THanksgiving- OMW THANK GOODNESS OR I WILL GO CRAZY!!!

This Thanksgiving, I am extra grateful that Thanksgiving Break is 5 glorious days! It won't be a complete break (research for two 20-page papers, and a few more mandatory class books) but at least I won't have to go for classes, and best of all, I get to

SLEEP IN.

My body is very tired, and it's come to the point where I'm a getting apathetic about my school/ work. Uh oh... I don't want to reach that point, but it has been a rough semester. I know I know, most people say the first semester is always the hardest, plus I feel bad whenever I whine because I know there are other people who are having it worse than me. So really, I shouldn't be complaining, but I guess my expectations of graduate school were so far removed from reality that it has been a little disillusioning and discouraging.

E.g. Perfectionism + GPA-based classes = a very bad combination. I struggled with this a lot in my undergraduate years, and it caused me a lot of anxiety. If I even got an A- for the first test, I would go see the TA and demand to know what I could do to get a better grade. Of course, it paid off in the end since my GPA was *erhem* rather high (not complaining about that!). But I was SO READY to be done with that once I graduated. I'm getting too old for unnecessary stress like this. 

Ha!

I can kick myself. Guess what, in graduate school, it's almost the same thing all over again. Granted, it's not as intense since you aren't really competing with your classmates, and you only have 10 or so classmates anyway. But like I said, I'm getting old so my level of stress-tolerance has also correspondingly decreased. When my body is super stressed, it reacts either physically (i.e. I fall sick) or mentally/ emotionally (it shuts down/ stops feeling/ caring)

Hence the lethargy and growing apathy.

Now before you guys continue to judge me, let me give you a taste of my classes first, and then you can leave a comment and tell me to stop whining, suck it up, and just keep going forward.

1) Historiography. Or the History/ philosophy of History.
We read things like this:
"First then, What is the historical fact? Let us take a simple fact, as simple as the historians often deals with, viz.: 'In the year 49 B.C. Caesar crossed the Rubicon.' A similar fact this is, known to all, and obviously of some importance since it is mentioned in every history of the great Caesar. But is this fact as simple as it sounds? Has it the clear, persistent outline which we commonly attribute to simple historical facts?" (Carl Becker)

Another:
"The predominance of a documentary approach in historiography is one crucial reason why complex texts- especially 'literary' texts- are either excluded from the relevant historical record or read in an extremely reduced way. Within intellectual history, reduction takes the form of synoptic content analysis in the more narrative method and the form of an unproblematic identification of objects or entities of..." (Dominick LaCapra)

KILL ME PLEASE.
Unfortunately this is one of my required classes so I have to take it. The professor is super nice but his area of expertise (18th C European intellectual and religious history) is so far removed from my field, I'm lost in this class many times. And I have a 20 page paper due soon. Can't wait for this class to end.

2) Modern US History Part 1. I have mixed feelings about this class. In theory, the way the class is set up sounds good, but the reality is another thing. We read one book/ week, except for 4 weeks when we read 2 books/ week and write a comparative 4-page paired book review. And in 2 weeks time, I will take a mock comprehensive examination, which means I will have to write a 10-page paper in 2 days and the rest of the class will "grill" me about it for half and hour. 

Just great. 

3) Independent Reading Class with Adviser. Remember THIS post? Even before I changed my topic, I did enjoy my reading, even though it wasn't my favorite thing. Now however, since I've changed topics, I'm SUPER excited to start reading again for this class next semester, and decide on a Master's topic! Cross my fingers it will happen soon. About 1 book/ week.

4) History of Childhood and Youth. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS CLASS!!! I actually took this class to fulfill my fellowship requirement, and who knew but I fell in love with it. I plan on doing a minor in this now, and I can't wait. 1 book / week, with a 20 page final. 

4 to 5 books a week. Multiple 20-age papers due in about 3 weeks. 

Sigh... Just holding out for a few more weeks then it will be Christmas!

But for now, I'm going to enjoy my Thanksgiving bliss.

I LOVE MY ADVISER!!!

