My First Meme

Stewgad, over at PrettyHard, Dammit, passed along my first meme! So, here goes:

4 jobs I've had in life:
- the golden arches (my first "real" job, the kind where they take taxes out of your paycheck)
- working at a landfill (luckily I was in the office)
- an overpaid administrative assistant at fancy-schmancy Calphalon cookware company
- bank teller

4 places I've lived:
- tiny town #1 in Home State a.k.a. Native America (the school system only went up to 8th grade, then you had to transfer to another district)
- tiny town #2 in Home State (where I went to high school, population 1,100)
- very small town in northwestern Ohio (where I got my MA)
- only slightly bigger town in Boilermaker country (from which I moved to here, College Town, The South)

4 favorite foods:
This one is extremely difficult because I've never met a food I didn't like! I love to cook, I love to eat, and I occasionally like to think of myself as a food officionado...but I'll try to narrow the field.
- Steak, preferably a thick filet mignon with a nice buerre blanc sauce over the top (and rare... like, I want it to "moo" at me)
- I can't live without really great Mexican food like enchiladas verdes (with fresh salsa, a top-shelf margarita, and soapapillas for dessert!)
- Combination fried rice from an excellent Chinese place!
- The pasta served in the restaurants my husband and I ate at in Rome! The best was this Lobster Arrabiata that was the special of the day at a tiny, out-of-the-way diner just outside of Vatican City. Spicy red sauce served over fettucine al dente, with a glass of house vino, all for about 12 euros!

4 places I'd rather be:
- Back in Italy!!
- France
- England (London specifically)
- I'd really like to see the NE in the fall, especially with the girls, and take in some fresh seafood while we watch the foliage turn colors (cliche, but I've never been)

4 movies I can watch over and over:
Difficult b/c I'm the type that, once I've seen it, I really don't need to see it again. But here are my top picks...
- The Sound of Music
- The Notebook
- Top Gun (thank you God for the volleyball scene)
- (almost) anything with Matthew Mcconaughey in it :)

4 t.v. shows I like to watch:
- Grey's Anatomy!!
- Brothers and Sisters
- Desperate Housewives (can you tell I'm an ABC fan?)
- Rick Steves travel shows (I'm such a dork!)

4 websites I view daily:
- Yahoo
- my blogroll peeps
- does my university e-mail count?
- Really, I try to keep the net surfing/time wasting tendency to a bare minimum

4 computers I've owned:
- the pc I bought in 2001 when I started my MA program
- the Dell desktop my mom bought for a joint birthday present for my hubby and I this spring
- Yeah, I've only owned 2 computers :)

4 people to tag:
Canape at Don't Take the Repeats
DR at Writing Maternity
Supadiscomama
Mad Grad Mom at Diss, Dat, and Diapers

The Two Towheads and the 8-Second Ride

Here they are. My blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauties. I've broken down and posted their pictures. My mom brought H back from Home State on Sunday, then watched E while hubby and I took H to Giant Waterpark on Tuesday. We had a great time, and H was both well-behaved while there and appreciative as we were leaving. As in, she said "Mom, I'm really thankful that I got to come here" without any prompting from me :) On Wednesday, Mom and I took the girls to have their pictures made together - finally - and this is one of the best! The photographer was great, and I let her know I like candid, fun shots, so she went with this pose, and the picture's worth a thousand words. Baby E is clearly happy to be wrangling her sister, who's equally happy to let her do it as long as she gets her close-up. Unfortunately, the session ended in a horrible assault. At my suggestion, the girls were both sitting on the floor, facing each other, and H was putting her forehead against E's. E had apparently had quite enough of the picture taking, and she proceeded to simultaneously grab H's hair with her left hand, bite her nose, and rip out H's earring with her right hand. Photo session over.

