrects itself. And so I shifted my allocations to put more into stocks (and pulled out of real estate altogether). The market will recover. And if not, I guess I'll just keep working until I die. If I'm anything like my parents, I'll keep working forever anyway, even if I do have the money to retire.

In other news, the new job is going very well. I really enjoy what I'm doing, which is a good thing, since there's no way I could sell my house, so I'm stuck in Chicago. :)

Sooooooooooo tired. I like my new big office, but I'm totally exhausted. Thank goodness I'm coming from within the division, though, because this would be an awful lot to learn otherwise. :)

My parents left town this morning. :(
I start my new job Wednesday. :)

It's going to be one of those kind of weeks.

If I survive this week, with registration, orientation, and prepping for the new job, it will be a miracle. It didn't help that we were in New York for a whirlwind trip last week (like 60-hours-whirlwind) to see the Yankees play the White Sox and to see my friends from grad school and meet their kids for the first time. BTW, Yankee Stadium is a dump. Or was a dump, since I guess it will be a nothing soon.

I have a bone to pick with mainstream media (or MSM, as apparently the interwebs are referring to it).

From Time Magazine:
"The University of Chicago sits on the city's South Side in a neighborhood called Hyde Park, an enclave of tree-lined streets, upscale condos and cafés."

From Newsweek:
"Barack Obama . . . lives in an expensive home in Chicago's tony Hyde Park section, an academic enclave hard by the University of Chicago."

I have a certain fondness for Hyde Park, but seriously, these writers have clearly never been anywhere near my neighborhood! Even if you want to claim that Hyde Park is an "enclave" on the Southside, which I suppose can be reasonably argued, it's hardly tony or upscale.

Maybe people wouldn't think of Barack as such an elitist if they rode the #6 bus down to his house. Actually I'm somewhat okay with elitism (especially intellectual elitism), but since the American public apparently wants leaders they can drink beer with, I just wish they had a more accurate portrayal of where Barack lives.

My co-worker asked me today what I thought of the nomination of she-who-shall-not-be-named. I didn't want to start fuming again, but I can't even think about her without blowing up. I had to tell Matthew to turn away from CNN last night because I was sure I'd throw something at the TV if I saw one more second of that vitriol. Anyway, as I told my co-worker, even if all she had ever done in her career was to threaten to fire her town's librarian for refusing to ban books, that would be enough right there to keep me from voting for her. Of course, that's hardly all she's done. But if I keep thinking about this, I am going to start hurting my computer. So, I will stop.

And go donate more money to my neighbor.

Oh, hey, I got a new job. Starting October 1, I will be the A-s-s-i-s-t-a-n-t D-e-a-n o-f S-t-u-d-e-n-t-s i-n t-h-e D-i-v-i-s-i-o-n o-f S-o-c-i-a-l S-c-i-e-n-c-e-s a-t U-o-f-C. (I may have gone a bit overboard with the dashes...)

If anyone is looking for a job, requisition number 080400 at the U of C jobsite will get you to my old one.

So, this month may be a bit hectic, cleaning stuff up in one office and learning the ropes in another. Well, not that many new ropes; this is basically a promotion, so the learning curve shouldn't be toooooo steep. Even though I liked my old job, I am very excited about my new one. I hope that remains the case. :)

Sign seen in the women's room in my building:
"Do not windows open!"

Maybe Yoda stopped by?

From the file of useful things to know, if you're ever in HP and there's a tornado warning, the siren sounds like hippy aliens are landing.

We went to see Batman this morning (before noon matinee because we're cheap and city movie theaters are way too expensive). I enjoyed it, but I think it had been so overhyped by the time I got there that it couldn't possibly live up to my expectations. It was an odd sensation to watch a movie in the theater. (The last time we did was Batman Begins), and I don't doubt that part of what distracted from the movie for me was the girl in the seat next to me gasping and flinching during every action sequence.

Anyway, the point of my story is that after we left the theater, we were tantalizingly close to the Apple store. Once we got there, a line had already formed out the door for the iPhone. I don't even know if they had any in stock. So I went home and ordered a Samsung Blackjack II online for $200 less. Buyer's remorse has not yet set in. Steve Jobs, if you're reading this, you lost a sale today because of your policy that iPhones have to be bought in the store.

My parents are coming to town this weekend! Yay!!!!

