Thursday, February 26, 2009

D.C.

Brendan and I are taking our first married vacation this summer to Washington D.C. This vacation has been a long time coming; we intended to take one last summer, but because of work schedules and other summer craziness we never got around to it. We're flying out the week after I graduate, so it's a combination graduation celebration/vacation. What a wonderful way to celebrate finishing two tough years of grad school. I went to D.C. with my family when I was in high school, but it will be nice to view the city with fresh (and more mature) eyes, and to experience it with Brendan.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

My Crazy, Book-Filled Life

I've been a delinquent blogger lately because my life currently consists of the following three activities: school, Brendan, and sleep. Most of the time, I'm reading. If I'm not reading, I'm hanging out with Brendan. If I'm not doing either one, I'm probably sleeping. (I must admit, though, in undergrad I was usually one of those semi-committed students for whom sleep almost always trumped homework. But I've learned my lesson in grad school.)

I live a crazy, school-filled life at the moment, but I actually don't hate it like I thought I might. (That realization probably means I was destined to be an English major.) My Comps reading load is insane and sometimes overwhelming, combined with being a student in two classes and a teacher in another. But it's not so bad. I love my Comps topic -- gender performance and the construction of gender -- and enjoy reading about it. I like my classes (they're all Comp/Rhet this semester... yay!). And while teaching 107 is challenging in many ways, the class is fun and will be a great learning experience. Basically, I'm a nerd; but I don't mind.

Brendan and I celebrated our second married Valentine's Day on Saturday with dinner at Cypress Street Station, which has become one of my favorite "date" locations. It's a local restaurant (with steak to die for), and I'll really miss it when we move. The reality of leaving Abilene is beginning to hit hard. For most of my time at ACU, I've been itching to get out of Dodge; I couldn't wait to leave this small, provincial town behind. Now, I'm realizing all the things I'll miss: the entire ACU English department, professors and students included; Cajun Cones; and the easy pace of a friendly town, among others. I've been ready to move on for so long, ready to move to a bigger city with bigger opportunities; but leaving this small, West Texas town will be bittersweet.

Valentine's dinner