What I Want, What I Tell Myself

Today I had an unexpected, brief talk with a member of my committee, who's recently taken on the role of Placement Coordinator for our department. She asked if I planned on hitting the market next year and gave me some general tips, many of which I knew or had already heard about (i.e. don't be surprised if I don't get anything the first year, don't take it personally, etc.). I was explaining a few of the factors that would play into my particular job search that I think might make it a teeny tiny bit easier, one of which being that I didn't want to end up at a Research I school. This seemed to surprise her, as she said, as if to confirm that she heard me correctly, "You don't want to work at an RI?" I wiggled a bit, simply saying that right now, I'm not sure that an RI school is definitely where I'd like to be.

This got me thinking. Why not?

She didn't ask for any reasons (thank goodness), but I nonetheless came away wondering why it was I seem to have already decided this. I think there are some possible reasons:

- my presumption that RI equals stuffy, crazy department full of over-inflated egos?

- maybe I'm not smart enough to work under the pressure of a publish, publish, publish environment?

- maybe I'm not smart enough to publish, publish, publish to begin with?

- my presumption that there's no way I could work at an RI and be successful as both an academic and a parent?

- maybe saying I don't want to work at a RI is a way of not having to deal with being rejected from RIs, which would subsequently make me feel insecure?

- maybe I haven't yet decided what's "harder" for me: research or teaching?

- myabe I like to tell myself that teaching makes a difference to those students in my classes?

- maybe I'm afraid there's not a single RI school in which I'd "fit in;" that is, there seems to be a concept of Research I Material and I'm not it

- or maybe it's simply of way of convincing myself that not wanting an RI job will make it easier for me to get a job at all?

I don't know if the answer lies in any of these possibilities. Or perhaps in all of them combined. I do know, however, that I seem to be telling myself something that may not be quite right. I know I want to teach at a school with a graduate program. And I know I'm not cut out to teach at a community college (I tried...I just won't do it again), which leads me to think I don't want to be at a "teaching school." But there's a lot of area in between, right?

I also wonder if this is part of the process of becoming an academic: the finding where you belong aspect. And then there's the idea that one can't really "know" where one belongs at this stage (the dissertation writing stage). Does everyone go through this? Most people? Surely I'm not the only one? It's times like this when I wish I had more readers.

Happy Thoughts for my Little Brother

For the few readers I have, please send lots of happy thoughts (or prayers if you're the praying kind) toward the Caribbean, as my little brother is there now, working his ass off in vet school at Ross University in St. Kitts, and bracing for Hurricane Dean (in the loop image, you can see the hurricane to the SE of the islands). He sent an e-mail update from campus at 3:08 p.m., letting us know the electricity in his apartment is already out, but that he has plenty of provisions and will call us as soon as he gets phone access again. He actually had the gumption to say "I'll be okay. Don't worry." Sometimes I really think he's smoking crack! My only sibling. 26 years old. Just got engaged. And there's a damn hurricane headed right for him. Maybe now he's wishing he'd had a good enough GPA to get into a damn vet school in this country?! I love him, though.

B-Day of a Different Sort

Thursday, September 6th is officially my B-Day!

Not the usual B-day, of course, celebrating my birth. Rather, September 6th is the day I'm scheduled to get the braces on! Yesterday the orthodontist took the needed x-rays, made the molds, and explained the process to me, step-by-step. You see, the braces will not serve to close the "gap" I mentioned in my last post, but to open it wider so that an implant can be placed there. Here's how it will work...

Before the braces go on, they'll insert a metal implant into the gumline where the gap is. The implant rod has divets made of a material that attracts surrounding bone tissue. Kind of like planting a "tooth seed," the bone tissue will start attaching itself to and growing around the implant while the braces are on (as little as 12-15 months!). While the braces are on, I'll have a bridge tooth to stand in the gap. My ortho says nobody will ever be able to tell it's not a real tooth...we'll see. After the braces comes off, a tiny screw inside the implant will be unscrewed just a bit, just enough for the dentist to then "build" a tooth (from porcelain) around the implant. And voila, a brand new pretty tooth and a beautiful smile!