I'm very envious of people who don't care what others think of them. Lately, I have found myself almost paralyzed into inaction by fear of offending/angering/annoying/upsetting someone. In fact, I started this post once already and then deleted it because I wasn't sure how people would take it.

Of course, this has been exasperated exacerbated* as we start to plan the wedding. I'm starting to think it might be nearly impossible to plan a wedding and not somehow inadvertently upset someone. Since we're not having a bridal party, and everyone's invited, in theory we'll avoid those usual pitfalls. But our plans are not exactly traditional, and even though people keep telling me that we should do what we want, and I've always felt that weddings should be about the couple and not what everyone else wants, I'm just terribly afraid that everyone will be annoyed with us. Every day I say that we should elope. :)

Anyway, I don't want to worry about the opinions of others, as least not as much as I currently do, but I"m not sure how one gets over that!

*EDIT: I am now offended by my own typo. :)

I would like to drink a glass of wine while watching the Sox lose, but I have 2(!) kitties laying on me, and I can't possibly disturb them to get up for alcohol. Darn cute kittens. :)

Since I never post, no one will read this, and some of you know this already, but anyway:

Matthew and I are engaged :)

I have no more details for you yet.

I am still alive. The wedding went well. Pictures may be available someday.

I am at work, trying to do a year's worth of filing and organizing.

I will be old soon.

Related questions:
1) When did flights get so expensive???
2) If I'm officiating the wedding and paid a lot for plane tickets to get to the shower and wedding, do I also have to buy shower and wedding gifts for the couple? :) Kidding, obviously...

If there's a website that describes me better than this one does, I have not found it. I'm a little ashamed that I am so easily stereotyped, but it cracked me up nonetheless. :)

I am happy to report (brag) that I was successful in my family weight loss challenge (the big losers challenge), and I have lost 20 pounds in 12 weeks. :) And more importantly, I can fit back into my clothes! I am now done and just need to figure out how the hell to maintain weight. The internet tells me I could eat 50% more calories than I have been eating, which just seems strange. I mean I've been happy, healthy, and even full with my current number of calories, so adding 50% is counterintuitive. But I guess that's a good problem to have.

I am now a licensed minister in the state of Ohio. :)

Stop the presses! Brian and Claire set a date for the wedding! As of June 14, 2008, I can start calling Claire my sister-in-law (which I've been doing for three and a half years already, but who's counting). :)

From the U of C Chronicle:

University signs lease with Treasure Island to fill former Co-op space

The University has signed a lease with the locally owned grocer Treasure Island to open a grocery store in the Hyde Park Shopping Center at 55th Street and Lake Park Avenue. Hank Webber, Vice President for Community and Government Affairs, announced the opening of the new store in a message to the campus community today. Treasure Island is working intensively to obtain a number of city business licenses that are required and has set a goal of opening the new store before the end of February.

Treasure Island plans to make major renovations to both the interior and exterior of the store, while maintaining operations throughout the remodeling. “It will be several months before the renovations are completed, but we believe they will be worth the wait,” said Webber.

Treasure Island will occupy the space formerly leased by the Hyde Park Co-op from the University, which owns the Hyde Park Shopping Center. Given the Co-op’s serious financial difficulties, the University proposed a debt workout agreement on which shareholders voted in December 2007 and elected to accept. The debt workout agreement allows for the closure of the Co-op and a smooth transition toward the opening of the new grocery store in the same location. The Co-op’s licensing agreement for the 55th Street store will expire at the end of January, and the Co-op anticipates closing its operations by Sunday, Jan. 20, as its current inventory is sold.

All of the current Hyde Park Co-op employees who are interested in working at the new Treasure Island store are being invited, beginning as early as this week, to interview for employment. Additionally, the University has worked with Toni Preckwinkle, 4th Ward Ald., as well as other city and state officials to provide resources, support, information and training to the Co-op employees.

Yay!

Now for a lighter topic...

