READ

My life would be a lot less stressful right now if people could READ what's in front of them instead of freaking out and emailing me. Argh.

My Life

I'm waiting for applications to print out, slowly, and I can't do anything else while I wait. So, I would post, except that I have nothing interesting to say. I could tell you stories about dumb/lazy applicants, but that seems mean-spirited and probably wouldn't be all that interesting to anyone outside of my office anyway. :) I like being busy at work, but this is ridiculous.

So, um, yeah, I got nothing.

Hell Month

Good thing I enjoyed the long weekend because Hell Month has begun at work.

I'm a day early, but I'm stuck on the couch with a purring Bandit on my lap, so I'm writing it now. Tomorrow will be our one-year anniversary! In the first year of marriage:

• Matthew presented at two conferences and attended a week-long seminar by invitation.


• I ran a marathon and raised $1,300 for diabetes research.


• Matthew graduated from Loyola with his MA.


• I wrote a novel and started two more.


• Matthew was admitted to, and started, a PhD program.


• I've had lots of good work moments: a fantastic performance evaluation, recognition by higher-ups, etc.

Would we have done all of that separately if we weren't married? Maybe, but I think we complement and support each other very well, and being together sure hasn't hurt our productivity.

For two people who hate traveling, we've also traveled an awful lot in the past year. Matthew went to Philadelphia twice and Hawaii once for school stuff. I went to Boston and Ann Arbor for work. Together, we went to Ohio three times, Florida once, and Santa Barbara once. And there are trips to Milwaukee. Together, it was at least twice; Matthew alone is 25+ at this point.

So, in short, it was a very good year, except for Matthew's commuting. I'm still head over heels in love. And my mom will eventually get over her disappointment that there's no grandchildren on the way yet. :P

Now I just need to get my motivation back.

Wow. Writing fan fiction is much more difficult than I thought it would be. The words flew out of me for the original fiction novel. This is impossible; I keep getting hung up on little details. I've managed a whopping 675 words in two days. It could also be that all of my momentum went away once I hit 50,000. :)

I wrote a novel. :) Okay, it's a really short novel and probably in need of major editing, but hey, I did it.

It feels good to have accomplished something that major. And for the record, writing a novel (at least a first draft) is WAY easier than running a marathon. For me, anyway.

Sooooooo tired, and for no good reason.

Can anyone explain to me how I keep falling into leadership positions? I swear I don't go looking for things, but anytime I join a group, I seem to end up on the "board" or whatever within a year or two. It's almost enough to make me stop joining groups. Okay, so actually, I usually like being in charge; I just don't always know how it happens.

3,538 words (2 chapters). Must keep momentum.

My book is available on Amazon!!!


Hmmm, maybe I should have finished the PhD. This is pretty damn exciting. :)

I'm beginning to think I have an obsessive personality. Ok, maybe not just beginning to think that. :) When I was marathon training, all I thought about was running. Now all I think about is NaNoing. I guess that makes for a pretty boring blog. Sorry!

In non-NaNo news, I finally got an invite to Google Wave today. And I was so excited and opened it up, and I have no idea what I'm supposed to do now. I can see how it would be useful if everyone I knew was on it, but since I can't invite anyone, it seems pretty useless.

If anyone has 49 euros burning a hole in their pocket, my book will be available through Amazon soon (ISBN 978-3-639-08590-7). My German press sent the book for printing today, and I should have my personal copy in about a month. I think it's a little bizarre that someone could pay 49 euros to buy a short MA thesis, but hey, I'm not complaining. (I also don't expect to make anything on royalties, but maybe it will become a hot commodity!)

Speaking of publishing, I have half of my outline done for my NaNo novel, and I've started to sketch out the characters. No title yet, but that will probably come at the end. If I write something that I don't absolutely hate (that's two big ifs), I'll probably publish through SmashWords, for like $3 instead of 49 euros. There doesn't seem to be a downside to that, and maybe someone would enjoy it. Of course, I need to write it first, but I think it will help my motivation to have a goal in mind (beyond the 50,000 words). And it would be nice to work with a publisher whose website is in English. :)

Hi, I'm still alive. I had a great post about the marathon, but I lost it. I'm recovered and running again, but just 3-4 miles at a time and not every day. The next race I do will be a 10k. :)

Work is picking up again, and soon we will be in full admissions swing, and I will not emerge for months. I'm currently helping students with fellowship applications, which is pretty rewarding, although it will be more rewarding if they actually win.

