flopkins.com

In case you didn’t know, the amount of detail required to fully submit your dissertation is a little overwhelming.  It’s as if they know that you’re at the end of your rope, about to annihilate everyone around you, and just when you think you’ve saved yourself from complete insanity, you get that final test…  on whether you know how to read (and follow) directions.

Did you ever do an exercise in grade school, where you’re given a piece of paper with all these designs with numbers on it (sort of a color-by-number type thing), and the teacher says,

“Alright.  This is a lesson in listening.  I will read ALL of the steps FIRST.  Then I will read them AGAIN and follow them.  The first time through, you are JUST LISTENING and NOT DOING ANYTHING.”

And then, the teacher reads through 30+ steps of instructions…

“1.  Color #5 blue.  2.  Color #17 green.  etc….”  the VERY LAST ONE of which says:

“Do not color anything with any color, starting from Step 1.”

And, of course, most of us zone out by the time the teacher reads to the end the first time around, and we  miss the all important last step…

The ONLY student in the entire class who got it right was the blind girl.

ANYWAY.  It’s sort of how I’m feeling about the ridiculous red tape of forms, surveys, formatting, and hoop jumping…  I’m trying to do all the right things and I just know at the end they’ll probably send me back to reprint my whole dissertation because I forgot to double space my abstract or some other ridiculous thing.  The Berkeley document for “Instructions for Preparing and Filing Your Thesis or Dissertation” is 34 pages long.  That’s almost exactly 1/3 the length of my dissertation.  Thanks for making me feel inadequate about the last six years of my life, Berkeley!

One of the more interesting (read: not mind-blowingly irritating, like making sure all of the page numbers on your dissertation are at least 3/4 of a inch away from the edge of the page) things we are required to do is complete an exit survey (called “Survey of Doctoral Students’ Opinion” which, I don’t know, just sounds ridiculously pompous for some reason)  Besides the usual demographics, they ask for some actual feedback.  One is to list the worst and best course you took, which I wish they asked as a undergrad.  I guess they really don’t want to know your opinion as an undergrad…  haha!

In any case, the set of questions that caught my attention were the following, under the category of “General University Experience”

“What was your best academic experience at UC Berkeley?”

“What was your worst academic experience at UC Berkeley?”

and

“If you could change one thing at Berkeley, what would it be?”

And I was blown away.  One multiple levels.  First, they have a lot of guts to ask such questions of tired and jaded grad students.  Second, they actually might care to know this sh*t?  For real?!   Third, what does it mean (or not mean) that I could not immediately formulate an answer for any of them?  And Fourth, it really blows that I had to answer each question in less than 75 words.

What to say?

all of the horrible red ‘fragmented files’ slowly turning into pretty blue ‘contiguous files’…

Last night at some point after Obama was clearly in the lead, or had been declared the winner, or something, Ryan started complaining how cold he was…  except he was only wearing a t-shirt.  I handed him a white sweatshirt… but instead he defiantly reached for his red sweater and put it on.  After that I decided to wear my blue cal hoodie.

Although, I must say, getting the dreaded ‘blue screen’ three times on the laptop you need to use for dissertation editing for the next 10 days…  not a good blue.

I have to admit it is more a feeling of relief than anything else.  Even though all the polls were predicting an Obama win, I still had that little nagging worry in my mind…

Bonnie summed up my feelings quite well:  “You mean, you’re glad that Americans aren’t as racist as you thought?”

Me:  “Um, yes.”

Ryan and I got into this discussion tonight about race - re: Why are folks still identified by their minority ’side’?  ie. why is Obama ‘Black’ as opposed to ‘White’, when arguably he is ‘equally’ both?  What is the role of racial identity in our lives?  A few of my friends are ‘mixed’.  Are you supposed to ‘pick’ one?  How much does the perception of your race affect the way others treat you?  What if you look ‘white’ when you are not ‘white’?  What if Obama looked ‘white’ and not ‘black’?

Anyhoo, I digress.  Congrats to Obama!!!!!!

handmade by Kathleen of Grosgrain fame…  and GIVEN AWAY FOR FREE!!!!  O_O  The internet is an amazing place, with some amazing people.

