because of

• friend’s wedding festivities this weekend
• packing
• moving details
• work move

And life in general

BRB real soon, Ms. Rose

idea maybe?

I think about dissertation ideas all the time. I think this is probably normal for those of us who desperately want and know they need to go to grad school for whatever subject. My goal has been to read a ton of books. I just finished Women, Family, and Utopia: Communal Experiments of the Shakers, the Oneida Community, and the Mormons. I was intrigued by the connections between the Shakers, Oneida Community and Mormons. But it wasn’t until the last the conclusion that I read something that got me thinking (again) about dissertation ideas.

The author Lawrence Foster made the assertion that Mormon literature during the Victorian era was much more Victorian in nature than the actual “Victorians.” This reminded me of an idea I had to trace the history of the Anti Mormon (aka anti polygamy) movement of the last part of the nineteenth century. As far as I can tell, there has not been a comprehensive study on this so far. The time is definitely ripe for such a study.

Of course, I am not sold completely on this idea. But it does have something to it. I know I will probably be completing research on gender and religions in the later part of the nineteenth century. This is the first time in awhile I’ve had such a revelation (yes to use a “Mormon” word) toward my future research. I am going to start seeing what this could possibly entail. I am very excited to have an idea that may have something to it.

But first I have to get through

• the first two to three years of course work
• TAing for the first time ever
• Comps
• Language requirements
• And the next few month before school begins!Here we go!

Why does Phyllis Schafly need an honorary degree from Washington University when she already has two real live degrees from that institution?

When I was getting my M.A. from my liberal arts alma mater, a classmate of mine did a research paper on Schafly. I was shocked at that age to learn that people were so strongly against the ERA.  Now, I am just used to it.

But seriously what’s the point of the honorary degree?

Yesterday, I tuned into NPR and listened to Talk of the Nation. Journalist Meghan Daum discusses her aptly named article, Raunch is rebranded as ‘confidence.’ Her commentary on the program and article are brilliant.  She certainly hits many features of women and spring break life right on. What I like most about Daum’s journalistic style is that she calls certain statistics and reports “news of the ‘no duh’ variety.” I only begin to chuckle to myself when I think of all the news I read on a regular basis that induces a “duh” cringe in me. The kind of “duh–don’t we all know this already?!?!” reaction that makes me want to run away from the media crazed USA and move to a quiet British Columbia hamlet and be done with it all.

Daum’s no duh news:

The American Medical Assn. released figures about sex and alcohol use during rowdy spring break vacations. The poll, which surveyed female college students and graduates aged 17 to 35, found that 74% believed women used drinking “as an excuse for outrageous behavior”; 83% “had friends who drank the majority of nights while on spring break”; and 12% “felt forced or pressured into sex” during spring break.

Apart from Daum’s almost mischievous, hilarious terms, there is a troubling side to this column.  Daum correctly states that young women are equating their spring break antics with confidence. The wackier, riskier and raunchier they get, the more confident they can claim to be.  Ultimately what this article reveals is that young women are not only partying during spring break but that spring break represents an enlarged version of what is going on today with today’s youth (ie teenagers and young twentysomes.)

Yet another reason I am glad I went to high school in the 1990s.

Beside the obvious reason that we have to if I want to continue my education, here are three major reasons why its good to get out of town and our neighborhood.

(1) The only decent drugstore in our hood closed! The Eckerd Pharmacy closest to us closed when it was bought by Rite Aid. Unfortunately, the pharmacy staff at the Rite Aid near us always acts like they cannot be bother to refill our prescriptions. So we go to CVS. The CVS is awesome for a pharmacy but to go buy a simple thing like a toothbrush takes like twenty minutes because of the lines.

(2) Bye bye video store! While I was in Argentina, the Hollywood Video across the street closed. This was not an awesome video story, it was not even a suitable video store , but it was good for picking up a fun popcorn movie on a weekend night. There is a blockbuster down six blocks but it doesn’t warrant a visit because you can get the same selection on the ondemand channel.

(3) Probably the worst one: our FAVORITE take away Chinese food just disappeared. A few days before it disappeared, my husband and I walked by and commented on how nice it looked inside. (No, we have never actually eaten there, we are LAZY new yorkers.) THEN POOF!!! SO sad!

So with our favorite and usual standby’s disappearing may be it is best we disappeared too??

Seems so!

A neighborhood street on a spring day.

One thing I will miss is how beautiful our neighborhood is.

Posting has been light due to trans continental traveling, time difference and my inability to focus on one thing for more than five minutes. Great time for that Adult ADD to start up!

A have a lot on my mind right now. Specifically, where my husband and I will be living for possibly the next five years. This means that I will be leaving New York City. I always knew this day would be inevitable but I never really thought it through seriously. I moved to the city as a ten year old. Prior to that I had lived in a smaller city in Michigan, San Francisco and Washington DC. Moving to New York always seemed like it would eventually happen. When I was seven years old I wanted to be a movie star, and I thought that New York City would make that happen. I guess I didn’t really know about Hollywood as a young child. Well, almost seventeen years and several career ambitions later, I am about to leave. I know its a possibility that I could live here again in the future. But thats an uncertainty.

Meatier posts to come soon.

I’m back from my jaunt to the Southern hemisphere (read: Argentina and Chile). I will, given time this week, write a full breakdown of my trip including pictures!

In other news, while I away I found out I was accepted into graduate school and I am thrilled.  I don’t want to provide much detail now except to say that I am asfhhddasjdashadkhdkjdaEXCITED!

Obviously!

The 2008 US presidential race could, for the first time in history, turn out to be a contest between nominees who belong to the minority segments of the American population, whether by gender, race or religious denomination. On the Democratic side, the contest for nomination is between the Afro-American Barack Obama and the first woman to win a presidential primary, Hillary Clinton. On the Republican side, the leader in terms of delegates is Mitt Romney who subscribes to the Mormon denomination of Christianity. via

Traveling back home from the Midwest on the airplane(s), I realize my glasses keep falling off of my face if I looked down or was trying to maneuver on a plane. This is bad because I don’t want my glasses haphazardly falling off my face.  That would be bad! Should I get new glasses? I’m not sure.
In other news, I’m in the midst of thinking over new years resolutions and other things I have to do stat since its the new years and so far I have come up with

(1) Finally get in shape and maintain it

(2) Read 100 books. This was a resolution last year and I read 70 so maybe I’ll finally reach this goal.

(3) Become more politically active in an active, not just blogging way.

(4) Learn more about blogging and blog culture. For example, I know nothing about nablopomo. I should have known about that!

(5)  Actually do things I want to. Instead of thinking about how I want to go to the Natural History Museum, actually go there.

I’m sure I’ll think of even more!

until January 2nd.

Happy Holidays, New Year etc.