I'm thinking about doing NaNoWriMo. If I do, I do not think I'll be posting my book as I go. I don't know exactly what I'm going to write about, but I've been thinking about family a lot. My great uncle (whom I'd never met) died recently, and it struck me that he was the last of that generation of my family in England. He was the last person who could have told me about my grandma as a little girl or about how my grandma and granddad met during World War II and had to get married in a hurry while my granddad was supposed to be guarding an arch in in Paris. I really miss my grandma, and I wish that I had recorded oral histories from her while she was alive. I certainly thought about it, but I always put it off, and I wasn't in Ohio all that much. I always thought I'd have more time. Anyway, my novel, if I write it, is probably going to be intensely personal, although very probably not about my grandma, since the crying might get in the way of the writing.

I got a f*ing blister walking to work this morning. Wearing shoes I've worn a hundred times before. Seriously? Now? Argh.

Just received in my email inbox:

Northwestern Football vs. Miami (Ohio) - Sat., Oct. 10 at 11 a.m.

The Wildcats' next home game against Miami (Ohio) on Saturday is the best deal of the year! When you purchase one adult end zone ticket at $25, you will receive two children's tickets FREE (Children must be in the 8th grade and under). That's less than $9 per person to see Big Ten Football! This discount is only available on the day of the game, so stop by the special ticket booth outside Gate J beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday, October 10th to purchase your tickets. For more information, click here.

If you aren't attending with young Wildcat fans you can still take advantage of an incredible deal as part of WGN Radio's Wildcat Wednesdays. Enter the code WGNWW on NUsports.com between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. this Wednesday (Oct. 7) to purchase end zone tickets for only $10! For more information, click here.

I may be going to the game with my parents, although the weather doesn't look promising...

I have seen three separate women today wearing short skirts, black tights, and gold shoes. *shudder* Is this a new fashion trend? Is it just something the women on this campus are doing? I am terribly sorry if one of you is wearing this outfit right now, but I have to say that it's a hideous combination.

Since June 8, I have run 412 miles. 17 more to go before the big day.

My parents live 378 miles away.

I burn about 100 calories per mile, so that's just over 41,000 calories burned so far. If I had consumed a diet not adjusted for running, I could have lost almost 12 pounds by now. But since the whole point of running is to be able to eat whatever I want, I've actually kept my weight fairly steady. If anything, I've gained a couple of pounds, mostly muscle mass.

The marathon itself will be a mere 5.7% of my total mileage.

I actually started training in January, but counting from there was a bit daunting, so I'm starting with the beginning of the 18-week training program. Of that training program, I've missed exactly one run, of 5 miles. I also ran only 13.1 of 14 in week 14 because I raced in a half marathon. Otherwise, I've completed every mile asked of me.

I bet my few readers can't wait until the marathon is over (10 days!), and I maybe have something else to talk about. :)

In further proof that running = life, I took the day off work to run 20 miles.

31 days to go.

Sorry, running=life right now. Not much else to say!

46 days to the marathon! I can't wait until this brutal training schedule is over. Did I mention I ran 16 miles last Saturday? The worst, though, is the middle-of-the-week training runs. Tonight is only 4 miles, but tomorrow is 8. Eight miles after work! And that will go up to 10 in a few weeks. What was I thinking??

On the upside (knocking on wood), this is the farthest I've ever gotten in training without injury. I do have two bad toes and a nasty blister, but I can run through those.



EDIT: My blister is actually a bit worse than I thought, and it's interfering a bit with my running, so maybe I spoke too soon. So far, I've been ok just running slower than normal. Hopefully I don't have to cancel any runs. Oy.

Ok, I'm trying to figure out where I am on the great book project, even if I think I shouldn't be buying new books anyway. :)

Anyway, here's the list as it stands right now:
1. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

2. Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome by Robert Harris

3. Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

4. Visions: How Science Will Revolutionize the 21st Century by Michio Kaku

5. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

6. Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

7. Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand

8. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin

9. Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt by David McCullough

10. Three Junes by Julia Glass

11. The Foie Gras Wars: How a 5,000-Year-Old Delicacy Inspired the World's Fiercest Food Fight by Mark Caro

12. Fatherland by Robert Harris

13. The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle [Could probably count that as more than one book...]

14. Wisdom of the Bones: In Search of Human Origins by Alan Walker and Pat Shipman

I have started all of the others but abandoned them for some reason or another. I certainly intend to get back to Team of Rivals and Mornings on Horseback. You know, eventually. I have also started What is the What by Dave Eggers and Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson.

Assuming I haven't forgotten anything, not counting trash fiction, and counting Sherlock Holmes as one book, it looks like I have to complete at least one more book before I'm allowed to purchase any new books.

I'm not sure this challenge has been a complete success, since I don't seem to be very good at actually *finishing* books, but at least it's been good for the budget.

