Last night was a super fun night out with (e:mike)! We hit a lot of clubs and were extremely social on our night to "meet people." Without (e:beast) and (e:jill) I'm afraid (e:mike) is becoming an alcoholic, and am I becoming a party girl?...no, definitely not, but (e:mike) is an alcoholic! Although I don't have any pictures of from last night, I do have ones from when (e:mike), (e:mk), and I went to Frizzy's two weeks ago. I'm really not sure what we're doing in most of them, but it was a really fun night out. Enjoy!

Life in Buffalo for the summer is always something I look forward to when I'm away and am bitterly disappointed by when I'm experiencing it. Although it's really nice to be in my house and with my mom and friends, I'm really bored when I'm not in school. I going to get a job so that I'm not so bored for the next couple months...school doesn't start until mid-September so this is only the beginning. Good thing I have (e:Mike), (e:MK), and (e:Jessbob) (for the time being) to hang out with. I definitely need to make an effort to be more social this summer. I don't push myself enough in that respect and I think it's time for me to work on that. (e:Mike), it's time for you to work on that too. Let me know if I need to make any calls from your phone for you.

There is a bit of exciting news to tell. I got an apartment in Cambridge for the year. It's so perfect, it's right in Harvard Square just a couple blocks from my school so I don't have to commute. It seems expensive but the girl I'm going to live with did a lot of searching and found the best price for us. I can't wait to live Cambridge, it will be such a departure from Schenectady! I'm getting a little nervous about my grad school program, but every time I start to freak out I go to the website and read all the course offerings and everything and I feel really happy again (I know I'm such a dork).

I don't have too much to tell. I'm sure I won't have anything to post about before the 4th so I hope everyone enjoys the fireworks.

Check this out:

It's so funny that someone would bother to poll poeple on whether they say "pop" or "soda." I think the interactive map is really cool. I always thought us "pop"ers were the minority but it seems we may not be. Although I have to admit, this hardly seems unbiased...just check out the Conclusion. At any rate, put down your info and be represented.

It's been a while since i updated my journal last, but things have been mighty busy. I returned from Atlanta, GA for a psychology conference (the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development). This is the first conference that I ever presented my research at so I was really nervous. I travelled and stayed with a prof a don't know that well but we got along great. I really like her company and I hope that I will be like her some day. We talked about all sorts of personal things and I felt pretty close to her by the end. I'm really lucky to have had so many good mentors while I've been at Union.

Anyway, the conference was exciting. I was the only one taking pictures. I met a bunch of "famous" psychologists (clearly no one besides me would think they are famous) and some impressive people actually sought out my research. I was terrified that people would ask me questions and I wouldn't be able to answer them, but I was able to talk to everyone. Most of the people were so supportive and interested- except one person. She came up to me and asked "so, what's the point?" I asked what she meant and she replied "well, I mean, why??" I was stumped. That was a low point, but otherwise all went well.

On the upside, I got to meet Arnold Sameroff and Robert Plomin...so cool!!

Oh yeah, I got to wear a badge!


My poster:




Grad school decisions must be made by this Friday. I'll keep you updated...maybe.

So I got into a couple of grad schools and I am really happy. I had my fingers crossed that I would be accepted to one school, so having a choice is really something I never expected. Now I have to decide where I want to spend the next 5 years of my life. It seems surreal to make a decision that involves so much time and so many variables that I couldn't possibly predict. But still, that is what I have to do. I know that if it really doesn't work out I can always leave or transfer to someplace else. Anyway, now it's time make a choice...then I can start worrying myself crazy about actually going to grad school.

[size=l]Happy Birthday Jillian Marie!!!

Sorry I can't be there to celebrate, but I hope you have a fantastic day :D [/size]

(e:Mike) I love you. I want you to know that you are really important to me. My life would not be the same without you. I know it doesn't seem true since I've been away at school, but you really are so important. You were the first (and so far only) person I have called since I've been home. When you came to visit me at school I suddenly felt so much more at home, even though I have been living there for three years. I know that I am not fun and I don't go out much so it's me saying this doesn't make you feel better and I'm sorry. But just know that if you ever need someone to talk to or hang out with, I'm here for you.

Okay, this may seem like just another silly excuse for why I am incapable of doing work but I HATE MY DESK! It is the worst possible set-up to do work on. First of all, it is made for left handed people. The drawers and everything are on the left. That means I have to situate my computer on the right half and all of my papers on the left. It's so annoying because I can't write anything while I am sitting in front of my computer. Furthermore, it is uneven. It wobbles up and down, and not by a little either- by A LOT. I have put things under the legs but they get kicked out or something and so the wobbling continues. My printer doesn't even fit on my desk so I have to put it on top of my dresser. I know it's not really worth complaining about but it's annoys me so much when I am trying to do work and I don't have a place to put anything.

At home I have a wonderful desk. The printer is in a little drawer and all my papers can fit on either side. Even when I lived in the dorms I had a better desk than now. They were great. Come to think of it, I want one of the those. I should see where they get them from. The only problem with replacing my craptastic desk is that I live on the third floor. Moving anything in or out of my apartment is such a huge pain. I should just stick it out intil June when I get out of here to avoid the hassle. Ugh...

Ahhhhh. I am so mad/sad because I just realized today that my favorite professor was teaching a course this term and I missed it. I know this doesn't sound like a big deal but it really is. You see, I took a class with Prof Chalmers Clark my freshmen year in philosophy and I totally feel in love with him. Not actually love, but more total adoration. He is a sweet 60 year old man who loves what he teaches and has a kind sense of humor. I just thought he was so nice. I even tried to fix him up with one of my mom's friends! Alas, he already had "a sweetheart waiting for him back home." How cute is that?!

Anyway, he was just visiting that year to teach one class because he is from schenectady and his mom was sick so he had to take care of her. Again, how cute!? So when he left I didn't take any other philosphy courses and I have been searching the course listings ever since to see if he returned, but he was never listed. THen, today when I was waiting for a friend I saw a sign on a door that said "Prof Clark has cancelled philosophy 113 because of the snow." At first I wondered whether it was the same person (obviously there are a lot of Clark's). So, like the loser I am, I raced to the nearest computer and looked up the course listing and found that he is teaching not one but TWO classes this term at Union. He even has a little bio online as a visiting prof. I was sad because I thought his mom might be sick again, and even more sad because I would have taken one of his classes if the stupid registrar hadn't listed him as "Staff" when we were selecting our courses. But more than anything else I was glad other people got have him as a prof. I used to tell people about him and how great he was. I always hoped my enthusiastic course evaluation would encourage Union to bring him back to us.

Anyway, now I will just have to feel sad that I missed him. It was my last chance to ever have a course with my chum Chalmers. I will miss him getting way to excited about philospohy and swinging his arms wildly with his shirt that has sweat stains on it. Oh, Chalmers...

Here is the bio he put on my school's website (I especially love the last sentence!):


Chalmers Clark will split his time at Union and as Visiting Fellow in Philosophy and with the Institute for Social & Policy Studies at Yale University. His background is in the naturalized epistemology of W. V. Quine. His interest is to extend Quine's scientific holism into the domain of moral and political thought. The result has been research and publication in several interdisciplinary forms. Current work is on trust relations in the professions (medicine especially), the professions as stewards of public trusts, and the role public trusts play in the basic structure of a free society. After class, Chalmers practices (not plays) the violin, runs (slowly), and looks for short cuts to logic problems.