Is it just me...

...or was the season premiere of "Grey's Anatomy" last night highly disappointing? I felt like it wasn't the up to the caliber of previous season premieres and it certainly didn't do justice to the way the show ended last spring.

Izzie's story line and the dialogue she had to say was atrocious. Her lines reminded me of Meredith's "Choose me. Pick me. Love me." of the first season. My friend who watched it with me said, "There's nothing worse than an fake deer." I added, "Coupled with a crappy child actor!"

And what was that random rant she spit out at George in the stairway? Izzie was like a high school student in a Shakespearean play...she knew where to put the emphasis to make it sound smooth, but she didn't have a clue what she was saying.

I'm going to stick around and see if the writers dig themselves out of this hole. I'm worried that Shonda Rhimes might go the way of "The Boondocks" creator...get so many things cooking that none of them end up tasting good.

Elitist Private Joke

So, I am really pissed off right now and I can't say it anywhere but here.

I'm sitting in my core lecture required of all first year doctoral students. Everyone at Harvard have bent over backwards to console me about my lack of research experience. "Don't worry about it!" they say. "The courses you will take later in the semester will explain it all." However, the professor just threw up all these quantitative symbols and made all these witty jokes. I had NO idea what the hell was so funny.

I finally called him out saying, "So right now, you're just dropping a bunch of inside jokes for stats people."

Ughhhh!

Twenty-First Century Civil Rights March

I just read this article on the New York Times website. It's about the Jena Six: six black teenagers arrested last year on attempted murder charges after they beat a fellow white classmate unconscious. The fight was precipitated by someone hanging nooses from a tree known for being a hangout for white students. Jena, Louisiana is a town of about 3,000 residents and is 85% white. I have no opinion on whether or not the charges were justified; I need to learn more about the case.

However, in the article, many quotes stood out. One of them was President Bush's. His quote slowed the whole flow of the article down. His syntax and inability to form coherent sentences just sounded like he was...an idiot. God, I can't wait till he's gone.

Another quote that stood out was one by Eric Depradine.

“This is the first time something like this has happened for our generation,” said Eric Depradine, 24, a senior at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. “You always heard about it from history books and relatives. This is a chance to experience it for ourselves.”

The thing is...it isn't the first thing like this that has happened in our generation. From being good friends with tuckergurl, I know that civil rights are being violated down racial lines every day in our criminal justice system, our prisons, and in death penalty policies. The re-segregation of our public schools and the disenfranchisement of blacks through redistricting have all happened in Depradine's generation. I guess for Depradine, it's in this case that he feels he can make a difference.

The best quote of the article, however, was by Latese Brown:

“If you can figure out how to make a school yard fight into an attempted murder charge, I’m sure you can figure out how to make stringing nooses into a hate crime.”

That's funny because it's true.

I've Been Hit With The H-Bomb

When I got accepted into Harvard, I had a hard time telling people. In casual conversation, I would say, "I'm going to grad school in Boston." Then I would say, "Actually, I'm getting my doctorate in Cambridge." By that time, I sounded like a real douche bag. Ironically, I avoided mentioning Harvard in order to not sound like a douche bag.

Well, now I am not ashamed to say that I go to Harvard, because I feel like I am here by the skin of my teeth. I just finished my first week of classes...I'm already behind in the reading. I have a paper, an assignment and a class presentation due in the next week and a half. One of my classes made me cry...not in the class...because I felt dumb and alone. I don't mind feeling dumb, but I truly felt like I was the only one who didn't know what the hell was going on. Well, maybe I mind feeling dumb a little bit. My ass is being kicked!

The good thing is that my classmates are really supportive, honest and non-competitive. So I'm getting lots of support.

This weekend, I am going to revamp my entire approach to the hundreds of pages of reading that are due every week. I'm actually excited about my new approach to homework. So hopefully, Harvard will have to find another way to beat me to a pulp.

