Hey there, ho there, hi there

I don't think I've logged into the 'ol blog since I discovered Crackbook (credit: Colin). Blogging doesn't appeal to me as much as it used to, and I really don't have much to say these days. All I do is apply for jobs, miss work because of a nagging foot injury and listen to music. Maybe I'll blog again when something interesting happens. For now, Facebook is more than adequate.

I notice Dana B has tagged me in some questionnaire type dealy. I will respond before I take my leave.

What's the topic? 7 things you might not know about me?? $^#$^! OK, I'll give it a shot.

1. I'm the proud owner of a Tickle Me Elmo. Why should I be bound by the recommended age? Elmo's laughter is hysterical, and this particular version rolls around on the floor. It AMUSES me.

2. I will not eat restaurant salad. I don't like lettuce and I don't care for most salad dressings; I eat the bagged spring mix only, and with Kraft Greek with Feta and Oregano dressing only. I hate vegetables, so if there's a combination that works for me, I stick with it.

3. Some people know this, and some don't...because some don't, this counts on the list. I've always wanted to ride in a bobsled. I intend to make this happen at some point.

4. I don't care for hot weather. I'd much rather go to a dreary, windy, rainy golf course in England than play in the sand in Mexico.

5. I haven't seen ANY of the Lord of the Rings movies. Did I miss anything?

6. I have no arches in my feet. They're as flat as a pancake...and 6 years at Extra Foods is doing them no favours.

7. I want to get into the Guiness Book of World Records...preferably for a category that doesn't exist yet...maybe something sideburn related...

Close enough to say FIN

I wasn't really nervous about my thesis defense. I probably should have been based on past nervousness in front of smaller crowds about easier discussion topics, but a simple analogy I drew from TV kept the stress low.

I viewed my defense as an episode of Jeopardy. In Jeopardy, contestants already know the answers...they simply need to come up with the questions. The same can be said, in part, for me. Very few of the people in the room knew about my topic other than me and my supervisor. After writing this paper for the better part of a year, I already KNEW the answers. As for coming up with the questions, well, I didn't have to figure them out. My committee was more than happy to spell them out for me as clearly as possible. It felt like Celebrity Jeopardy, to be honest...

A few awkward pauses, a few clarifications required...but all in all, it was not as bad an experience as I initially feared. People were nodding (not off, but affirmatively), and my answers stimulated discussion across the table. Still, the rapid-fire nature of the session left me with a nasty headache that only a positive committee recommendation could ease.

I was then banished to Prof. Michelmann's office to look out the window and not touch anything until I was summoned back to the room to receive the verdict, which was a written and oral pass, with only grammatical revisions required to my written work. Those revisions should take no more than a day...not today, but probably tomorrow.

I then celebrated by collapsing into the recliner for 6 hours.

I'm done. I promise you all...no more school ever, EVVVVEEERRR again.

Hmmmmmm

I was just driving by the University, staring up at the Arts Tower where I'll be defending my thesis on Monday afternoon. As I'm glancing upward and thinking about Monday...what song kicks in on my CD player? I KID YOU NOT...."Torture Me" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kind of funny...I think.

I'll be back next week to let you all know how it went.

House Arrest?

This blog comes to you directly from Colin's room. He took off for BC just as another round of massive, noisy house renovations are taking place here, sending me fleeing to the basement for some semblance of sanctuary. Today's renovation agenda includes removing the existing floors from both the foyer and the kitchen...which means I can't prepare for my thesis defense because all my material is in my room, and I have to go through the foyer-in-repair to get there. I guess I'm stuck watching TV and surfing the internet downstairs for the rest of the day (aw, shucks!).

Gosh, all my blogging friends have been very, very quiet lately. If blogging has become uncool, please let me know so I can stop doing it too!! It seems like everyone's on MySpace...which is something I've long resisted to join. But if that's what's cool these days, tell me and I'll join! ;)

I was going to celebrate the passing of my thesis defence by going to see Incubus on May 18 in Regina, but now that's postponed until the fall due to a wrist injury suffered by one of the guitarists. I think I'll take the day off anyway and hit the golf course...

