This probably sounds pretty minor (and repetitive, since I have gone on and on about the fact that I like my job.) but I just had my Official Employee Review this morning. Despite the fact that things have gone awesomely lately, I was fretting about it because, well, last time I was sat down for an Official Review I got fired.

Anyway, I had nothing to worry about.

It is crazy to me that at this time last year, I was spending most of my lunch breaks quietly crying in a concrete office park because my job then gave me so much misery/stress/anxiety that I was reduced to tears on a regular basis. I used to not be able to eat on Sunday nights because I was so anxiety ridden about having to deal with my boss on Monday morning.

It is very nice to be able to have a lunch break like a normal human being, instead of crying in public, because I don’t cry very prettily.

I had my last final yesterday afternoon. I am signed off to graduate. I am DONE with grad school. 

An MA, in 9 months, just days after my 24th birthday? Means I have the whole rest of my life to do things completely unrelated to my over-educated degree!

Number of (un)intentional all-nighters [rough draft included]: 5
Number of times I changed the title of the project:                  6 (see the final title above)
Number of times I considered the project a complete failure: probably about 5-6. I think I only cried over it once though.
Number of drafts I’ve saved because I’m neurotic/paranoid: 58

Being done with my thesis, by the deadline for June graduation, as I wanted to all along: Priceless.

It was worth all the anti-socialness. It was worth the intimidating of the brilliant advisor. It was worth skipping class for meeting with said advisor. It was worth the mess my apartment is, buried in journal articles and books and empty cans of seltzer & energy drink (I actually took a picture of my desk last night, to capture the outrageousness)

This has been an exhilirating process of 11th hour epiphanies. I started this project feeling pretty meh, just trying to find ANYTHING that could relate to Carl Schmitt, because it would make the whole “topic/advisor” thing infinitely easier. I initially wanted to kick my own ass for chosing to write on the war on terror. And then something clicked. And then something else clicked. And its turned into a really awesome project.

The thesis is in. And now I promise never to speak of Carl Schmitt again!

CK just sauntered into work — on time for once — and raised his fist in a show of Jersey solidarity. We wished each other a Happy Transit Strike; “man, I know this must suck for most New Yorkers, but if you’re from Jersey, it feels like a Holiday!”

I was coming in from Bloomfield this morning, and my train to Penn Station was late. Penn Station was a mess, and there were swarms of people on the street. And then I hit Times Square and it was like ‘Where did all the people go?’ I think a lot of people stayed home, maybe, or are just late, because the streets seemed pretty quiet north of Times Square. It could stand to be a few degrees warmer and I wish I didn’t have a cold, but it is indeed a very Happy Transit Strike.

CK and I are both ridiculously smug about our unaffected commutes, because there is much bitching and moaning at the office. Even if NJ Transit were to strike, there’s private competition in Jersey and still would be ways of getting to work. Jersey is the best. NYC liberalism + common sense conservatism. I am so, so sad that I am going to be moving out of JC.

My younger wiser sibling is off to the amazing University of Chicago. (And I reiterate, he rejected his acceptances to Yale, Princeton, and Columbia for them. He has done me proud.)

So I want to offer him so advice, because no matter how wise he is, I’m still his older, cooler sister.

1. Don’t smoke up when you’re already drunk. You will get horrendously dizzy and wake up with a hangover, and you will want to die.
2. Don’t take any classes with the word “Gender” in them
3. Coffee is great. But remember to eat, because sitting in class shaking from caffeine highs and lows just isn’t cool.
4. Allan Bloom was right.
5. While there may be no such thing as a free lunch, you should go to campus events that have free food and horde it.
6. Don’t lead girls on. It’s just not nice.
7. Remember to tip the pizza delivery guy, because there is probably no job more horrible. (Liberal guilt!)
8. Don’t become a hippie. Or a hipster. Or a filthy socialists I’ll never forgive you
9. Keep the PhD in sarcasm to yourself for about a month. Everyone’s walking on eggshells. Although UChicago may be different from Camp Hamp/Skidmore
10. Call me sometimes, because you will totally miss me whining to you about my boy problems and debating about participles.

I took the PATH to Christopher Street today. I went over to the bar where I had lunch with Mike and his friends, had a cheeseburger and a Bloody Mary (part of your complete breakfast) and then wandered aimlessly for awhile. After I’d had enough walking in the humidity, I headed up 6th Avenue. I was going to take the PATH from Ninth Street, but decided to just keep walking to 14th Street. And then I wanted coffee.

And then, coming out of the cafe, me and my clumsiness walked into some poor guy walking to to put his name on the list for a table, and I looked up to apologize and…

And then, at the corner of 11th and 6th, was Jon Stewart, waiting for a table with his wife and baby. His wife was holding the baby and talking to someone else, so I, being the plucky city girl I am (and knowing I would regret it if I didn’t) said a very casual hello. I did not gush or do anything lame, and he was very nice and polite, and thus I was polite and nice in return and didn’t do anything that might draw a crowd. I got to shake his hand. I would say something along the lines of “I will never wash this hand again” but it’s New York, in the summer, and it’s disgustingly humid and I shower at least twice a day.

Ben got into Yale, Columbia, UChicago, and Princeton. Princeton! No one gets into Princeton! And UChicago, home of the young, drunken Straussians and Hayek worshippers is throwing money at him. Oh and he got into Tufts and Brandeis too, but no one cares about that because Brandeis is full of Jews and Tufts is all liberal and into cultural diversity requirements.

So I get to brag about my younger, wiser sibling, because I taught him everything he knows.

Indian Hills Decathlon Team:
1st in regionals, 3rd year in a row (We started an awesome tradition LTTC’ers)

2nd in states

Myy brother, was 3rd highest score overall at regionals and states! Plus they beat Ramapo I’m a proud decathlon sister. My brother doing decathlon makes me nostalgic for the Little Team That Could and the 138 points makes me bitter about once a month.

Neumy6109: nothing is more satisfying than watching a big green balloon deflate
DagnyCat522: hm?
Neumy6109: going into round 3 we were tied 24-24 with Ramapo
Neumy6109: we were also very close to each other pre-adjustment at the end of round 3
Neumy6109: then the guy went back and adjusted ours, leaving us with 39. they got really happy, because they thought they had won
Neumy6109: because they were up by 7 or something. then, he adjusted theirs, and it went down to 38
DagnyCat522: wait, did you win super quiz?
Neumy6109: and they all went ‘ahhhhhhhhhhhhh’ and it was like a big green balloon deflating
DagnyCat522: ??????????????????
DagnyCat522: what place/
Neumy6109: 1st
DagnyCat522: yay!!!!

Stupid old high school rivalries rule!