My Indictment of Hollywood's Portrayal of "Good" Fathers

I will begin this by stating that this indictment is not based on solid or thorough research. It is based on only two movies that TM and I recently saw via Netflix. These movies have nothing else in common except for the fact that the fathers are dark-skinned and do some stupid shyt in the name of protecting their family.

The first movie is The Pursuit of Happyness. As we put the DVD in, Summer's words about this movie were forefront in my mind. I shared them with TM and by the end of the film, we were both furious and think Summer is a genius. How dare Chris Gardner?!?!?! How dare he call his wife "weak" because she wants to leave when she was working double shifts for months? How dare he demand that his son stay with him when his wife had family and a job lined up in New York? How dare he have money in the bank for the IRS to levy and didn't use it to pay his rent? How dare he become inspired to be a stockbroker by seeing a Ferrari and justify the decision by saying it's for his family? How dare he not get a part-time job while he was selling those bone-density machines? The movie tried really hard to make Will Smith's character sympathetic and make everyone else the bad guy/girl, but it didn't work. Like Summer, I thought it was a very well-acted film, but ultimately I wasn't buying what it was trying to sell. And I am dying to know what the relationship is between the real Chris Gardner and his son.

The second movie we've seen recently is Blood Diamond. This movie was good, but I was always afraid that the filmmakers were enjoying portraying the horrors Africans were inflicting on each other a little too much. I totally dug how unapologetically Leo took on the language; it was fun watching him speak the patois. However...poor Djimon Hounson. Per usual, he played the honorable black person used to teach the lost white soul the path to redemption. He also played the fool! In his path to find his son, his character puts him and Leo's character in danger again and again. All in the name of his family, he makes one mistake after another. He actually started to piss me off.

My conclusion based solely on these films is that Hollywood thinks it's all right for a father to put his family in more peril if he says it's for their betterment. And it's more understandable if you are a black father. I know I am oversimplifying these films, but it's where my head is at the moment.

Ella is City Dog...Straight Up

Yet another reason I love my neighborhood is that there is a run/bike/dog walk path one block from my house. If I so chose, I could use it to get to Concord, MA...which is not close by. Right now, I only use it to get to Medford for my run and to get Ella to meet other dogs.

However, Ella doesn't like it at all. As we approach it, she will actively try to walk in the opposite direction. Since she doesn't ever lead the walk, she always relents. But she only feels comfortable when there are lots of people walking on the path. When we're alone with the trees and the squirrels and the birds, Ella is quite nervous. However, on the way back home, when we walk on the major street with the delis...this area doesn't have bodegas, only delis...and the restaurants and realty offices, she's happy as a clam.

What kind of dog prefers concrete and glass over trees and grass? Mine, apparently.

How I Know I'm Old

I'm addicted to "The Hills." I know it's edited to make Lauren look like "the responsible one," but I really respect her staying sane in the crazy-ass LA that MTV created. I'm completely invested in the outcome of the whole Heidi-Lauren feud.

These facts don't prove I'm old, however. What does is how incredibly transparent Justin/Bobby is. He is the on-again/off-again boyfriend of Adriana. He's hot, I will give him that...though he needs a haircut in the worst way. But I've met and/or dated that guy. He's the guy that says he doesn't believe in labels, which means he doesn't want to commit but still wants to sleep with you. He says he doesn't listen to other people because he doesn't want you to listen to your friends tell you he's a loser. He says he just listens to his heart when he really just listens to his penis.

He's so transparently a jerkoff. It's obvious to anyone who has lived through their late teens/early 20s. He's so predictable, I wonder why MTV decided to let him on the show.

Also, what's up with the long awkward pauses at the end of each scene? I know that the editors chop the conversations up like stir fry vegetables, but what's up with that? Do the producers tell the "reality stars" to just sit and look at each other awkwardly?

What I've Been Thinking About

As you may well imagine, my head has been swarming with stuff. Instead of boring you in my quest to get into classes and figuring out which ones fit my research needs best...which is what I'm in the middle of now...I thought I would share other random thoughts.

