Mike and Music

One week from today, I will be rocking my little brain out to Morrissey, live and in concert.  This will be the fourth time I’ve seen him, and I can’t wait.  Last time I went to a show on a Sunday, he said, “Today being Sunday and all…” and launched into “Every Day is Like Sunday.”  Will I be so lucky this time?  I can only hope!

(Actually, last time I saw him on a Sunday my friend and I followed him to the airport and managed to meet him and his band and get all their autographs.  If I can pull that off again, I will probably die and go to heaven.)

Tonight, rather than going to class (I’m done with that, ha ha), I went to Skateworld with Mike and Elree.  I rented skates and wobbled my way onto the floor.  I used to LOVE to roller skate when I was a little girl, though I didn’t ever go to rinks (just skated on the neighborhood’s sidewalks and streets).  Not only was I unused to skating on a smooth surface, worn even more smooth by years of wear and tear, I hadn’t been on eight wheels in more almost two decades!  It took me a while to get my bearings, and even then, I got tired pretty easily at first.  Skating off the floor to have a seat, I took a little tumble, but didn’t hurt myself or anyone else.  Skateworld plays old school music (for example, they played “The Rain,” “Atomic Dog,” and “Humpty Dance”), but it’s a ton of fun to skate to.  If I can just get back into my skating groove, I’ll be out there skating backwards in no time!

I am officially finished with grad school!  During a lovely (and not too terribly long) ceremony on Friday, I was hooded in academic regalia signifying I have attained a Master of Arts degree.  My family was there cheering me on, and after a quick dinner, Mike and I came home to prepare for our fiesta.  Lots of people turned out Saturday night for the party, and I felt very special and very loved.  Sometimes it’s easy to forget that people like you, but when a huge group of people turn out to celebrate your achievement, it becomes clear pretty quickly.  Special thanks to everyone who came to the fiesta, and to all those who brought/sent gifts.  I am a lucky gal!

Today, I heard about someone who got a job I feel they are entirely unqualified for.  I see this peron’s appointment to the rather prominent position as proof that if you stick around long enough, you truly can be promoted to your highest level of incompetence.  Maybe we can call it the “Cockroach Principle.”  Sooner or later, all the useful things will die off or wither away, and cockroaches (and cockroach-like employees) will inherit the earth (or the office, as the case may be).  It’s so sad.

Last October, I got my hair straightened through at a fancy schmancy salon in downtown San Diego. The process is imported from Japan, it’s hard to find someone to do it, and it’s incredibly painstaking, so it’s time intensive. This results in an extremely high price. I paid an arm and a leg, but it looks amazing, and the treatment is permanent. I love it. Love it.

My hair is starting to grow out, and it’s time to get my roots touched up. My hair is kinda wavy, kinda curly, so there’s a noticeable bump where the new growth has come in. I could have sworn when I got the initial treatment done, they told me it cost half as much as having the initial session done, but when I called a couple of days ago, they told me it costs the same as the whole head straightening!

It makes no sense (except that they can charge that much since I have no other options) that they would charge the same amount to straighten an inch or two of hair. It shouldn’t take as long, shouldn’t use as much product, and isn’t as much work. The thing that makes me especially angry is that I really do think they quoted me a reduced price when I had it done. I feel like it’s a bait-and-switch.

The moral of the story? If you’re considering Japanese thermal hair straightening and you live in San Diego, avoid the Robert Cromeans salon.

Today I turned in my thesis!
Mike is making us lasagna in our toaster oven– yummy!
I had a great time hanging out with Neeru in Pasadena last weekend.
Friends from all over the place are planning to come to my graduation party.
Mike is nominated for two Emmys this year!

Things are going so well!

I just got back from the 21st Annual California Statue University (CSU) Research Competition.  The event brings together graduate and undergraduate students from across the CSU system (22 campuses), who compose a five page summary of their original research and prepare a 10-minute presentation.  Each campus holds a contest to winnow applicants down and those campus winners attend the CSU competition, which is held over two days each May.

This was my first time entering the contest, held this year at CSU Dominguez Hills (for those of you who are wondering, Dominguez Hills is near Carson/Torrance).  I entered a content analysis comparing how two southern California newspapers covered Mexico from July 2, 2005 to July 2, 2006.  Nine SDSU students and I made the trek to the competition, each entered in categories such as Humanities (that was my category), Biological and Agricultural Science, Behavioral and Social Science, etc.  My fellow SDSU-ers presented works on strange stars, political identification of American Muslims after 9/11, the crushing properties of sand, and a number of other topics (some of which I didn’t understand, they were so scientific and advanced).

In my category, I was up against eight or nine other graduate students from a variety of CSU campuses.  In the end, I won runner up, winning a certificate of achievement (or something) and a $250 prize.  I’m happy I won, but I wish I would have won first.  Oh well.  In total, SDSU had two first prize winners and two runners up including me, meaning six of our team didn’t win anything– so runner up isn’t bad comparatively.  Besides, I’m done with my thesis (turning it in tomorrow, in fact), nearly done with grad school, and I just won money that I can add to my savings account.  I have no reason to complain!

Mike and I just got back from the first hour or so of a two-hour Emmy nomination announcement dinner.  The Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences host a mixer each year where they announce the people whose work has been nominated for an Emmy.  Last year, it was a hotel downtown.  They had food and free wine, so it was pretty enjoyable.  We were both excited to find that this year’s event was at the House of Blues, which we’ve been to for other events so we know the food is yummy.  Unfortunately, though, this was just pass hors d’oeuvres and a cheese/fruit/veggie spread.  Mike doesn’t really like to network, especially when it’s a cash bar, and I didn’t know anyone, so we ate and skipped out.  Stay tuned for more info on Mike’s 2007 Emmy nominations…

Today, all three of my thesis faculty committee members signed off on my thesis.  I have an appointment to submit it to SDSU on Monday.  This is a great feeling!

It’s hard to believe that this time a year ago, I was worrying about kids from San Diego middle and senior high schools walking out in throngs to protest American immigration policy. It was only in March that thousands of students fled the walls of their schools, if they came in at all. Some roved the streets like packs of animals, trying to convince students at neighboring schools to join them. Others wandered around aimlessly, not sure what was going on, but excited to have the day off. There were those who knew about the immigration proposals before Congress, but I have to think they were few and far between.

And now here we are a year later. Instead of worrying about students, I’m worrying about student. Singular. That student is me. Only a couple of weeks left in my graduate school career, and all that stands between me and an MA is getting my thesis signed off on, turning in a short paper for one of my classes, and writing a 20-page paper for another class. I think I can, I think I can…