It's only my first semester of my first year, so maybe by the time I get done (in like, forever six years), we might be ready to kill each other (I hope not!). But for now, I am so so so so grateful she is my adviser. Here's why:

- She persuaded the department to give me a bigger subsidy so that I could fly over on Visitation Day. I had been involved in a car accident a few weeks before, and the co-insurance had sucked up my savings. I explained this to her, and she promptly asked the Department if they could increase my subsidy, and the Department did! Talk about recruiting- very flattering!

- She is quirky. You have to meet her to understand. See here for her CV.

- She like to take off her shoes and put her feet up in her chair when in her office. Me too!

- I switched topics just 2 weeks ago - from conservative religions and women in 20th Century American South to 20th Century Mormon Women - and her reaction was,

"That is the perfect answer."

If I had known, I would have switched topics earlier. I was hesitant to do so because I really wanted to continue working with her, and I knew that Mormonism was not her area of expertise. When I took the plunge and asked her about it, she broke out in a "hooray" and told me that she had doubts about my initial topic for a while now and had been trying to nudge me toward a different direction. I wish she had been more explicit about it earlier. Oh well.

- Her reaction when I told her I wanted to focus on 20th Century Mormon Women, and feminism and cross-cultural examinations of Mormon women:

"Yes, and let's move beyond the issue of polygamy." 

Yes! Mormon Woman's History is ≠ Polygamy, especially in the 20th Century.

So grateful. Now I'm super "stoked" to begin my research.

Oh the Rumors About Mormonism...

Yesterday I heard one of the most illogical things in my life about my religion.

A 5th-year (I think) history graduate student was talking to a 2nd-year grad student in my office, and the conversation went something like this:

5th Yr: That's right, Calvinist believe in predestination. Ask Ms JW (a fellow grad student), she's Presbyterian.
2nd Yr: Really? Do Presbyterians believe in predestination? How do they live? 
5th Yr: Oh yes, it's still going on. I don't know how people live like that. 

Then the KICKER.

5th Yr: And so do Mormons. I am convinced that Provo, Utah is hell on earth. Don't get me wrong- Mormons are really nice. But I do not know how they can live with themselves.

Actually now that I type it out, I'm kind of speechless, or more appropriately, writing-less. I know Christian churches hostile to Mormonism say Mormons are nice but we are going to hell. That, I can let go. But to call Provo "hell on earth?"

Wow.

That student has absolutely NO IDEA what he is talking about.

I didn't say anything because
1) I was eavesdropping on the conversation, though to be fair to me, the 2nd Yr student sits at the desk next to mine, and the 5th Yr student has a super LOUD voice and is very vocal about his opinions. I couldn't tune out the conversation even if I wanted to.
2) You have to pick your battles.
3) I was still reeling from what he said.

And it taught me a few things as well. Apparently:

a) Nice people live in hell. Or is it hell creates nice people? 

b) My respect for that student just dropped like, 10 notches. He's still an expert on his specialized field of history (Elizabethan political and military history- I think), but when it comes to everything else, better to take it with a pinch of salt. 

For the record:
i) Mormons do NOT believe in 100% predestination. 

ii) I don't know much about predestination, but I think it's just a belief based on the fact that nothing in this life is coincidental, that God has already arranged everything. And you know what, to a certain extent, Mormons do believe in this too. We still have a lot of agency, but we also believe that God has a lot of control over the affairs of this world as well. SO LET'S NOT JUDGE OUR FELLOW CHRISTIANS FOR THEIR TENANTS OF THEIR FAITH.

iii) Provo is FAR FROM hell on earth, physically, mentally, anything-ly. I don't want to live in Provo again, NOT because it's "hell" where people are stuck under oppressive doctrines. I don't want to live there again because it's a college town and I need to move on, and I don't care for small towns, and it's too brown, and it's too conservative, and it's too politically boring, and there isn't a good food scene. But this does not equate it to hell. 

You are welcome for making you laugh today.

ALERT: Rosie Update!