• When someone stops caring about their blog, I wonder what's worse: not posting for a long time or continuing to post regularly, just in a half-assed way?

• There is this one blog that I used to love and now just enjoy...I think that's because the blogger is getting a little too big for his/her britches. He/she is sometimes a little annoying.

• So I listen to this great podcast: Keith and the Girl. It very raunchy, but it reminds me of Howard Stern when he wasn't interviewing strippers and getting B-list actresses to show him their tits. They talk about their lives, their relationship (they've been together for five years), their friends, their struggles to "make it." They are really funny and have some hilarious friends...Patrice is my favorite. Anywhoo, sometimes they will read stuff from the news wire and discuss it. I also listen to the podcast edition of Wait,Wait...Don't Tell Me, NPR news quiz show. I do this because it's really funny. What I have often found is that both of these shows reference the same content. It's weird to hear Keith and Chemda's take on the goat sacrifice in the Nepalese airport, and then hear Peter Sagal read a question about it...it's the difference between the Post and the Times.

• I bought an iPhone yesterday. I'm not thrilled about it like I thought I would be. Partly that's because it was a lot of money...though now it's about the cost of any other high-end smartphone. I got the phone not because of any of its cool features, but because Apple is one smart-ass company. If you buy a Mac...which I did...and use iCal...which I do...and want/need to bring your calendar with you to use and edit...which I do...and don't want to spend hours doing computer geek research on how to get another smartphone to read the software...which I don't...then you get an iPhone. I have now become part of the Apple mob. Yup, they own my ass. At least I'm trapped with a damn cool phone and computer and I didn't use a credit card to pay for it! I don't know if you knew this, but not only did they slash the price from $600 to $400, but they have a $300 one as well.

• So here's the thing...I don't think I'm going to be able to keep this blog up. Sitting here this morning and writing this entry has felt really nice. It's feels good to blog. But I don't think I am going to have the time. I feel like it's been weeks since I've written because so much is happening right now, but I don't have time to document it. It frustrates me...and the less stressful emotions I have right now, the better. I don't think I'm finished with this blog like I was with my last one, but maybe it will go on hiatus or something. I'll give you notice when I take my leave...I make it sound like I have a huge readership or something. That's funny.

• I need a job...very soon.

• I think it's hilarious that I've come to Cambridge and become such a bike girl. I swear to you, biking is the fastest way to get from home to school. Faster than the T even. I'm looking at all my nice shoes and fashion boots thinking about how little wear they are going to get. They were New York shoes.
  

There's so much more I'm thinking about...but I got to get ready for school.

I'm Getting Vanity Fair This Month

I stopped subscribing to that magazine a LONG time ago, but every once in a while, it draws me back. It happened with the Africa issue...though ultimately I thought it highly problematic.

And they are doing it again. Apparently, Stephen Colbert is getting an in-depth article written about him in October's issue. I'm very intrigued, namely because this photo makes him strangely sexy to me.

The Sexism of ABC

After three days of very intense orientation, I decided to veg out with some TV. I flipped the channels and found a "Grey's Anatomy" repeat, which reminded me that its season premiere must be coming up. So I went to ABC's website and got distracted by its list of new fall shows.

I was appalled! There are a couple of female ensemble shows and a couple of male ensemble shows. All of them have at least one "star." Yet, the amount of hoopla that the male-dominated shows get totally dwarf the press for the female shows. "Big Shots" has nine commercials and a bunch more interviews and videos; "Carpoolers" has seven. "Women's Murder Club," starring Angie Harmon no less, got one 15-second spot. And "Cashmere Mafia" with Lucy Liu, got no commercials, just some interviews on the red carpet with a body-less interviewer asking some stupid questions.

I can't believe how blatant this unbalance is. Don't tell me that women don't watch TV or don't pay attention to new shows because that is straight up bull doody. Is there another, more logical explanation?