Starting in two weeks, Matthew will be teaching an intro philosophy course at SXU. I can't believe I dropped out of grad school and ended up marrying a professor. :)

Yay, I am back in Chicago and not planning to leave again until Christmas. :) Of course, my parents will be in town this weekend, so it's still summer craziness, but at least the traveling is done, I hope.

EDIT: Actually, I may be traveling again next month, but just for one weekend. And then I am done until Christmas. Or at least until Thanksgiving.

How many blown saves will it take to end the Bobby Jenks experiment?

Anyone notice the spectacular timing there? We cancel DirecTV and THE NEXT DAY, Buehrle pitches a perfect game. I would have been at work anyway, but Matthew was home toward the end and could have seen at least part of the game. D'oh.

I'm going to attempt calling DirecTV to cancel soon. I've heard they don't make it easy to cancel, so we'll see what happens. I'm a little sad about canceling, but we just can't justify the expense anymore. Between over-the-air HD and streaming Hulu/Netflix instant watch, not to mention our Blu-ray/DVD collection, I suppose we should stay sufficiently entertained. :) The big sacrifice is White Sox games on Comcast Sports Net, but I don't really feel like watching Bobby Jenks blow any more saves anyway.

EDIT: Success. They tried to sell me on a cheaper package, but I held my ground. We have DirecTV until midnight tonight, and then it's gone.

The car.

Our PS3 is dead. :( Other than Singstar, I don't play many games on it, but I do love it for watching Blu-rays and streaming Hulu/Netflix. The fix will be expensive, although cheaper than buying a new one. Why does this happen now when we're feeling so poor from car buying??

I woke up around 5 this morning and COULD NOT fall back to sleep. This after not really sleeping all that soundly from 11:30 to 5. I tried just staying in bed, and then I tried reading on the couch, snuggling with Smokey. I gave up around 6:45 and just got ready and went to work. I usually get up at 7:30, so I was a tad early for work. And now I feel like I could fall asleep sitting at my desk. Argh.

Well, we are now soon-to-be car owners. As in, we signed paperwork and put down a deposit, but we have to get the big check from our credit union, and the dealership needs to get the car--a 2009 Honda Fit. They only had Sport models in stock, but hopefully by Wednesday they will have ours.

I'm back! :)

Running 9 miles tomorrow and then getting on a plane for 3 hours and in a rental car for 2 hours. Probably won't be able to move by the time we get to where we're going in the Keys.

By the time I see any of you again, I'll be older. Enjoy your holiday weekends!

So, we've sort of decided on a new Honda Fit. Although we've still wavering on a used Honda or Toyota instead (having not acted quickly enough on the used VW we were considering). And I think we're going to buy outright because the thought of yet another loan gives me the heeby jeebies. So I sent an internet request to a bunch of local Honda dealers, asking for a quote on the model we want. And I said very clearly in the request that I wanted email responses only and that we wouldn't be buying until late July. In addition to the email responses, they are calling constantly (and sounding really desperate in the messages). I won't answer their calls, and it is really turning me off on the whole process. And frankly, given how crazy desperate they all sound, the quotes are not that enticing. Maybe Matthew can bike to Milwaukee every week... :)

Does anyone know anything about buying cars? I am *totally* lost. I've driven two cars in my life: one that used to be my mom's and one that my dad bought used from people who had a heated garage and got the car detailed every year. I was hoping to go the rest of my life without ever driving a car again, much less owning one. Oh well. Matthew has even less experience owning a car than I do (i.e., none).

We want a Prius. Actually, we want a Fit Hybrid, but those don't go on the market for at least another year, and we can't wait that long. But I keep running the numbers, and I don't think there is any way we can afford the monthly payments on a new Prius. Well, ok, we *could* afford them, but we'd need to start eating ramen for most of our meals. :)

So, I've been trying to look into used Priuses or new non-Hybrid Fits. Or some other small, full-efficient car, either new or used. And I have no idea what I'm doing. I mean, I know about Kelley Blue Book values and CARFAX and stuff like that, but I feel so totally overwhelmed every time I look at listings. Should we go to a dealer? To a place like CarMax? Craigslist? The U of C marketplace?

Although it will probably just further overwhelm me, any advice you have would be welcome. :)

If anyone feels like coming to Hyde Park at 7am on Sunday, you can see me run. :)

Update: I just finished Three Junes by Julia Glass. I bought the book on sale on Better World, it probably would have languished on my bookshelf if not for this challenge to myself. It's an amazing, lush novel that I could not put down. I'm very glad I read it, so yay challenge!

I'm not doing very well on the great book plan, in part because I've largely only been reading 5 pages a night before falling asleep. And I sneaked in a Star Trek book because I was feeling lazy. It was at least a Peter David book, so not pure trash.

