what i did today by charity, part 2

hey, another pretty day, except it rained, and i was inside working all day anyway,

today was our department party, so after my guitar lesson i headed over. my guitar teacher, incidentally, says i'm making steady progress, although i'm sure he wants to add, "but imagine what you could accomplish if you practiced more than twice a week..."

anyway, several important developments evident at the party this year:


first, as usual i won tipsrunda. for those of you not swedish and yet still reading this, apparently tipsrunda is a swedish game (it's supposed to have one of the swedish letters in the word, maybe instead of the u) where there are questions posted all around the party. festive party-goers wander around, filling out what looks like a golf score card (well, i don't know from golf, but it certainly resembles a putt-putt scorecard). anyway, normally there might be a theme, but they are pretty much just random questions. anyway, this year they were all about my advisor, the chair of the department for the last five years who is stepping down taking a year off (sabbatical) and moving to copenhagen with his wife, who got a job there. the thing is, for my prize, i got to choose driving his car around for a year or taking care of his cat. i'm not saying i'm not thankful, but what kind of prize is that?? i mean, especially since i'm leaning towards the cat...





second, so john is leaving for a year and he liked his presents. i got him a big alien guy-thing from junkman's daughter (it's actually a japanese superhero, but he sure looks like an alien--or demon) and a toy phone so we can always call him when we need him.



this is not him, but it's funny.


i enjoy meeting up with (select) faculty at these things coz it's really casual and you can really just chill and talk, which is especially easy when you have three beers (this year) or almost a whole bottle of wine (most of the previous years).


third, (for example) i found out tracy's dad was an astronaut. tracy is on my dissertation committee. her dad drove a car on the moon. in 1971, the guy in the car, that was tracy's dad. richard nixon showed her around the white house. so that's pretty crazy. i guess all those people who believe humans never went, you might want to talk to him. now he lives in LA, and he consulted on apollo 13. it's crazy the things about people that you might never learn.



this is him, david r. scott. commander of apollo 15.


fourth, five people are graduating, not counting michelle who wasn't at the party, but counting lauren who won't actually walk until next year. so that's encouraging, as i've mentioned in previous entries (like fred willard: "you know my wife, sheila, from prevuus billlllls...").





fifth, mosquitos can bite through denim and will to get to me.



dramatization.


so go us! i have department spirit! i even wore my emory shirt. :) i am just so excited that someday it will be me my advisors buy gag gifts for, and me that will be getting hooded in the fancy ceremony.



for me, the stripes on the robe will be bluuuuue, and the hood will as far as i can tell be peach.
which is fitting in a way, since it's georgia.


love, charity :)

p.s.-i'm glad i saw y tu mama tambien. and i'm glad i didn't see it in the theater...




p.p.s.have you called your mother yet?