Even though Rosie is not my cat, I feel like I should still give an update on her because 1) I don't have any children or prospects for one, and my blog needs to compete with all those blogs about their kids. (just kidding!) 2) She is just too cute. 3) Every time I post about her, my blogger traffic jumps to the roof, and it's very satisfying as a blog writer to know people are reading your blog. 4) Ever since her Mommy started dating someone, Rosie and I have become best buddies.

For example, when I come home every day, she would run to greet me get a back rub from me. Seriously. She would lie on her side and look at me with pleading eyes, and she knows I can't resist patting her when she gives me that look.

Snuggling up to me as I work on my computer in my room.

Sometimes she will even purr (btw it's SUPER loud)! Yup, best buds now.

So, first update: She is GROWING!!!


Look at big she is now compared to here. I'm not sure how much a cat her age and size needs to eat, but she eats more than one can now and keeps begging for more.

Also, Rosie LOVES human food, so much so that sometimes I have to keep her in her room to stop her from climbing onto the dining table to steal my food.

Worse, she has also learned how to jump into the garbage can and dig for scraps of human food.

SUPER DISGUSTING!

She does this even when she has food in her bowl. *shake head* I thought this was bad enough- it's grown worse!

She also knows how to climb and perch, and I am so not looking forward to the day when she is full-grown and can jump onto the kitchen counters. Argh! She has already attempted to do so whenever I have food on it.

On the other hand, it means that my food smells good... ;)

I had to snap this picture- Rosie just "hanging" out on the TV stand. Isn't this cute?! Picture taken a couple weeks ago, so she was smaller than she is now. 

Looking out of my bedroom window. Taken today. Look at how beautiful the weather is.

Another quirk of hers: she absolutely ADORES plastic. I don't know why- maybe it's the smooth texture or the sound it makes, but she is perfectly content to play with a piece of plastic (plastic grocery bag, ziploc bag) if she gets hold of one.

This was taken a while back when I bought a new glass baking pan that came with a plastic lid. Be assured that I washed that red plastic lid real good before using it.



Yesterday I caught her here:

Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Oh and did I tell you that she BITES as well now? Not hard, but enough for people to wince in pain. It's hard to stay angry with her when she does this later though:

*Sigh* What do you do with such a cute cat?!

OMW!!!!!!!

Meet dancing duo, Mr. and Mrs 2011 from Spain.

They are only 6 years old.

Do you think their parents are pushing them too hard and making them grow up too fast, or are they simply helping their kids cultivate their talents?

You decide.

But no matter what, you have to agree that

THEY ARE
SO
DARN
CUTE AND @_@!!!

"Peep, peep, peep"

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to attend a fireside featuring acclaimed LDS pianist Marvin Goldstein and his singing partner, Vanessa Joy. Click here to see a small bio on Marvin and to access Vanessa's webpage. The fireside was AWESOME. I grew up listening to piano arrangements of LDS hymns done by Marvin Goldstein (usually played as a special musical number during the rest hymn time, you know...) and I was in COMPLETE AWE to hear him play in real life. I was almost moved to tears when he played his piano arrangement on Primary songs.

Interesting tidbit: This is Marvin's calling for life. He was set apart by Marvin J. Ashton in 1989, and has been touring the world ever since, conducting fireside and sharing the gospel through his music.

Then there was his singing partner, who has an incredible voice. She sang this song, which is my favorite Christian song of the moment:

Performed by Selah. I tried getting a demo recording of Vanessa on Youtube, but didn't like any of them. You can find some of her with Marvin Goldstein, but be warned, the videos can't compare to listening to her in real life.

However, what struck me the most wasn't the music. Instead, two things:
1) A few years ago when Marvin was still a soloist act, he stopped in Arizona to conduct a fireside. After the fireside, a husband approached him with the idea of Marvin collaborating with his wife to tour and perform. His wife was Vanessa Joy, and ta dah! The performing duo was formed.

How many husbands will do such a thing?!

WE NEED MORE SUCH HUSBANDS. Husbands who take pride in their wives' accomplishments and want to help them magnify their talents; husbands who will let their wives choose whether to be a full-time homemaker or a career woman, and then work with them to take care of the children; husbands who are not afraid to pray, discuss, work and come to a consensus with their wives.
In short, husbands who view their wives as true, equal partners. 

