Carbon Copy

Instructions:

This is how I write my thesis:

1. Write a paragraph or two.
2. Feel overwhelmed at not knowing enough information and revert back to books/look up more articles on JSTOR
3. Realize I a) don't want to read any more articles from JSTOR and b) don't have time to.
4. Go from browsing JSTOR to browsing other websites, blog updates, new Bush-isms on my personalized Google Home Page, etc.
5. Reprimand myself like so: "Katie Elaine, you have to get back to work!"
6. Get up, stretch, walk around for a minute, and then sit back down.
7. Write another paragraph or two.

Repeat.

It's a long process. I have less than 24 hours now, though, so I really need to keep plugging away and just tell myself it's ok that it's the most pathetic little thesis in existence. I mean, it's a non-thesis after all. I really was never cut out for grad school. I'm glad it's almost over. Just 24 hours.

Happy Birthday!

My sister had a baby on Wednesday. I didn't want to blog about it till they decided on a name (and hopefully had some pictures!). Here he is, Peter Michael. He weighed 8 lbs 3 oz. I can't wait to see him in person!

You can read more about it on Mike and Amanda's new blog.

The Kids! - Part II

My siblings and I were such cute kids. Who knew we would grow into this?

Blossoms, Juggling, and Haircuts

Friday evening, Erica and I went to see one of my students juggle at the steps of Hovde Hall. The weather has finally turned nice again, so the blossoms are reappearing. If I just hadn't had a headache, it would've been the perfect evening.

On Thursday, Erica surprised us all with her new haircut. She donated the lopped off part to Locks of Love.

It looks so cute! I couldn't stop taking pictures.

My student, Jon, said the activities started at 8, but when we got there, everyone was still setting up. We just enjoyed the lovely evening by the fountain and watched as people gathered on the steps of Hovde Hall.

Eventually, they started juggling and we moved over to the steps, as well.

(My student is the tall one on the platform.)

Then, as the light died away, they brought out the fire! Here's a math professor:

This fire dancer was my favorite.

Erica had to leave for a History Dept. softball game. I kept planning on leaving after each act, but I couldn't. It was so fascinating! The next act was fire juggling with nine pins!

They even had a man (named Inferno!) lay down on a bed of nails and then the most adorable children stood on top of him. Seriously, it's hard to tell in this picture, but the little boy was wearing a bandana and a cowboy hat and my ovaries started ticking he was so cute.

The show ended with fire-eating, but I didn't take any pictures of that. Needless to say, I was pleased I stayed till the end. Afterwards, I took some pictures of the fountain. They finally turned the fountains back on last Thursday. That made me happy.

This will probably be my last post for a while. My thesis is due in just over a week (on Tuesday, May 1st for those of you who want to send good thoughts - or fruit baskets - my way). I'm going to try and limit my Internet intake. I keep telling myself that I can do it for 9 days, but we'll see.

Some Advice from Sherman Alexie

Sherman Alexie is on campus today. He's the keynote speaker at the Literary Awards tonight, but I got to attend a little Q&A session for creative writing students since I'm in the memoir class. Here's some advice he gave us:

1. Check out rehab programs. Even if you don't think you have a problem yet, start looking into them. If you drink, smoke, or do drugs right now, stop. And he means it, stop. It doesn't help your creativity; it just becomes a crutch. Even if it's just a beer on the weekends, stop. (Check!)

2. Purchase a manners book (and he specifically mentioned the Kate Spade one pictured below). Memorize it and follow it.

3. Always treat everyone the same. After you've made it big, treat the grad student that picks you up from the airport the same as you would a Nobel Prize winner.

4. Always send thank you's. If you read a poem, short story, journal article, whatever that you liked, send a thank you note. He reads them all and bets that many other authors do. (I really want to start doing this. Must purchase new stationary for the occasion. Probably some of the cute stuff I've posted about on Snapdragon)

5. Always bring enough clean underwear on book tours so you don't have to stop at the Target on SR 26 on your way to Purdue University.

6. Print out all your correspondence with other writers. Print out all your drafts. Print, print, print.

7. Have at least 3/4ths of your friends be outside the writing profession.

8. Don't go to conferences and always go back up to your room (alone) after a reading. It'll break up your marriage if you don't.

There were more, but that's all I remember. I wish I had written it down because it was good stuff.

PostSecret/PetSecret

I really like PostSecret. It's such a relief sometimes to see what people say. Plus, sometimes there are cute or clever ones. I like these two from this past Sunday's entry:

But here's what I'm thinking - and I'm serious about this - I want to start a blog called PetSecret. People can send in postcards about the secret lives of their pets. I think this could really take off, but I need to gather some entries first. This is where I need your help. Please start thinking about the secret lives of your pets and send me a postcard. Most of my readers already know my address (or have some way of finding it), but if this takes off like it really could, I will have to find a PO Box or something. Anyway, let's start telling our (or yours, I guess, since I don't have one) pets' secrets!

