Warning: dealing with sleep-deprived graduate students can be dangerous to your health, mental stability, and ability to get your morning coffee in a timely fashion. But not all individuals fitting this description wear a convenient neon sign. So how do you pick one from the crowd? Eight Ways to Tell if You’re Looking at aContinue reading “8 Ways to Tell…”
Category Archives: Grad School
Professional Development
Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead. ~Gene Fowler I’m beginning to think the experience of writing this particular paper should go down on my resume under the category “Professional Development.” If this hasn’t given me sympathy for theContinue reading “Professional Development”
When it Comes to Papers
Paper, go write yourself. Somehow I feel very rude saying that. And yet if I were writing it in Latin, I would use the subjunctive in its optative sense: Paper, would that you would write yourself. Not rude at all. Utinam haec charta se scribeat. Je voudrais que mon essai s’ecrive. Or something like that.Continue reading “When it Comes to Papers”
Cheese and High Heels
This week, I traveled to Madison, Wisconsin for a literature conference. In case I hadn’t figured this out before, I was reminded, first, that English majors and professionals can turn anything into a verb–and I mean anything. (The buzzword for the weekend was “dissertating”: i.e. Are you dissertating yet?) Second, though, I was reminded thatContinue reading “Cheese and High Heels”
It Might Be Midterms…
… 1) If you begin to compete with the other cars to be the last to leave the commuter parking lot at night, and are irritated because one car beat you out. 2) If your top coffee shop comment card complaint is a shortage of power outlets and the time limit on the free wireless.Continue reading “It Might Be Midterms…”
WANTED
Graduate School in the Humanities: Just Don’t Go When I found this I thought: Gee, thanks for telling me now. But there’s no use crying over spilt…dollars…or hours…or brain cells…or stuff. Right? So instead, what we need are some super-fantabulous Alternate Careers for Unemployed, Over-Qualified Graduate School…Graduates. What a great idea. I thereby submit forContinue reading “WANTED”
Back in Business
Starting back to classes tomorrow. Graduate school, take 2. Newly resolved NOT to leave final papers for the last week, but not particularly confident in my ability to fulfill said resolution. Newly resolved not to trip on the stairs as frequently, or to patronize Starbucks as often, or… Cancel that. Newly resolved that classes startContinue reading “Back in Business”
The Twelve Days of Finals
In celebration of finishing the first semester of grad school, and in proper holiday spirits, I am proud to bring to you, for the first time in the history of this blog (wow, that sounded very pompous, didn’t it?)…The Twelve Days of Finals (to be sung appropriately). Enjoy! The Twelve Days of Finals OR TheContinue reading “The Twelve Days of Finals”
DONE
C’est fini Finitus est I’m done. Take that, first-semester-of-grad school. I will now collapse for a week.
But Then…
Sometimes, I am just incredibly grateful for the ability to laugh. Today was one of those days. After two weeks of increasing stress, I hit writer’s block this week, with a paper due tomorrow (about torture and the literary) among other monsters. Nothing. I mean nothing. Commence mini-breakdown. But then… I’m grateful for a coupleContinue reading “But Then…”
Snark on the Side 