(no subject)

[jawnbc]

I'm working on a farewell task for me job: a report that considers possible new offerings for doctoral study here at The University. It's kind of fun, makes me think (which is good), but I'm not hopeful that my recommendations will be followed. As querrelle can attest, strategic planning isn't a hallmark of the place.

I turned yellow this weekend. No, really. When I went to the doctor a months ago my liver enzymes were elevated, as were my triglycerides and cholesterol (7 it turns out, not 12). So I changed my already not entirely hideous diet and went on a low dose of Lipitor™. Which can affect liver performance. So I felt queasy and weren't purdy, and it's time for a follow-up of the blood work anyway. The Doctor is a charming fellow who likes to talk culture; all well and good but I do need to get to work--I can't bill the government for these conversations. Should have results Monday or Tuesday. Today, however, will still be my one day to each McDonalds--and to see my girlfriend! Sshhh...

Is it really Canada Day in just over a week? Wow, that's 3 of them in Australia. Canada kicks ass!

When I was an adolescent I could auto-fellate. And we're not talking licks, we're talking full-on mouthful. Was kind of kewl until I found out that others could do it for me...often better and I could just sit back and relax. Now I can't touch my ankles. querrelle, now he's flexible. Excellent for his health but otherwise quite the waste.

40 years ago I was crawling around the living room, periodically tortured by Mike and Tommy, and I followed Ma around everywhere. Stuck to her like a sock full of static cling. I am 1

30 years ago I was at the breaking point. Nothing I did seemed good enough for him, and the my one saving grace--school--was slipping through my fingers. I began to be mouthy in class and I capitulated on "just say no" and discovered drinking and smoking dope. At the start of the year I wouldn't wear jeans; at the end I wouldn't wear anything but jeans and my The Who concert t-shirt. I am 11

20 Years ago I didn't come home. From university. I decided to stay up at university college and make up some classes--otherwise I wouldn't graduate on time. I moved off campus with a couple of gal pals (Tina and Swamp...ok Marcia. But we called her Swamp...as in marsh...get it), went to class, worked on campus and at a bar, had sex with the occasional townie, and pretty much revelled in the non-presence of my family. Was stoned a lot of the time too. It was grand. I am 21

10 years ago I was an adult educator (teaching vocational skills, tourism to be precise), enjoying my time in Vancouver as Bachelorette #1, doing some volunteerism and a lot of remedial spiritual work. Anyone who's had a hard time with spiritual or emotional issues I heartily recommend a decampment to Vancouver in the summer: long warm days, incredible beauty, an irresistible urge to be out and about. Have a latte, strap on some 'blades. Or just loaf on the beach. Wow another incredibly sunset! I am 31

5 years ago I had just finished year one of my PhD. I was teaching, working as a tech support, going to some conferences, and finding that i could be both a bristly intellectual and a compassionate warm person: I did not have to choose. It was also shockingly isolating, but it was, as my pal Dr. Dyke always told me, one of the best lives a person could ask for. I am 36

And you? Tell me what you've been up to these last decades?

Comments

[jawnbc]

Well in Canada most PhDs don't require much (if any) coursework--you just do the research. "Just", ahem. It's a lot of work, very isolating, but also perhaps akin to the sort of fitness you had playing football--except it's your brain.