Anyway, here's the list as it stands right now:
1. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

2. Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome by Robert Harris

3. Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

4. Visions: How Science Will Revolutionize the 21st Century by Michio Kaku

5. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

6. Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

7. Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand

8. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin

9. Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt by David McCullough

10. Three Junes by Julia Glass

11. The Foie Gras Wars: How a 5,000-Year-Old Delicacy Inspired the World's Fiercest Food Fight by Mark Caro

12. Fatherland by Robert Harris

I think I'm going to scrap Visions for Physics of the Impossible, also by Kaku. Visions was kind of boring.

An ex-boyfriend is coming to town on business and wants to catch up. Ick.

I tried to take Bandit outside on his leash yesterday, but he got scared and dragged me back home. (We were about 20 feet away.) And he's been whining at the door ever since, wanting to go back outside. D'oh.

I just found out that my cousin is running the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati this weekend. Yay! Another crazy runner in my family. :)

Running must be like crack or something. I distinctly remember spending the last 10 miles of the '06 Chicago Marathon saying that I was never running again. And not only did I start running again, but I'm paying to run in another marathon. Maybe I do it for the t-shirts.

I am about to go to two days of meetings at the Allen Center at Northwestern. It make me feel very old to go back there, not as alum, but as a professional.

To the rest of you, this may be tax day. To me, it's the day responses to graduate admissions offer are due. It has been a ridiculously crazy day.

I finished Stiff a few days ago. Very good book. Working on Visions now.

Finished Foie Gras Wars, which was very good. I wish there has been a bit more Chicago focus, but it was a surprisingly even-handed survey of the issue.

Today at work, I am meeting with people who are deciding whether to come here for a one-year M.A. program. They all want to figure out if it's worth the money. If nothing else, this economy has really focused everyone's thinking. I can't answer that question for them, but I do hope they're considering what in the world they'd be doing for the next year if not in school.

Oh no, the great book plan is already crumbling. Matthew gets free books from Amazon sometimes because he is considered a helpful reviewer by the Amazon community. Or something like that. Anyway, I just got the book he ordered a few days ago. I didn't know what he was getting, but it turns out to be a book I've been wanting to read. And I was already thinking about going to a talk by the author this Thursday! Clearly, I need to bail on the 10-book list and read The Foie Gras Wars instead. I just hope that doesn't mean I need to read ten more books before buying a new one.

There must be a recession: I mended my sweater before work today.

Update 2: Imperium has also been completed. (I was most of the way through it already; I don't actually read *that* quickly.)

I'm one chapter in on Stiff, and so far it's fascinating and exactly what I was hoping it would be.

Update: People of the Book has been completed.

I have a slight addiction to buying books. I suppose this is not news to anyone who has helped me move or has seen our library. :) I regularly feel guilty about this, partly because of the environmental impact and partly because of the ridiculous amount of money I have spent on books. I try to mitigate some of the environmental problem by buying used or electronic books, but I'm not perfect at that. And I tend to justify all of my purchases these days by saying that I'm stimulating the economy. But still, it's a bit out of hand. (Before you ask why I don't just go to the library, the answer is that my addiction is to buying books, not just reading them. I get this little thrill every time I purchase a new book. It's a sickness, I know.)

So, on the feels of having purchased way too many books, I made a promise to myself that I would read at least ten books I already have before buying a new one. I'm going to track my progress here. (BTW, if you haven't read any of Nick Horny's Believer Magazine columns where he reviews books and lists "Books Purchased" and "Books Read" each month, you should. They're terrific!)

Matthew says I can count books I'm completing even if I'm already halfway through them as the start of the project (i.e., yesterday). I suppose it would be a useful thing for me to get in the habit of actually finishing books I start...

So, my plan for the ten is currently:

1. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

2. Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome by Robert Harris

3. Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

4. Visions: How Science Will Revolutionize the 21st Century by Michio Kaku

5. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

6. Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

7. Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand

8. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin

9. Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt by David McCullough

10. Three Junes by Julia Glass

I have at least started five of these books, so this list theoretically shouldn't take that long to complete. I reserve the right to swap out books, but I am going to try to finish the list as written.

Matthew's going to Hawaii for a conference in March, and I'm... staying in Chicago. Damn work. At least my mom's going to come visit for a short weekend while he's gone, so I'll get to eat good food and go see Jersey Boys.

Maybe my mom is right, and my perspective is warped by living where I do, but I'm always surprised when I am reminded that there are actually people--sometimes even people I know--who hold different political views than I do. Are there actually people who are upset by the events of today? Nope? Ok, good.