The engineering and technology is amazing! I'm both excited and a little scared. Even though the ortho tells me that this isn't a "painful" process, and I'll have some anaesthesia, I don't deal well with pain :( I am thrilled, however, about the possibility that I could have them off by the time MLA rolls around next December. If they aren't off, they still won't be too noticeable (I hope). I'm getting SmartClip braces, which are ceramic (clear-ish) on top and metal on bottom. It's pretty hard to see someone's bottom teeth during regular conversation, so I shouldn't look too freakish as the only 31-yr old with braces.

So yes, I have 3 more weeks until the big day...I can't even imagine how it must feel to smile without worrying how much of my teeth are showing, or whether people can see the gap. I just know I'm going to love the results! Maybe I'll post before and after pics??

What a Dork

As if my last post didn't out me as a complete dork for not having had an iPod, this one surely will do the trick. I have an orthodontic appointment on Tuesday to get fitted for braces. Yes, braces. As in, the ones that go on the teeth of a teenager, except that I'm 31-years old.

You see, I had a baby tooth - the upper-right canine - which didn't come out as it was supposed to. Not to be delayed, the permanent tooth grew right in above it, making itself quite at home and leaving me looking like a human can opener. I was horrified by the dental nightmare taking place before me during my middle-school years. Kids are awful by that age, and nobody hesitated to call me "vampire" or some other hideous name. Eventually, the permanent tooth kicked the baby tooth out and took sole reign of the gumline. This wasn't any better, however, as it lingered there prominently. An eye sore all in its own right. Until, that is....until my mom married my stepdad, who's a pharmacist. Her new..ahem, financial situation allowed for the expense of finally - FINALLY - getting the monstrosity extracted. Once it was pulled out, I was thrillled! My smile almost looked kinda normal, but with a little gap off to the side. Even then, the high school hellions couldn't resist. They wanted to know where the "beast" was. Did I have it mounted? They suggested I drill a hole in it and wear it on a necklace around my neck as if it were a trophy from some big kill in the African Sahara. [Can you tell high school sucked for me?]

I trooped on through life, gap and all, always a bit self-conscious every time I smiled. I even forgot about it most of the time, until I'd see a picture of myself. A picture of me is a rare occasion, though...Once I became a mom, pictures of me pretty much went away. But even now, when I see a picture that I'm in, the hole in my toothline is the first thing I notice (unless I'm not wearing makeup or I'm having a bad hair day).

So, upon my discovery that our graduate student dental plan actually includes orthodontic coverage for ADULTS, I couldn't help but wonder....Does this mean I might be able to afford braces?? Finally?? Hubby and I talked about it, and he absolutely understands how much it means to me. The plan has a flat price that you pay, which is $2100 for adults...Not bad at all compared to the $3500-$5000 we'd be looking at if I didn't have the coverage. The orthodontist has payment plans, but I think we'll pay for the whole thing at once (courtesy of the Fall financial aid refund, of course).

Is this bad? Am I a horribly vain person for wanting this so much? Am I a making an incredibly stupid financial decision to use financial aid for this purpose? This is the only time in my adult life that I've *EVER* seen orthodontic coverage for adults, so I don't get the impression that we'll get this opportunity later. I still feel guilty, though, thinking about what "emergency" we could use that money for later. We'll have no credit card debt and both vehicles are paid off and in decent condition (knock on wood). I just know I'll feel even worse if something happens the day after I get braces and we're SOL on the money front (we wouldn't be completely SOL, but you get the point).

Also, there's the whole issue of being on the job market next year with "clear" braces....Great. Just what I need. MLA with braces!! That would be like high school all over again, except worse because now I give a shit. I just hope I'm making the right decision.

I heart iPods

Can I just say?

I heart my new iPod!
I heart the iTunes store!
I heart my new music!

And I think maybe, just maybe, I'll start to heart working out simply because I get to listen to the best music ever!

iPod where have you been all this time?