I am considering giving up my vegetarianism. That makes me very sad, but it may be inevitable. After six years of being a vegetarian/flexitarian, so much of my identity is wrapped up in it that I cringe at even the thought of going back to eating meat. I've been experimenting with eating seafood for about a year and a half, but that's only about once a month and only really when I'm at a restaurant or function with no veggie protein options. The problem with vegetarianism is that it is very difficult--and often expensive--to find low-fat protein options. I love tofu, but I can't eat it in every meal, and I know I eat entirely too much cheese. I think it would be a lot easier to follow the diet plans that call for a small portion of low-fat protein if I ate chicken or fish. Given that my weight had been steadily rising over the past few years, I think it's important to address this sooner rather than later. I'll keep you all posted. :)

The eulogy I delivered for my Grandma yesterday:

I went to see Grandma at the nursing home for the last time about a week and a half ago, right before leaving for Chicago. I’m glad that I went then, and I think some part of me knew that when I left I was saying goodbye—and I love you—for the last time. But the woman I left that day was not Grandma, not the Grandma I vividly remember when I close my eyes. We lost that Grandma two years ago when she had her stroke, but it’s only now that I’ve finally been able to properly mourn her.

The Grandma I remember was one of the most vibrant, intelligent and loving people I’ve ever known. She may not have always been happy, and she certainly faced her share of hardships, but Grandma had an amazing indomitable spirit that always shined brightly in her eyes, and I admired and loved her deeply for it.

In many ways, Grandma is the relative I am most like, perhaps as much by conscious effort on my part as by genes alone. Grandma was an early inspiration for me that women could and should work outside the home. I may have never seen her in the workplace, but I knew how important nursing and working more generally were to her, and you didn’t need to be around Grandma for long to realize what a natural leader she was!

Grandma also introduced me to a love of music. One of my very favorite memories of Grandma was of her singing “A You’re Adorable” with me when I got my first Fisher Price tape recorder. A smile still comes to my face instantly when I hear that song, or when I hear “You say tomato, I say tomato…” I’m quite sure that watching Grandma perform in Sweet Adelines was hugely inspirational in my own forays into show choir and high school musicals. I’m not alone in these musical memories. In discussing with the cousins, everyone seems to have favorite songs they sang with Grandma, whether Raffi’s “Baby Beluga” or something from the Wee Sing tapes.

But I think it’s in the more subtle ways that Grandma’s influence on my life can really be seen. Growing up in the early 80s, it seemed that women could be either soft and domestic or hard and successful in the business world. But Grandma showed me that women could be intelligent, outspoken leaders but still emotional and certainly still domestic. Whether shouting out the answers while watching Jeopardy or arguing politics, Grandma was never one to fade into the background or to leave the serious stuff to the men. It’s safe to describe her as a formidable presence in our lives. Certainly her stories of her own childhood always taught me that girls should excel in the classroom and on the playing field.

And yet Grandma was emotional and loving as well. Certainly, her fierce love of her family was always evident. I think some part of her would have preferred to be able to stop herself from crying when she was upset or hurt, but I for one am glad that I had the example of the strong woman who was still human.

Grandma’s love for her family could also be seen in how happy she was to babysit the grandchildren. Although we don’t remember, Mom insists that Grandma used to crawl around under a dining room table with Brian and me pretending to camp. I certainly remember the time that Grandma was babysitting me and took me out to dinner at McDonald’s, only to realize that she had forgotten to bring her wallet. And one of Becky’s fondest memories was of sitting on Grandma’s beach chair, eating lunch and watching Sesame Street. I hope that we have inherited Grandma’s love of family and eagerness to do for others in a way Grandma would approve.

I’m afraid I also picked up Grandma’s perfectionism. Just ask the kids at school who used to call me Perfect Pollock! Whenever I serve banana bread—baked according to Grandma’s own recipe (which she insisted remain a family secret), I have to preface it by pointing out its imperfections, an unconscious mimicking of Grandma. I’m not sure that she ever served a meal or made a craft project that lived up to her own impossibly high standards. And while the rest of us may not have noticed the flaws, Grandma always pointed them out.

I love Grandma, and I miss her enormously. There’s a part of me that can’t quite believe that I’ll never again be able to discuss a mystery novel with her, and that she won’t be there to see her grandchildren get married and have kids, if we ever do. (Grandma’s been telling us for ten years now that all of her friends have great-grandchildren. There’s a part of me that will always feel guilty for not providing her with those great-grandchildren of her own during her lifetime!)

I am relived that Grandma is no longer suffering. The knowledge of the pain—emotional and physical—that she must have been in has weighed heavily on me in recent years. But now that she is physically gone, the full impact of losing her has finally set in. I would not be the person I am today without having had Grandma in my life, and I hope that some part of who she was will live on in me and in all her grandchildren.