Yo! Raccoons are BIG! Oh, and school has begun.

Last night we had to put the trash out and there were two very large raccoons rummaging through it. They were bold! The trash was out on the curb, right underneath a streetlamp. When a person walked passed, one of them stood up on its hind legs. It was tall...like as tall as Ella on her hind legs! And Ella can reach the kitchen counter when she does that. I'm telling you, my exposure to nature in Somerville is constantly amazing.

So yesterday was my first day of pre-orientation. I'm a bit worried. I came home exhausted...and it's only the pre-orientation. I have to say that my fellow doctoral students are an impressive lot. People who have traveled all over the world, people who have done amazing things. Funny enough, I am the only person in my concentration who actually has professional experience in my concentration. Everyone else has extensive experience, but not in the field they are entering into. I figured everyone would have been Directors of this and that.

It was a good day overall, though the getting-to-know-you games were cheesy. The journey I'm about to partake became real for me and all the advanced doctoral students with whom I spoke made it clear that this totally doable. I realized this morning I was expecting a "Paper Chase"-like introduction to life at Harvard: intense and intimidating. Instead, there was an emphasis on how down to earth everything and everyone is. Perhaps Harvard is suffering from "thou does protest too much," but I'm buying it. I'm sure the faculty will be a lot more hardcore.

I've picked out the courses I want to take and have a meeting scheduled with my advisor. Now I've got to get ready for another day of learning "fun facts" about my colleagues.

And Now It's Moving Day

Boy oh boy! If I wasn't happy about the fact that we moved here so many weeks earlier before...I am now. The streets are clogged with moving vans...both yesterday and today. It's so strange. I'm sure that NYC is going through the same thing, but there are so many more people there, I never noticed. Besides, though I lived near a college, it was a commuter one, so there were a lot less students moving in.

Of course, I could be more acutely aware of this because I am a student myself. It's like that phenomenon when you get a new car, you start seeing your model of car everywhere.

In other news, I haven't seen that woodchuck/groundhog in days. Don't worry, I've been looking! I wonder if it's moved on. Perhaps it's got several bachelor pads. I'll keep you posted. Hmmm...now that I haven't seen it, I miss it.

It's Trash Day...Bring Out the Skunks!

After I got scolded by TM for saying I was bored, I got off my ass and worked on some stuff yesterday. It was good and necessary. However, I think I'm getting sick. Uggghhhh!

Anywhoo, in my effort to be more productive, I am coming up with more thoughts to post. One that I want to share is what happens the night before Trash Day. Before I continue, for seven years I never had to deal with Trash Day because I lived in apartment buildings. I just had to make sure the trash made it to the basement and the porter ensured it got out for the garbage men. Now that I'm back to living in a house, I've become more in tune with the cycle of the garbage! :) Kidding! But I have noticed that there are no rats in Somerville...at least not where I live. Instead, there are skunks. Lots of skunks. Skunks that wander through the neighborhood like cats. I've already seen two strolling down the sidewalk and smelled tens times that much. Especially the night before Trash Day. That's when they really take over. It's made me wonder which yucky animal I prefer. It's also made me hold onto the leash extra tightly when I walk Ella at night.

In other animal news, there is either a woodchuck or a groundhog living under my house. I wish I could be more specific, but as you can see, they look exactly alike. The creature looks just like these animals. I've seen it three times and every time it runs to the same place under the back porch. Crazy!

Woodchuck...
















...groundhog. Can you tell the difference?

Now I'm Just Bored

I have run out of things that need to be done. Pre-orientation...that's right: pre-orientation. I have a week of pre-orientation, then a week of regular orientation, then classes...doesn't start until next Tuesday, and classes don't even start until Sept. 17!

Due to a well-timed settlement check from a slip-and-fall accident several years ago and not using all my vacation days, I haven't needed to work since I moved...though I will eventually. Which has been great because there has been a lot to do. But now there is not so much to do.

