you'd better study hard; the test is a doozy!

(courtesy of my friend nikki)

speaking of nikki, we're off to BANFF. so i will post again in september.
be good!
charity :)

a note from charity, abd

hi everyone-

i passed my defense! i have many revisions to make but i can't tell you what a relief it is to be done with it.

it wasn't as bad as i imagined it would be. i remembered my computer all the necessary attachments, and my friend Jesse loaned me a remote control which made the power point presentation go so much more smoothly. i called my advisor in from denmark but had no problems whatsoever. my committee had very helpful and extensive feedback for me, which made me more excited about the project, rather than defensive and protective of it. i got to wear my snazzy new pants and shirt with the little pearl buttons, and even though i forgot to wear deodorant because i was so nervous, i felt calm and collected. overall, it went very well, and my committee was very helpful and had a lot to say but very nice about it. they told me i had come a long way, and they told me that they, too, were excited about the project and pleased with the progress i have made.

so that's a relief. it's good to see my 12-hour-days paid off.

to celebrate i went to fellini's with my "bff" michael (you are so funny!) then went over to his apartment to hang out with he and his lovely wife susanna and their adorable son nicholas. we had a delicious dinner of spaghetti and ice cream. then we watched syriana, which kind of broke the mood a little-it was a great film and i have been wanting to see it, but it was kind of a downer. but we had brooklyn pale ale so it was all good.


michael enjoys the shade at fellini's.


nico takes a bite.


papa takes a bite.

yesterday i went to school and filed my paperwork to get my masters degree--yippee!--and then went out to eat at my favorite restaurant, madras. mmmm, naan bhaji and chole samosa. delicious!! that was with my friend alison. we played with my new camera and thanks to my constant reminders and rejoinders, she did NOT drop it in the food. i'm kind of a nag.


me.


me and alison.

i hope you are all well and taking care of yourself and don't feel too jealous since

I'M OFF TO BANFF SOON!!!!!

canada (via vegas) HERE WE COME!!

charity :)

30 minutes until my big presentation...

or...

2 hours until i'm ABD!!!



xoxo,
charity :)

watch what you say...

censorship can be dirty, as jimmy kimmel shows.

i am having such a hard time finishing my presentation!
power point is stupid. :)



it's a start!!!

123, 4, 5, 678 9, 10, 11! 12!

my favorite part of sesame street.

i've been watching clips from old shows on youtube in breaks between writing my defense presentation. i'm not sure how successful a strategy that is for preparing to sound smarter than i am, but at least it keeps a smile on my face. that's important too!

i ordered the best of the electric company, too. i'm excited. here's a really funny clip with victor borge. no wonder i was such an early reader.

it's been a rough day so far...

Make your own On Notice Board here.
See how the On Notice Board is really made in this clip from the Colbert Report.

an old but nice picture of me with baxter.

charity and baxter
Originally uploaded by edz7. This is me and Baxter last September at Jake and Amelia's wedding, a picture taken by my dad and posted on his flickr site. ahh... technology. There's a cute one of Baxter and Austin there, and a not cute one of me with Baxter and Dad and Sarah, and of course a nice one of Amelia and Jake, because at this wedding, my dad remembered a picture of the bride and groom, unlike me at Baxter and Austin's wedding (!!).

backstage at the wedding with amy.

Amy and Charity
Originally uploaded by charitydarity. i posted a couple more pictures from last weekend on flickr. you should be able to visit my page by clicking on the flickr link in the sidebar on the right.

surprise! it's a wedding!

austin is with anne, one of the flower girls. she bought her dress at anthropologie in nyc, and was in line behind kate winslett. little known fact.
austin, not anne.


the very nice ben (pictured above) performed the ceremony, and after the party we all blew bubbles at the couple as they walked to the stretch suburban to ride to the o'henry hotel.

we met at the hotel bar afterwards to celebrate with the couple, but i forgot to take pictures there in all the excitement. there are no pictures of the wedding ceremony because i was in it, and i thought baxter and austin might not appreciate me taking pictures from my particular position behind them. although i could have gotten some great shots and maybe recorded austin asking "can i kiss him yet?" immediately following their vows.

what a lovely weekend! i love you guys, and i'm so happy for you! xoxoxo!!

pictures from the engagement party (saturday).

baxter and austin are posing for engagement photos.


fancy cakes for an engagement party, if you ask me...


my mom and uncle dean are enjoying food before the announcement.


my dad is taking a picture while my stepmom looks on.

family hijinx the day of my arrival (thursday).

me and mom are playing with my new camera


my stepdad richard is hiding


my brother isaac is laughing

at the end of another 12-hour-day.