Off I go...there's an Ebay auction I have an eye on...

NEVER put down your weapon...

Obligatory thesis update...I'm defending my thesis in front of a committee of 4 on April 23. Hopefully this happens in the afternoon so I can get SOME sleep. I think I've gotten better at public speaking in recent years, but this will be the ultimate test of where I stand with that particular skill. The prospect of a thesis defense in front of multiple intellectuals was almost enough to persuade me not to apply for grad school in the first place...but so far I feel pretty good.

My heart breaks for children who play very difficult songs on the piano for church offertories. The poor kid today is essentially playing 2 songs at once which inevitably leads to confusion, awkward pauses and frustration, in front of a packed crowd no less. She ran back to her pew, head down and red-faced. I enjoyed her performance as did the rest of the congregation, but I really wish kids (or perhaps their parents) would pick simpler songs...just because they're not way up there on the degree-of-difficulty scale doesn't mean the sound isn't pleasing to God. On a side note, preschool choirs are fun(ny)...every kid up there does something distinctive, be it flailing away, belting lyrics, waving to parents or looking extremely bored.

I hurt my left heel trying to stop a pallet from falling over at work. In the course of running over to said pallet to stop said event, I asked myself why I would risk injury trying to save falling food. Naturally I came to my senses and stopped and let salsa, etc fall to the floor, and in typical Evan fashion, I slipped on some water and wrenched my foot. My feet have been cursed since birth, what with the whole not having arches thing. I still don't know which side of the family to blame for that...

So apparently there was an award show of some sort in Saskatoon this weekend. This weekend has sadly confirmed to me that way too many people are addicted to anything that has to do with celebrities. Very few of them stop by these parts in the first place, and I don't blame them given our sickeningly star-struck local media. Spend some money, contribute to the local economy and leave....please!

I'm craving a bowl of cereal. I find that odd because I'll be having that first thing in the morning anyway. Why the cereal? Why not steak or nachos? Hmmmmm, indeed.

Off to bed I go. I very much anticipate loud renovations waking me up egregiously early tomorrow morning, so I may as well get a good start on slumber. G'night one and all...

....

Today I arrived at work to find out that a co-worker of mine had passed away during her vacation in Indonesia. I didn't want to be at work in the first place, but this definitely was not the way I expected to start my day.

I didn't know her all that well outside of work...but she was a friendly, familiar face in an environment where people quickly come and quickly go all the time. She's been at Extra Foods as long as I have, and I've been there a LONG time. We could always start up a conversation...at a lane, in the back room, in the parking lot, at a staff function.

I'll miss the exchange of "how are you?"s and "see ya later!"s. It'll be weird looking at customer service and not seeing her there.

Rest in peace, Karla.

Fighting the Irish

St. Patrick's Day is finally here. Shamrock Shakes (a delicacy now extinct), Lucky Charms (don't buy them from Extra Foods this week...OVER-PRICED), Leprechauns (who knew angst could be so funny), the Fighting Irish (correctly picked them to lose in my NCAA pool). Oh, the memories...I guess I have them because I don't drink!

2 wasted tuition payments later and I finally get an indication of when I'll be defending my thesis. My long-awaited feedback from my thesis committee was no feedback at all, so we're good to go once we find a prof from another department who's willing to read my paper and sit in on my committee meeting. Sounds like my defense will happen in mid to late April, which is good and bad. Good because I can finally start preparing for what is likely to be the longest hour of my life, bad because the deadline to apply for graduation is the end of March. In essence, I will be done with my thesis before graduation, but not before the deadline to apply for graduation. I paid tuition for no advice, no feedback and to not graduate this Spring. I'm also pretty sure none of the profs on my committee read my paper until I stopped in this week to ask them what the holdup was.

I think I had more to say, but I'm pretty tired from working today and from the length of the previous paragraph. I think I'll recline and watch the Canucks game instead...or maybe some Walker, Texas Ranger...