It's kind of nice to be back in State College. Except that I don't really want to do work. At all. Actually, I do, but I also feel overwhelmed by the idea of a dissertation. A dissertation? Me? Give me back my first year of grad school; or the second, or the third, for that matter. I hope things will work out in the end.

Many of you know that I am hard of hearing, which means two things: 1) I can’t hear well (duh) and 2) I talk really loudly.

Today, we went to see “The Break Up.” There is a scene in it, when Gary is talking to his younger brother about the new guy Brooke is dating. Gary says “But he has no skills,” to which his brother replies “Yeah, but what if he has a big elephant ….(I can’t hear the word).” Everyone laughs out loud. Pissed that I did not hear the word and missed out on the joke, and without even thinking, I basically yell out “Elephant WHAT?” At least 10 people turn around to give me puzzled looks.

It was pretty embarrassing. It turns out it is was “an elephant log.” In case you care.

By the way, apparently you can get an exact count of the “f” word in any movie before you take your kids to see it. Wow! I guess for some people this could be one of these things you agree on before you marry someone. “Honey, we’ll only let our kids watch movies in which they say fuck less than three times, OK?”

I LOVE this song. Can’t even go to bed because I want to listen it again and again. If you have the original by June Carter and Carl Smith, please send it my way.

For anyone who might care, I passed my exams. One of them - with a grade of superior. How cool is that
I am in Houston, TX. Swimming in the pool, going for 4 mile walks everyday and enjoying every bit of my life before the oral defense of the dissertation prospectus in roughly a month. Wait, a prospectus? That needs to be written? No big deal Okay, time for my daily swim.