Newport News

My parents are in Eugene! This means that my apartment seems 3x as small and my fridge has 3x more food than usual. We had some plans for today, including a winery visit and a hike, but since it has been raining so much lately, both of those events would have turned into just walking around in the mud. So we went to the Aquarium in Newport with Michael's cute sister and her family.

I will never get tired of those kiddo's enthusiastic greetings. Reason to have children and puppies: they are always stoked when they see you.

My poor camera spent most of the trip wheezing and sputtering, but it took a few pictures.

 

(He's being crabby. Get it?)

I framed this picture very strategically, so you could not see the fashion-forward haircut that her siblings gave her earlier this week. She sure is cute though.

Icecream whenever you want

A few days ago I posted "The best thing about being a grown-up is the ability to buy yourself ice cream whenever you want," on facebook.

I've been thinking about this a little bit, and I think it happens to be genius (both the concept and my identification of it). A few days ago I took the bus to school, instead of my usual walk. Due to a detour and a crazy bus driver, it was taking about twice as long as usual, when the bus just broke down. Ka-blam. Broke down. I hopped off, trying to pretend that I'd decided to walk in the first place, when I found myself in front of a frozen yogurt shop. So, I went in and got something mango-y and chocolate-y and my day was much better.

Speaking of yogurt shops: were there a lot of people dreaming about opening frozen yogurt shops in the 90s? Because there sure are a lot around these days. If you don't believe me, visit Holladay, Utah.

You might be thinking that one cannot simply get ice cream whenever they want to, because they'll go bankrupt and end up on the street, with a ice cream-induced weight problem. Maybe so, but I maintain that it's still the best part about life.

(Who knew searching for "ice cream on the streets" would return something relevant?)

I've been a bit frazzled lately with finals and the large anvil hanging over my head that is my thesis. Mostly, I've been thinking about all the worst parts of being a grown up, but! soon I will leave my office and go get me some ice cream.

In other news, my camera is officially kaput, which means my blog will be super boring until I buy a new one or begin practicing camera-less photography. Somehow, I don't think you want to see my Rayographs, though.

PS- My parents are coming at the end of the week!

I Hate the Lakers

I've had a bit of a day today. I gave myself a deadline to produce some pages for my thesis. What an awesome idea, Sarah. Way to be self-disciplined. I really admire you, you said to yourself. I went past that deadline a few days ago, so I've been scrambling to catch up before my students attack me with papers to grade.

This has lead to a lot of time in my office and at my kitchen table. Hey, at least I get to use sticky notes fairly often. During this thesis-fest, my biggest consolation (besides, perhaps, video chats with Moose) has been the Utah Jazz. I love those guys, and my league pass. Thanks for winning for me, guys.

I'm going to go see them play in Portland (who knows who will be on their team by that point) in a few weeks with my parents. I've never been the odd-man-out in the crowd before, but I'll be wearing my Matt Harpring jersey, so he'll come protect me if I get attacked by angry hipsters. Ooooh, Portland joke.

Also, here's a little something I whipped up after finishing tonight.

It's Kobe. He's crying into his mask.

Bwahahahaha.

Master Sarah

Well, I've had a particularly depressing day, since I decided to search for jobs. Gah. It seems that I am no more qualified for 99% of jobs than I was before graduate school. This is a pretty standard joke in my life, but I'm now thinking that I may actually be less qualified than I used to be. I suppose that's what happens when you spend two years in the library drinking tea out of a thermos and buying progressively larger scarves.

Check me out, right now:

 Anybody ever notice the percentage of people who get picked for What Not to Wear that are graduate students? Well, it's about 50%, and the rest are retired strippers.

Don't worry though, I'm applying for Ph.D. programs next year, then I'll be really valuable to employers. I'm playing with a few jokes here, let me know what you think.

-"Hi, I'm Dr. Sarah and I'll be taking care of you tonight. Can I get you some drinks?"
-Maybe I'll change the language to reflect my advanced degrees, "Ah yes, hello. I'm Dr. Sarah (holds for applause). I'm pleased to be here today to present my semiotic analysis of your menu. (pulls out laser pointer) Please hold your questions."
-Craigslist ad: Do you like pictures of naked people? Well, I can tell you about the social and historical environment from whence they came! $10/hour.
-At least I'll be able to to be on ProActive infomercials: "I'm Dr. Sarah and I am indeed wearing a white lab coat..." (Flashing below screen: Holds a Ph.D in Art History).

Goodness. Anyway, I'll get a job and stuff. I'm actually very much looking forward to a year off, even if that includes a job that doesn't have anything to do with large scarves, where no one will call my Master Sarah. Wait! Maybe I could train young children to use light sabers. "Light Saber 1010, with Master Sarah." Some days I have so much trouble focusing on my graduate work that I end up doing things that aren't particularly relevant, like yoga in my office, or taking frequent trips to the free candy dish in the offices downstairs. Sometimes, I even end up online talking to myself. Can you imagine?

Ah, crap.

Green Eugene

Michael and I went to some fancy coffee place this morning ("Did you see that roaster, Sarah?"), went on a beautiful hike, ate sushi and shopped for some niece and nephew birthday presents. This is about four more things than I usually do each day, so go team.

 

We did the Fall Creek Trail, which is about a half an hour outside of Eugene. It's hilarious how quickly Oregon turns into little towns full of horses and Republicans right after you turn off of I-5. It was so GREEN and the water was beautiful and clear. I can't believe that it was that beautiful right now--what is it like in the spring?

Here are some pictures, and to prove my point I'm not going to edit any of them.

 Casual Hiker: one hand remains in pocket at all times

 The water was amazing. That color!

  Moose forgot that he doesn't like water and did some quality fetching.

 Awwww, look at that puppy dog.

 You may notice that this picture is not in focus; Michael took it.

If the state of Oregon wants to borrow this picture for their travel brochures, they may.

 

Did I mention that the sun came out at the end of the hike? The sun never comes out.

Anyway, we had a stellar day. It's sort of amazing how fortifying it is when people come visit me--especially when they're furry and like to cuddle. Hope you all have a lovely weekend.