• The apartment is totally set up. All necessary furniture has been assembled, all new curtains hung, all rugs laid.
  

• Ella has had her check-up at her new vet.

• Our car has had its tune-up and inspection and is sitting in front of our home.

• I know where the grocery store, the laundromat, the bank, the post office, the cool coffee shop, and all the restaurants are in our 'hood.
  

• Cable, gas, electric, Internet all hooked up.

Now, I'm just putzing. Doing laundry, going running, watching "Rome" on Netflix...so good that show is! I'm going to sign up for temp agencies this week and look into bartending school. It worked for me 10 years ago. But I feel a little in limbo until next week when I get a better sense of what my life is going to be like.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't have done this any other way. I'm so glad we moved here well before I had to think about school. I couldn't imagine unpacking boxes after an 8-hour orientation on what it means to be a Harvard doctoral student. But my life is pretty boring right about now.

In other news, another one of my oldest friends is married. I'm perfectly content with where TM and I are at, but seeing another friend in a beautiful champagne dress does start to wear on you. As I tell all my other friends that have been to their third and fourth wedding this year: it is the season. We are officially of the age where people are coupling up and popping 'em out. At the wedding reception I was at this weekend, everyone was coupled. Even the people who came alone had girlfriends and husbands at home who just couldn't make it! 'Tis the season. Crazy!

Oh yeah, my birthday was last Friday. It was...by far...the most uneventful birthday I ever had. And it was fine. TM bought me roses and wrote me a beautiful card. I had already used his present...a gift certificate for a massage...the day before. I got phone calls and emails from friends and family. But I spent most of the day in traffic driving from Boston to Washington, DC. It was for a very worthy cause...see description of wedding reception for friend above...so it was all good. I'm 33 now...jeez!

I'm Just Sitting Here.

It's been years...YEARS I TELL YOU...since I've just sat down.

Our new apartment is done...for the most part. All the rooms have curtains and the ones that need rugs have them. There are still a couple of boxes left, filled with mostly kitsch.

I love our new apartment. It's the opposite of my place in Brooklyn...I think that's why I dig it so much. In my old place, there were four rooms with a lot of space. This place has lots of nooks and crannies that make up a lot of room. My thighs are going to appreciate the two flights of stairs I have to climb to get around this place, if nothing else does.

Now we just need to meet some new friends to have them over for dinner...we have a dining room now!

So much for sitting down...time to make dinner.

I'm Here. I Promise.

I'm just on the downhill slope of moving/unpacking/IKEA shopping/cable setting up. I have thoughts of my new 'hood and my new life to share. Coming soon.

That's What I'm Talking About!

create your own personalized map of the USA

TM and I just got in the door about 30 minutes ago from our cross-country trip. Luckily, our bodies, souls and relationship survived the six days and over 2,800 miles. And now I have so many more states that I can say I visited! I had to include Utah and Arizona because those are two of the Four Corners I mentioned earlier. I have now seen 56% of the country.

Off to bed! I'm going to try and avoid getting in any car for at least one day!

Catching Up

So much has been going on. It doesn't help that so much that goes on happens in the car, so I can't post about it.

So...quick recap. I'm no longer in Colorado. We left on Monday. The rest of my time there was pretty calm compared to the days working with the cows. I saw a play produced by a local repertory theatre...it was alright. I kept thinking, "I could direct something here." I went to a Catholic wedding where TM and his family performed the music for the ceremony. I met more family, ate more steak and just hung out.

Now TM and I are on our cross-country journey. We are heading back to NYC via the South. We went back to Albuquerque to see yet another aunt and her family, then traveled 12 hours to Austin, TX to visit...that's right...another aunt and uncle. TM's family is huge! That's where I am now.

I can't actually believe that I'm in Texas. I've seen so much just looking through my window. It's beautiful and scary...someone had Ole Dixie flying high over their business. I also ate at my first Sonic. I kept seeing the commercials in New York and never caught on that everyone was always in cars. Now I get the whole Sonic concept!

