Friday Five: The Resurrection

1. So I've been thinking about resurrecting this blog. Although I have no idea what I'll post about, and I'm fairly certain I've lost my measly few readers (not that any of you are measly, just the number of you). But I miss having a more substantial outlet than Facebook for my random thoughts, musings, rants, and reviews.

2. On that note: I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm watching The Fashion Show. It's Bravo's half-hearted attempt to steal back some of the Project Runway audience now that PR has defected to Lifetime, where it is truly doomed to a sad, painful death. I'll be interested to see which is the bigger trainwreck. Right now, TFS has set a high trainwreck bar. Not only is the show a second-rate knockoff, but even the contestants are cheap imitators. I can almost hear the casting sessions: "Fabulous, large gay guy: Check. Christian Siriano wannabe: Check. Vapid blonde who thinks she's edgy: Check. Dowdy geek who turns out to be a fashion maven: Check."

3. But I'll need something to fill my time this summer. I'm staying in Madison this year, which I'm sort of happy about, sort of not. I'm glad to have a few months "off" (I'll be TAing for a month, then working parttime while I write proposals and preliminary exams, so not totally slacking), but I already feel like I'm losing momentum to finish this degree. A couple months of downtime could be deadly to my hopes of actually getting the doctorate. Or some downtime---reading, sailing, hiking, drinking way too much beer---might be just what I need to re-energize.

4. In any case, I'm done with this term. Sort of. I took an Incomplete for an independent study because I ran out of time and energy to get the paper done. More the latter. This term has been a huge struggle: not getting along with my advisor, being rejected for all my grant proposals, barely getting by in Swahili, not being excited about any of my coursework, and becoming increasingly tired of the grad lifestyle of never enough time or money. And trying to imagine another three or four years of this before I (maybe) get a faculty position and can finally settle into some sort of a normal, adult life.

5. I'm going this afternoon to Ground School for the University's sailing club. About a million years ago, when I lived in Northern VA, I sailed on the Potomac in the summers. I'm looking forward to getting back to it.