A long productive day

I mentioned yesterday that I could not remember all the tidbits I learned during my weekend. Molly told me how to keep curly hair straightened overnight (bobby pin it in a spiral around your head and cover with a scarf), but I do not have curly hair.

I did realize some things though that helped me get back some positive feelings about life in general.

There is a better life out there, for instance. I know when you visit friends it is a warped sense of life where they are. It was relatively quiet on the NYC streets, sunny, clear, not that much traffic. But still. It was a nice reminder that it is possible to escape my little black hole that is graduate school. My fellow grad student and I often lament that when you are this unhappy in a job, there is always the option to look for a new job. As much as I love the Boston area, it did also make me more seriously consider moving on. My best friend from growing up told me I need to leave this place. Oregon would be nice, as my brother is there and I do not feel the necessity of completely starting over again.

It also occurred to me that I can not recall being truly disappointed in any of my friends from college. I miss them a LOT. That is not to say that I have been disappointed in every friend since, but as I get older, there are things friends do that make me wonder how I can mesh my beliefs and morals with the choices my close friends make. If you are a friend from college and reading and remember a time I was disappointed in you, keep it to yourself 'cuz I don't remember. This may also go along with me idealizing college. Whatev.

I also probably do not need a couple of drinks every night. My ex joked that I drink too much. I do not think that is the case. I can also hold my liquor and he could not, so he was probably jealous. I go through phases of wine, beer or tea in the evening. If I truly want to lose 5 pounds in the next 6 weeks, I bet cutting back from 2 to 1 or no drinks a night would help a lot! Besides I really enjoy a good cup of chamomile!

I also learned that I can run. I have also gone through phases of going on runs, but I do not like it. I have been going to the gym very regularly since January, so there is no reason I can not go for a run. Molly and I ran a total of 30 minutes and stopped every 7 or 8 minutes so I could shake my legs out. It felt good to know I could do it. My legs are exercise-sore today, so that is nice too.

I also realized how much you learn from your friends. Molly and I shared a bunch of random facts, insights, and attitude whipping (well, I tried, but she'll have to let me know if it helped at all). One of the reasons I go to the gym so faithfully is because KHC pointed out that the more you use something you pay for, the less it costs per use. This appeals to my (extreme) frugal side. I figure I only pay about $3 per trip to the gym in a good month and some of those trips are classes so that is a deal! My bridesmaid's dress for the end of June? I already have another wedding I am attending to which I can wear it! Carolyn has passed on the never-ending gift of laughter. Yes she has, bunny, yes she has.

All of this helped me to refocus on what is important right now. Collecting data and finishing grad school. I will continue to fight my battles and win whenever possible, such as for others who are stuck in a crappy TA/course situation. [I would link back to all the ranting posts I have written about various situations among the grad students right now, but it really is not worth revisiting.] In the end, if it disrupts my research, that will only cause me to be there longer. So today I worked 10 hours and took about 30 minutes for lunch and only checked Facebook once. I was ridiculously productive and hope I can keep it up. This will help for the conference to which I am going and getting a solid mass of data by the end of the summer. Counting down to April 11th 2009 when I have to submit my final dissertation to the graduate school office to graduate in May. AHHHHH!!!!