Past Due

Along with several ILL books, I have a nephew that is past due. But I'm not going to complain too much because I'm relieved he wasn't born on tax day. But hopefully soon!

Spooky!

You guys, I don't want to alarm you, but today is Friday the 13th!! Don't let any black cats cross your path and be sure not to walk under ladders or step on cracks or break a mirror or spill salt. In fact, you pretty much just better stay inside all day today. Just to be safe.

April (Snow) Showers

It snowed a little this morning. Rather than white blossoms on the trees, I found little globes of water. It's good, in a way. Keeps me working instead of wanting to be outside. Kind of.

Look Alikes - even more convincing

Ok, maybe you weren't convinced. But I think these new additions will persuade you.

Look Alikes

I just posted some great prints from The Black Apple on the Snapdragon Blog, and it occurred to me that I only really like them because the girl looks a little something like yours truly, especially with my new hair cut. Compare for yourself.

See? I think it's pretty close. I mean, put a bluebird on my shoulder and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

Ok, I'm really getting back to my paper right now. I promise. I've gotta get it done before Desperate Housewives comes on.

A Pilgrimage, of sorts

Yesterday, despite all logical reasons telling me I didn't have time, I drove to Nauvoo, Illinois with a friend from church so we could go to the temple. I justified it by saying that I needed some time away from school and to gain the perspective on life that visiting the temple always brings. Like President Hinckely has written:

"These sacred precincts offer the opportunity, available nowhere else, to learn of and reflect on the truly meaningful things of life—our relationship to Deity and our eternal journey from a premortal state into this life and on to a future estate where we shall know and associate one with another, including our own loved ones and our forebears who have preceded us and from whom has come our inheritance of things of the body, mind, and spirit."

And I really wanted that perspective again, so I put away my books and went for a drive.

Now for just a little bit of church history. When the early members of the church were driven from Missouri by mob, they found refuge in the swamps of Illinois along the Mississippi River. They drained the swamp and started building a city, later named Nauvoo. Here, they also built a House of the Lord, a temple. After Joseph Smith was martyred in Carthage, the Saints were driven from Nauvoo, too. Eventually, the temple was destroyed through both fire and tornado. However, in 1999, President Hinckley announced that they would rebuild the temple, and in 2002 it was rededicated. You can read more about it on Wikipedia or Historic Nauvoo Tourist Information.

I had friends visit Nauvoo growing up while going on Church History tours. They always brought back a Nauvoo Brick and a praire diamond (a ring made from a blacksmith's nail), and I was always jealous. So beyond my faith-inspired reasons for driving 5 hours to Nauvoo and 5 hours back, I also had another purpose. I wanted one (or both) of those relics!

Our trip took us through Carthage, so we stopped briefly by Carthage Jail, but didn't have time to take the tour. We were anxious to see Nauvoo.

The temple itself did not disappoint, but it wasn't situated how I pictured it in my mind. First of all, I planned it in my head that we would be coming from the east over the plains and then see it towering. However, we ended up coming from the south along the Mississippi River. Also, I thought it would be in the midst of old Nauvoo, so imagine my disappointment when it was right in the middle of current Nauvoo. And let me just give a little warning to any other pilgrims on their way to Nauvoo - there is no place to eat there, so stop for lunch somewhere else. Still, the temple was amazing. It looks over the Mississippi. Here are some pictures:

Normally, the temple grounds abound with flowers ,with green grass and trees, and I was so excited to visit the Nauvoo Temple in the spring because I looked forward to the beautiful flowers. Unfortunately, winter is acting like one of those pesky neighbor kids that just keep coming around, and it's been back all week. There was an especially chilling wind yesterday that made us run for the car. But I did take a picture of some pretty mournful tulips.

The other bonus to going to Nauvoo yesterday was seeing the Mississippi River. I crossed it, of course, when Tanker and I drove out to Indiana, but I didn't really get to see it. It is immense, horribly brown, and incredibly swift.

Wait, what is that stuff along the edges?

At first I thought it was just grossness, but then I realized it was ice. All along the banks of the river, everything was covered in ice. Now that's cold. I suddenly didn't want to try wading in it anymore.

We drove back through interminable Illinois. All I could see was sky. This picture looks fake, but it's real. It was taken through my windshield.

And since we were traveling east, I could only see the sunset in my mirrors. But it was pretty.

And then, even though I'm always cautious to slow down through small towns, I got pulled over. I thought it was going to be for my tail light again. It keeps burning out and I've been pulled over three times in the last week for it. But nope. Speeding. I have to mail them back some money in this envelope.

I was not happy about it.

But! I did come home with one of these:

Thinking Ahead

These next 3 weeks are awful. I don't even want to think about them. BUT afterwards, the month of May will be great. My momma comes to visit for graduation, and then I get to go here:

These are pictures from Erica's trip home to the Adirondacks last May, or maybe August. I get to go visit in May for five whole days!!! I can't wait.

And then I get to drive to North Carolina to see Mike, Amanda and John Saint (or whatever they end up naming him). So see, Kate, you can make it through this tough time. It'll be worth it!