'Tis the Season

I have graded all my students' papers, their finals are written, and I have one more official course meeting for my own class. The first semester back in full-time grad school has all but officially ended.

For most students and instructors, this would be a happy moment. But not for me. Not this year. Because lurking now, in just two weeks, and with nothing else to buffer me against them...

I have C O M P S.
(Comprehensive exams: the rite of passage among academics that 'prove' you are ready to begin your dissertation project, which is a whole other level of scholarly trials.) In my case, I will literally be put in a little room (6x6ft), with a writing surface, chair, laptop and a single can light above me. For eight hours, I will write my heart out. THEN, for the following two days, I'll do the same thing in the comfort of my own home. Count 'em: twenty-four hours of testing on everything I've studied in the past seven years.

THEN, early next year, I will have my oral defense of those exams. THEN write a dissertation proposal. THEN orally defend it. THEN write the actual dissertation. THEN orally defend it. And THEN, jump through lots of bureaucratic hoops for publication formatting, signature collection, microfiche-ing and binding, etc.

All so I can say, "That's DOCTOR, shift manager. Thankyouverymuch."

One of my committee members sat down with me to talk about "what kind of questions would really help me move toward" the dissertation project, in addition to testing my mastery of the field. Not thinking of the to-do queue above, but instead about the next two weeks, I answered: "True/false would be swell."

I'm not holding my breath.

Good news is that I have a number of friends who'd like to take me out after the final day of tests, in the hopes that I will--for only the second time in my life--set out to have a drink. (They're actually hoping I'll get drunk, but I point out that because I'm not a big drinker, holiday rum balls give me a buzz.)

The first and only other occasion was a decade ago with my classmates after our group Master's comps. Because I don't like how alcohol tastes (too reminiscent of the cough syrup from my childhood respiratory ills), I sampled a number of daiquiri flavors trying to find one was too fruity or chocolaty to taste the alcohol. By the time the waitress made me choose the least nasty of them, my throat burned, my stomach felt warm, my perception was a bit off and I'm told I sat smiling rosily for no reason. (Sorry no photos that I know of.)

And, beyond that capstone night on the town, it's home to see the family and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas*.

Well-researched holiday wishes to all. hiccup.

*#43 is my favorite: raw emotion AND poor punctuation; this family apparently sent this out with their name on it!

Happy T(of)urkey Day

Tomorrow in the United States, it's our annual Thanksgiving holiday. (wikipedia it for more on history, rituals, etc...)

They Know We're Grateful by the Quantity We Ingest
I will be attending my Nth annual "Orphan's Feast" at/with/for a group of friends in the southwest Valley. (A potluck for those who aren't/can't go to their families.) It's a buffet of cuisine, and I can't wait to sample the wide menu. I will, of course, contribute my potluck staple: green bean casserole. (I'm also taking some Santa Fe Stew, which is similarly easy-to-make and popular.)

So, as I eat thanks for all the positive I have in my life, a few memories with you in the hopes that you too have and appreciate your bounty.

• Harianne ("Yenta" of Ed Debevic's fame) and I ate veggie patties and watched Native American movies. Both of them. (including a favorite of mine, Sherman Alexie's Smoke Signals. "John Wayne has no teeth, hey-ya...")
• On a similar note, I'm also fond of the First Thanksgiving as portrayed in the movie Addams Family Values.
• Finally, menu-wise, when I was a hall director (campus housing), my fellow directors and I had a monthly potluck dinner as a bit of team-building. Each month, I took my green bean casserole --the only really decent thing I can cook (i., stir and heat). When December came, the host suggested we do a cookie exchange instead, and everyone turned to me, worried about what Thomas would bring. Non-plussed, I asked whether they hadn't heard of 'green bean casserole holiday balls.' Mmmm.

I took sugar cookies, made from the recipe on the bag. (But you gotta admit it sounds intriguing...)

Bourne Justice

At long last, the entertainment establishment has acknowledged what I have long known:

The Sexiest Man Alive
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21789226/

I will admit seeing ads for The Rainmaker years ago, with attached buzz of the up-and-coming new star, and thinking 'no big deal.' I have since realized the folly of my ways. And, finally the cultural definer that is People, agrees.

The line for congratulatory snogs starts behind me.

Somewhere, a place for me...

This was the first Veterans Day weekend in a number of years that I did not spend on "retreat" in Winslow, AZ at the La Posada hotel. With its front door on the historic Route 66, and the its back door on the intercontinental rail line, the hotel is being restored to its halcyon state. After first visiting for work in January 2002, I have visited almost every fall to enjoy the changing-foliage drive up, in-room fireplace, no phones, sunken garden, gourmet restaurant, train shaken anonymity. Not this year.

