2 of 3

Last Tuesday, my final doctoral synthesis got approved which means that I have spent the past two Thursdays mornings/afternoons locked in a room taking 2 of my 3 doctoral exams. The first two exams are four hours long, in my case 9-1 pm, and they include responding to an essay question from your exam chair. As I found out, these exams are pretty taxing and I am pretty excited to be done with the two timed sections. The last exam question, which I received when I completed the second timed exam is a take home question that I have one full week to complete. Seems to me like you lose a bunch of time from the beginning and really have less than a week. Following the timed exam, the most productive thing you can do is stare blankly at a television so I have already lost today. I will lose tomorrow too because I have to work at the journal and teach. I am not worried, though. The question I received make sense to me and even though it will need to deal with some pretty complex issues, I have a feeling I will be alright. Anyway, just thought I would post because I haven't in a while. P is doing pilates and I am a little bored at the moment.

Some random final thoughts:

1. This winter has been way too long. It is nearly the beginning of March and it is still snowing outside. It is also freezing cold. This has been the worst winter yet.

2. I thought it was pretty funny that John McCain critiqued Barack Obama for *answering* a hypothetical question regarding the potential for Iraq Invasion 3.0 (in some distant future). I am not going to try to sway your vote, it is yours to make, but you have to wonder about the political integrity of a man who tries to critique a fellow candidate for actually answering a question. Anyway.

3. Yesteday espn aired a conversation between Skip Bayless and some other brilliant ncaa basketball analyst where each of them decided which teams were in the top 3. Memphis, who has only lost one (freakin tight) game to a very good #2 Tennessee team, was not mentioned by either. I believe the top three were North Carolina, Kansas, and UCLA. All three teams are very good, don't get me wrong, but this is what drives me nuts about espn analysts: they get all hyped for a #1 vs. #2 game, it is all they can talk about, and not more than four days later *neither* team is in the top 3. Questionable.

p.s. Skip Bayless is an arrogant airbag on par with Rush Limbaugh. Both make me sick

4. P tried to a Carmen Electra workout session, which should have been titled "Lap Dance your Way to a Better Body." The only requisite for being able to do this workout was a chair. P tried for about 3 minutes, then gave up. I was glad because it seemed like it was only a matter of time before she tripped over the chair and we needed to go the hospital. Why is it suddenly a fad to lose weight while pretending to be a stripper. Seems to be a double-layered form of subjugation. Not only are women working out to attain a fitter body that meets unattainable social norms (which men in most cases never think about) but to get that body, they are convinced that the best way to do so is to become the object of a sexualized gaze. Where is Billy Blanks when you need him?

5. I saw There Will Be Blood and concur that Daniel Day Lewis should have won the Oscar for best actor; the film would have been truly boring without him. In my view he is the best living actor and the film's overarching message was kairotic (timely).

6. Not surprised that Juno didn't win anything. In my view, the film was neither funny nor endearing. I liked all of the actors, but the plot and dialogue were both uninteresting and unimaginative. My students tell me that the soundtrack is awesome. To me, it sounded like a reprise of Napoleon Dynamite, which, for the record, was both funny and imaginative.

7. Why is Hannah Montana so popular? Seriously, I see her everywhere and I don't get it. at. all.

8. Why is Regis Philbin so popular? To me, he was utterly annoying in the red carpet pre-Oscar show. Best moment was when he tried to interview Jack Nicholson while he was talking to someone else, and Nicholson replies "heyyyyy its the reeeeegeeee" - that's it. I was laughing pretty hard!

9. Did anyone see the Moment of Truth episode where the woman confessed to cheating on her husband and wanting to be married to another man? Before that part of the show aired, the host came on and said "if it were my preference, this would never have been aired" and said repeatedly throughout "you don't want me to ask you this question" as if to say "I am getting paid to do this, NBC has advertised this episode for more than a week, and I am going to claim I am against it so that I can convince myself I had no part in destroying this family on national television." When will it happen that a host has enough integrity to simply get up and say, I am not going to participate in this anymore and leaves the show? Never, because that would require actual political commitment.

10. David Archuleta is amazing, best singer *ever* on American Idol, but he will NOT win (the best ones never do!)

11. LOST IS ON TONIGHT!!!!

12. What is with the sudden cultural obsession with Jane Austen?

13. Still no Wii! Prospects aren't looking good after four weeks of semi-invested research.

14. Cool technology tip: Edirol voice recorders. Simply amazing.

15. Eastern Promises is a good movie, but disturbing. Rent at your own peril and if you do you need to REALLY like Vigo Mortennson.

16. Liked Michael Clayton, a lot. (remember, P was REALLY sick all last week)

17. The beagle is really scared of other dogs. Today, our neighbor's dog ran up to him and all the hair on his back stood straight up. I think he thinks he might get attacked like he did when he was little. Poor boy!

18. My best friend is no longer blogging, this is a formal threat if he is reading this post.

19. Bru is running laps around the house. I love him!

20. Get an iPod Touch! Again, totally worth the money!