Crap, it's almost September?!

Tomorrow is September 1. There are pros and cons to this.
Pro: My PhD funding kicks in at the end of September! If all goes according to plan I should get my first monthly stipend on Sept. 26.
Con: My MA thesis is due Sept. 5. Cue panic.

Actually all I have to do is write a solid conclusion, and that shouldn't take too long. (Shouldn't, but has... I've been trying to write it all weekend.) Then get it bound, and then hand the dang thing in!

So back to it. To apologize for this terse update, I offer this: a sample of my favorite comic, Piled Higher and Deeper.
(Click for full-size.)

It's a comic about grad school! And, for a bonus, one that is extra-relevant for me right now...

Required Reading

I didn't post Sunday, so I'm posting now to make up for it. Busy days. Lorenzo is here, and I'm finishing my thesis, so I've pretty much just been in a mad rush. It's of course terrible timing to have a guest, but Lorenzo is also a great traveler and explorer-- a few times he has just decided to go wander around Galway by himself, shopping and looking around, to give me some time to work. This weekend, he did the Cliffs of Moher/Burren day tour, and right now he is off to the Aran Islands. He is spending the night there, which is cool, and also gives me some time to work. It has been quite nice having him here, of course, even though I'm busy-- it forces me to get out of the house and enjoy some of the fun things Galway has to offer. (Last night, we went to a trad session at my favorite pub. I had missed it.)

So in lieu of any real news or updates, I offer you some educational reading and viewing materials.


Early Christian same-sex marriage ceremonies. Contrary to what some conservatives would have us believe, the "institution of marriage" has definitely changed quite a bit over the last thousand years or so. Not only were same-sex unions tolerated, they were actually sanctified, and the article shows an icon of the wedding of St. Sergius and St. Bacchus, with Christ looking on as the best man. Awesome. If I ever marry a woman, I am totally using one of the early Christian same-sex marriage rites.


Less serious but no less interesting is possibly my new Favorite Thing Ever: Drunk History.

People who are passionate about history get drunk and then explain an historical event. Actors (such as Michael Cera or Jack Black!) then re-enact the event, very literally, based on the (often somewhat confused and slurred) narration. The rest can be found here-- but be warned, the second video features some rather gratuitous vomiting.

So, it's, uh, been a while...

Man, I'm sorry about the scarcity of updates lately! I was in the 'States until 4 August, and I left my laptop's cord at Jim's apartment so I couldn't use it until this past Tuesday.

The vacation was absolutely lovely, though it went by much too quickly. I felt like I was constantly rushing from one place to another, and I only had about two days where I got to just lay around and enjoy the break. It was wonderful to see my family, and my friends, and to see Jim. It was also really, really cool to visit Washington D.C.-- I had never been there, and I hadn't seen Curtis in about a year and a half.

So now that I'm back, what have I been doing? Answer: writing my thesis. It is due September 5, and I have to have it done by September 1 or so. Eeek. If I miss some updates in the coming weeks, that is why. I'm sort of in the middle of a controlled panic about it. It will get done, one way or another, I know. But right now it looks rather insurmountable.

Also: My buddy Lorenzo is visiting this week! He arrives on Thursday. I told him that I will be too busy to spend much time with him, and he is happy with that-- he will spend most of his twoish weeks traveling around Ireland, and is only going to spend the first few days and the last few days of his trip at my place. I'm sure it will be fun, even if I can't be as entertaining a host as I would like.

Oh, you want to see some pictures from my vacation? Well, I suppose.

The Chicago skyline-- waiting for the Blue Line.


Me and my mommy!


Dad and I, modeling the sonic screwdriver and the laser screwdriver. (My parents got me Doctor Who children's toys for my birthday. They totally enable my nerdiness!)


The iconic Washington D.C. picture.


The Lincoln Memorial.


My man Abe.


The World War 2 memorial.


The Hope Diamond!


Looking down the street to the National Gallery, with the Navy Memorial in the foreground. (Taken, I believe, at the back of the National Archives?)


The Capitol Building! Fun fact: "Capitol Hill" is not in fact a metaphor, and when you've been walking around for three hours in 80some degree sunshine, that hill is very very tall.


The Library of Congress! This was my favorite part of the D.C. tour.


Inside the Library of Congress-- and I thought the National Library of Ireland was beautiful! The Library of Congress looks like a Byzantine cathedral inside, and for me it might as well be. I would love to do some research there...


Curtis and I, dressed up for a play. (Proof that I can clean up when I want to!) I think we look much better in sepia. He took me to see Moliere's The Imaginary Invalid, which was just wonderful. Also, we rode the subway to downtown Washington D.C., dressed like that. It was great.