I have to say though, that my mom made me some pretty great halloween costumes when I was little.  I was Rainbow Brite one year.  I think that was the most involved costume she ever made for me… it was pretty awesome.  I’ll have to dig up a picture sometime and post it.

but I truly do not understand how ‘white people’ (ok, ok, anyone know anyone who has grown up eating their grapefruit like this?!  I need a survey on the demographics of this population.)  eat grapefruit. And by ‘white people’ I mean anyone who cuts it crosswise and scoops out the flesh with a spoon. This is the image I have seen on TV growing up, at the breakfast buffet in hotels, etc…

I grew up in a grapefruit loving home (well, my dad loves grapefruit but my mom just kinda screws up her face and says it’s too bitter, and my dad and I would end up eating most of it) and we would always just peel the grapefruit like an orange, separate the slices, and then peel the thick skin off the individual slices with our hands. Definitely not as refined as eating a grapefruit with a nice spoon. But at least it doesn’t squirt you in the eye, leave lots of mashed up pulp, and a puddle of leftover juice. Plus, I think it feeds my OCD tendencies to make myself a nice pile of peeled grapefruit to savor. Yum.

Ryan says he doesn’t think he can take me out to a nice brunch anymore, since I don’t seem to want to eat my grapefruit in a civilized way. I say, if we’re busting out the big bucks for a nice brunch, I certainly won’t be wasting my precious stomach space on some grapefruit…

PS. Don’t tell me I need one of those pointy grapefruit spoons with the serrated edges. I need a set of those like I need another tokidoki bag.

Let me preface this by saying that no drugs (legal or not), or money, for that matter, were actually exchanged by, from, or to me in this process. However, everything described here actually happened two weeks ago, somewhere in San Francisco…

1.  Client calls you to get the goods.

2.  Order the goods from your supplier and determine a delivery date.

3.  On the predetermined delivery date, go to the predetermined delivery location to pick up the goods and discover your supplier has screwed you over.

4.  Curse profusely.

5.  Call up your backup supplier.  (Always have a backup!)

6.  Call you client and notify them of a change of plans and reschedule the exchange.

7.  Pick up the goods from your backup supplier the next morning at 8AM, still cursing.

8.  Meet your client behind a gas station, right off the freeway, in a shady neighborhood.

9.  Exchange said goods.

10.  Leave the transaction site immediately.

And that, my friends, is how to pull off a successful ‘drug deal’…  I know you are all so very thankful for my generosity in sharing this important information.

If you are dying to know what the ‘goods’ were, click here:  Continue Reading »

I found these photos last night and every time I need a little pick me up I just have to look at these photos and it instantly makes me smile.  See?  It doesn’t take much to make me happy!

via virginhoney on flickr

I went to the gym last night during the VP debate, thinking I’d catch a nice chunk of it on the elliptical…  but forgot my earphones.  ARGH!!!!!  Instead, I watched Pitt pretty much whomp USF… since watching football doesn’t need sound.  Yay for football!

I did catch the tail end of the debate, but really, I think this about sums up Sarah Palin’s performance:

I’m not sure I can still be your friend if you don’t find SOMETHING on this poster that makes you chuckle…

via Yee-Haw on etsy… although I can’t find this particular item for sale anymore - perhaps it’s sold out.

I’ve been having a trying week, for many reasons that I really don’t feel like getting into right now, but this morning I *really* needed some GOOD COFFEE.  I’ve tried every coffee serving establishment on the SFSU campus in the last two months, and I am sorry to say - they all kinda suck.  Cafe Rosso comes pretty close but… really?  That’s all you’ve got?

So, this morning Ryan recommended I just get something at Farley’s... *the* place to go in the good ol’ Po’ Hill area.  I’m a little wary of them, to be honest, because last time we went there Ryan ordered a decaf latte and it just tasted burnt.  (Supposedly it has to do with the decaf beans, or something, but who cares?  It shouldn’t taste burnt, I don’t care if the beans are ‘like that’ or not)

Anyway.  I thought I’d give them another try, as I was feeling a bit desperate for a good coffee.

I waited in line.

I ordered and paid.

I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And watched two people who ordered after me pick up their drinks.

At which point I finally went up to the counter and rather loudly asked when I was going to get my double latte.

At which point the cashier said, ohhhhhh someone else must have picked up yours, we had three double lattes in a row…  we have another one coming up though!

(No apology.)

Thankfully the second guy who stole my latte was still standing right there and gave me ‘his’ (my) double latte.

Let’s just say it took 15 minutes for me to get my latte.

I am NOT PLEASED.

The only saving grace this morning, after waiting 15 minutes for a latte, plus sitting in an extra 15 minutes of traffic coming to work (because of construction) ….

The latte is damn good.

Sigh.  It would be so much easier to hate on them if it wasn’t.

Regardless: This is strike two for Farley’s in my book.

Dear readers - what do you think?  Is waiting 15 minutes for a fantastic latte worth it?

I’m decidedly… undecided.