Note to Quel: I'm so sorry I didn't give you a head's up about being in Austin. I thought that we were only staying here one night, but we got in so late that we decided to stay an extra day. We'll be out on 6th Street tonight, though I don't know where yet. I absolutely love your city, by the way.

Since we decided to stay, I took full advantage. I went for a run around Town Lake this morning and was impressed by how many women were exercising. I washed my hair...always an endeavor... and now am going to sit in the sun room they built and read the new Harry Potter novel while it dries. Tonight, we're going to a rib house and checking out some live music. I'm very excited. I'm really digging Austin...I mean really digging it.

Our next stop will be New Orleans. Neither of us have ever been there, so any suggestions on a place to get good food and good music?

That Wasn't Really My First Cattle Drive

I thought it was...but after what I did later that afternoon and the next day, the events described in my previous post were nothing but child's play.

After lunch and a nap to calm me down, we went back to the corral where all the cows were. We had several tasks:

1. Sort out the calves that didn't have an ear tag. These calves had been born recently and needed to be tagged, vaccinated and castrated if they were males. More on that later.

2. Separate the cows that didn't have the brand of The Ranch on them. These were cows that didn't belong to TM's family, but had probably tagged along during a previous cattle drive. They needed to be returned to their owner.

3. Separate the steers (boy cows without balls) from the bulls (boy calves with balls), so that they wouldn't fight during this process.

We actually did all these things. I helped sort the cows from the calves by waving my arms around, chasing them, and saying "HAAH!" a lot. We got the ten untagged calves separated and put them in a chute one-by-one ...see left. Once they were there, TM's cousin tied a rope around their outside back leg and pulled it...hard...so that we would have access to the calves' balls. Then, TM's dad poked and prodded until he was sure both balls were dangling. Then I held them down as TM's dad put a very strong rubber band around their base. Blood flow will stop and in a couple of weeks, their balls will shrivel up and drop off. TM tells me that you often see calf balls strewn around a pasture where they've been grazing. Crazy!

I also gave a couple of them ear tags with numbers and stuck a very big needle under their skin to give them their vaccinations. They have very thick skin, by the way. It was a bizarre experience, unlike anything I've ever done. I was exhausted at the end of the day.

However...it wasn't over. The next morning, we all woke up at 6am to do a real cattle drive. All those cows we sorted and worked with the day before got moved to a pasture 4 miles away. We walked in "rattlesnake country"...luckily I didn't see any, passed by carcasses of elk and cows and deer, even walked in the highway! It took about an hour and a half to move about 200 cows. I tell you...cows are dumb! You have to really simplify your logic to get them to do what you want.

Once they were in the new pasture, TM and I spent the rest of the afternoon fixing barbed wire fences so the cows wouldn't get off the land. I've never slept so hard in my life. The 5K run, the hikes, the 11,000 feet cabin...nothing was as tiring on my body as the work I did with the cows.

News Flash!

I have been remiss in posting...I apologize. I do have crazy stories to tell, including one where I help castrate several male calves by pulling their balls down so that a rubber band can be placed on them like a tourniquet so they fall off. No joke.

However, I must inform all those that know TM that at approximately 11:30pm on this day, TM cut all his hair off. Again...no joke. He just got sick of it and so his mother put his hair in a 10-inch long braid and cut it off. Now his hair is right below his ears. We're donating the braid to Locks of Love.

None of us really know how to cut hair, so on our way to start our cross-country trip back to the East Coast, TM and I will stop at a barber's to help shape it.

Can you believe it?

UPDATE: TM went to a mall hair salon in Santa Fe, NM and he got a $20 haircut to shape up the girl bob that emerged after his mother cut his ponytail off. I was worried, but it turned out fantastic. He's always been handsome to me, but now he looks even more so. He looks the same as well. It's weird. It's him...only handsomer.