we have a very nice computer lab, at least.

i probably won't post again until next week, since my parents have dial-up, and i don't even have the patience to check my email on dial-up. plus it will be somewhat busy, what with my brother's engagement party and everything.

i am slowly but surely recovering from the plague. i just have a few more hours of work before i can leave, so i better get to it. :)

first:

orgasm or tasty meal? (courtesy of details magazine.)

back to work britney! if it wasn't for the platform flip-flops, i might not even recognize her...

shortbread for every meal!

when i was in London, the maid service in our hotels left little shortbread cookies (biscuits, whatever) and tea (with half and half!), which was such a nice change from the cheap bitter coffee and sweet-n-low/ powdered-milk-product i usually find in american hotel rooms. i became hooked. i mean, that's a reason for tea everyday! delicious. and since i was with my mom, who was working, and i was studying for a big exam, i just stayed in the hotel room a few days drinking tea and watching BBC. heaven!

when i got back to the states, i bought some shortbread at the farmer's market, and i was so sad i almost cried. i guess shipping from Scotland to London allows a lot less staleness than shipping from Scotland to georgia.

regardless, during this time of stress and sadness, while i struggle ferociously with my dissertation proposal (ACK!), these little stale shortbread fingers are some of the only things i have to look forward to at school. with twinings tea, of course. mmm, so that's nice.

my friend dates this guy who makes the best shortbread. it's a family recipe and man, is it good. i have to say, it would be hard for me to walk away from someone who could make shortbread that good. of course, we would end up being two little rotund biscuit eaters with heart problems from all the saturated fat, but i mean, small price to pay, right? for butter? i mean, true love?

medical freaks like me. well, not exactly like me...

i got this from goldenfiddle, who got it from esquire.



i got this from pitchfork.

enjoy...

"i am testing my new camera" or "about us."

This is Sam.
d.o.b. August 2004
Sam likes: playing with his toy carrot, catnip, sleeping inside the couch, max, charity, chips of any kind, but especially white corn tortilla, pizza crusts, playing with and snacking on big roaches and spiders from outside, sleeping, watching squirrels and the days pass from the window sill, watching cartoons for short periods of time, watching charity and max.
Sam dislikes: flea medicine applied to his neck, cat treats.


This is Max.
d.o.b. early 2002
Max likes: deli-slice treats from Purina, catnip, control, comforting charity and sam when she feels like it, sleeping undisturbed.
Max dislikes: everything else.


This is Charity.
d.o.b. 13 September 1977
Charity likes: tv on dvd, listening to music, non-smoking bars, big skies, camping, finishing things, her bed linens, cooking, her family and going home for the holidays (especially when karaoke is involved), sitting on the porch in the rain, sam and max, photography, travelling, board games, going to the movies, amusement parks, planetariums, science centers, aquariums, museums, and such, reading, getting things for free, having her hair and nails done.
Charity dislikes: people not using their turn signals, people who flip her off, loud talking and big crowds, driving in the rain, summers in atlanta, going to the mall, and being sick.

me behind the scenes at cable and tweed.

no alcohol since friday.

yes yes, i know it's because i'm sick. but i'm taking comfort in the fact as evidence that perhaps i am not an alcoholic after all. i mean, that's a whole week, and i don't even want any.

i do want to want it, though. i want to want to go home and make a nice dinner and have a glass of wine and read all these articles i have to read. going home and drinking cool water and occasionally eating a frozen fruit bar just isn't as appealing for some reason.

my fruit bars are really good, though. and they feel really good on my throat, which still hurts.

a slow death from the plague.

i'm going to the doctor today. again. since last time i went to the doctor it made me sick, i expect not to survive the week. i am so sick; i can't even remember feeling this sick before, but i know i have.


someone call the doctor!

the frustrating thing is i just have to work through it. i am 18 days away from defending my dissertation proposal, and my committee members who decide whether i pass or fail have "suggeseted" that i rewrite it. i have plenty of time (18 days) and i feel completely clear-headed. no wait, i don't. i'm listening to my ipod and i hear an echo. my hearing is muffled, and some songs actually seem to change keys unexpectedly. yesterday my ear hurt so much i thought i was going to die. i wake myself up coughing and i feel like i'm just dragging constantly. that, my friends, is the perfect attitude with which to undertake the writing of a dissertation proposal. no wait, it's not.

good news:
i got my camera and it is unbelievably amazing; it's like the best thing ever. i'm not exaggerating, either. i can't wait to post some pictures. maybe i'll get some good one's at my brother's engagement party next weekend!