Consolation prize
No, this year, pending comprehensive exams and diminished grad student income have kept me from the annual escape. Instead, I am sorting, reading, outlining, cursing, synthesizing and attempting to (re)learn everything-there-is-to-know about Communication theory, qualitative research methods, whiteness, communication & identity, and intergroup dialogue. Tomorrow's forecast: sunny, and more of the same. Long range forecast: Ditto.

FYI, here's what the HIGHLIGHTS (i.e., non-cumulative) of seven years of doctoral work looks like spread in your living and dining rooms:



(House usually looks like as shown here.) More books and stacks of articles to come, by the pound!

All this so I can retort, "That's DOCTOR Shift Manager, thank you very much."

No Sweat and the Little Things

The past day was one of those that are my absolute favorites, weather-wise. Though the northern hemisphere passed its autumnal equinox a few weeks ago, yesterday was the first day here in Arizona when that chill was in the air--the clear evidence that summer's heat had broken, and that autumn's slide to winter had begun.

Fall is my favorite season. Dusk my favorite time of day. Threshholdy, gloaming, liminal I...

Nuggets of Happy
Despite having one friend just out of the hospital, the continued state of singlehood (thanks Brian for the next excellent conversating on Friday!), and a slew of things due tomorrow(comprehensive exam list, book chapter, consulting report, etc.), I have had to stop and smile a few times today:

• When leaving my house today on errands, a young woman I didn't recognize rode into my cul-de-sac on her bike, and without speaking, smiled and jingled her handlebar bells at me. She literally rode in, jangled her greeting, and rode out again. One of those random acts the bumper stickers call for...
• At The Coffeeshop today, I saw another longtime customer who was in an horrific car accident several years ago. She's physically very different, but today I could see the old sparkle in her eyes that made her so well-known and liked by all the regulars. Then another friend and her new girlfriend came in, so we got a quick catch-up.
• I was supposed to attend a meeting with a longtime friend in the next town over, but after nearly half an hour of trying, I couldn't find the church where it was held. Though I'm sorry not to have found it or the group, I did spend some time driving around an area I'm never in, and it reminded me of some of the old industrial parts of towns I grew up in. Ah, Nostalgia, AZ...
• I have the new Annie Lennox album, Songs of Mass Destruction, playing. Annie sings to whatever mood I'm in. She seems happy when I am, and the same songs comfort when that's what's called for. I heart her.

Today is one of the "moments" in my annual solar circuit. I hope it brings you some small wonders too.

For Brian...

To Each His [sic] Own. Here's Mine.

In noting recently to a friend that I've not been blogging often, I pined that it was not so much lack of time as lack of witty insights, questions and observations to share that held me back. Said friend said, as only good friends say, "What makes you think anything you've already posted is witty?"

Lowest common denominator
So, having broadened my content filter to include criteria beyond "witty," today's entry follows a grand tradition in the blogosphere of (occasionally) sharing one of the author's favorite locales, eateries, foods, movies, and perhaps even clever turn of phrase. Whether to educate, entertain or just earn some karma, I share a little gem of the earth whose export likely won't be the basis of a Leo Dicaprio movie.

Today's inaugural expose' is: The Cornish Pasty Co.

Nestled into a strip mall in west Tempe, AZ, this bar/bakery serves a wide selection of English meals-in-a-bun (and drinks), including an entire menu page of vegetarian ones. (Made for, not of, vegetarians.) They were out of the veggie shepherd's pie today, so I had quite the scrumptious (if not historically authentic) "Veggie Mexican": Veggie ground Mexican spiced beef, egg, potatoes,and cheddar jack cheese. Served with sides of sour cream and salsa. Light and sweet crust, hot and well-mixed stuffing; very nice!

Having lived a year in, and fallen in love with, Manchester, England, it's not often I can get truly good food that takes me back. I've gotten a few nice rolls of biscuits at import stores, and have only missed a meal at Shakespeare's Pub on one visit to San Diego; so finding a nearby and quality taste of "abroad" was quite the thrill this midday! (Thanks, Brian!)

SUMMARY: Reasonable prices, lots of convenient hours, good service ("Do you want one or split checks?" and brought, unrequested, "to go" salsa and sour cream with the box!), and most importantly, a tasty pasty. Suitors could certainly take me here.

BTW, as the staff shirt's point out, the fare is correctly pronounced "past-tee." Extra points to the place for the English lesson!