très mignon!

oh dear lord, if I have a child (ever), I hope that she/he is as cute and as imaginative as this one.


Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.

humor in politics

obama's 'speech' at the al smith dinner is an extension of the humor of politics that has made the daily show and the colbert report so popular. this approach in this forum allows politicians to say some of the things that they would maybe like to say to their opponents, but wouldn't dare do so in formal campaign forums.

regardless, enjoy!

another reason to LOVE amy poehler.

not only is she a wicked smart comedienne that uses humor to say what needs to be said about politics and society, but her next project is all about girl power. loves it. really, amazing.

check it out here: smart girls have more fun! (you all know that already.)

perhaps the most amazing commentary on the palin problem

I have so much to say about the palin nomination, but frankly, the first two weeks of term have been kicking my butt. nevertheless, this. is. amazing.

hot child in the city

today seems to be the first of one of those really hot days in chicago. a day where the wind on your neck feels like it is coming from a large blow dryer. the hot wind tired me as I rode down the lakefront path to pick up my computer, but it was also something of a blessing, as there were fewer people on the path. (hooray!)

I've found refuge in an air conditioned coffee shop. for the price of a muffin, I have a cool space to work in. so, why am I not getting anything done? ah, the guilt/anxiety of studying for prelims.

on to power through geertz before meeting up with mct for movie in the park. though neither of us want to miss 'all about eve' on a huge screen, we're both trying to swallow work guilt. this is summer, right?

park slope = no desire to be pregnant

am in bklyn to visit a couple of friends from london. am spending the afternoon in a coffeeshop to get hella work done in the way of studying for prelims. there are children crawling all over the place, kids kicking balls, and moms just thinking it is the cutest thing ever. now, I recognize that many women in the twenties at some point utter, 'I don't think I'll want to be pregnant for quite some time,' for whatever reason. and yes, not all of them mean it. I can't say in particular that I mean it either, but dear god, here's one reason not to procreate: turning your local coffeeshop into an indoor playground. so not cool.

and here I go, back to trying to get work done while kiddies throw balls about my feet. fun.

here comes the sun...

in a café listening to the beatles (hence the title of this post). have managed to make it through last semester and to say goodbye to a couple of friends that are moving from madison. :( after two frenzied days of packing, cleaning, and moving, I've finally made it down to chi. have unpacked and settled into mct's space and am attempting to get started on studying for my comparative politics prelim exam (which is at the end of the summer).

this summer will be interesting: will attempt to train for the marathon again (so looking forward to regular movement!); will attempt to draft funding proposals for my dissertation research (no small task); will study many hours each day for this prelim exam; and will see how living with mct works. have good feelings about all of them and intend on focusing on the positive throughout the summer. (even when I'm eternally frustrated with sitting and reading and taking notes...all summer.)

so, that's the quick update here. looking forward to a summer in chi with mct & my chicago-based friends, as well as a couple of trips here and there. and with that, I'm back to my job of studying.