And you wonder why I'm not married...

2) Quails are pretty smart birds. Which is saying quite a lot since I don't like birds (except for penguins).

Quail picture taken from http://rootsandbranches-stephanie.blogspot.com/2011/09/miracle-of-quail.html

Vanessa shared this story with us: A couple years ago, her family was on vacation and driving through Arizona when they spotted a family of quails. The father quail was perched above ground, on the lookout for predators, while the mother quail was down on the ground close to her chicks looking for food. Vanessa got out of the car to take a picture, but once her foot landed on the ground, she heard this "Peep, peep, peep" call from the father, and the next thing she knew, the Mommy quail had scurried her obedient chicks away to safety.

Talk about family roles- Dad and Mom WORKING TOGETHER for the safety of their family in equal but different roles. Daddy quail high above, on the lookout and giving the signal when danger approaches. Mommy quail with her children on the ground providing nourishment, strength and protection.

Sounds familiar?

The Family Proclamation of my Church states:

By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.

What a great insight. Got to give these birds credit.

FINALLY!

So yes, most Ohio-ians are ready for the election to be over, but this does not mean that voting day isn't exciting. I'm heading over to my friend's house to watch the election results. 

Each person got this sticker after voting- I "heart" Voting. Aww... although my desk partner said, "I 'heart' voting? No I don't. It implies something that is ongoing. Instead it should say 'I voted' or something like that." 

I agree with him. Not that I don't like voting (it's kind of empowering!), but yeah, "I voted" would have been more appropriate words. Bet the sticker designers just wanted to use the shape of Ohio as a heart.

Thank goodness I don't live on campus! All undergraduate freshman have to live on-campus, and here was the line to vote taken at 6:20 pm at the Ohio Union: 

The line snaked round a couple times and went all the inside as well.

This is my first time voting (I was eligible to vote in 2008 but was away on my mission and couldn't obtain an absentee ballot. Actually I didn't even know there was such a thing as an absentee ballot then.) My polling place was an elementary school 3 mins from my house (sweet!), and the line wasn't too long when I arrived. 

Me proudly wearing my sticker! And blue- for the Democratic Party. 

Although who did I end up voting for president?

I'm not telling... ;) 

The Election is ALMOST Over

And I can't be more happy.

Political ads- PLEASE STOP! As one of my friends said, political ads don't do anything. Informed voters don't believe them, while uninformed voters who believe these 30-second  completely-taken-out-of-context-and-badly-edited commercials should not be allowed to vote.

I've never looked forward to November 6 more.

As you can see, everyone is tired of it already. Even four year olds.

I just realized that I also needed to add one more thing to my list of Ohio campaigning before I stop.

James Carville vs. Karl Rove, at my school 2 months ago. Another perk of being an Ohio voter. They are respected campaign managers for the Democratic and Republican parties respectively. I think Carville worked on Bill Clinton's team, and Karl Rove was the campaign manager for George Bush Jr.

I really looked forward to their debate, and well, it was... a good show. James Carville was walking around, showing graphs, arousing enthusiastic applause with his "grass-roots" approach- in other words, very "democratic." Rove was dignified and calm, who stood at his podium the entire time. Again, the image of the Republican party.

Can't get more contrasting in style and rhetoric.

Did they say anything new? Sadly, no.

But it was still a good debate. Sometimes I wonder if politicians and lobbyists ever get bored with their job, saying the same things and dealing with the same facts over and over and over again.

Meet JR... and Paul Ryan

Let me introduce you to my friend, JR.

I wish I had a picture of him, but then, maybe it's better if you didn't know how how he looked like since he would say some of the most exasperating things. Like:

- JR works on the Romney campaign, and travels around with Romney (he rides the motorcade with Romney sometimes!), which is cool. I have another friend who also works on the Romney campaign in Boston- what did I tell you, I have cool friends!
Anyway, JR has been so completely immersed in the Romney campaign that Romney can't do ANYTHING wrong. Anything. If people get the wrong impression of Romney, it's always because the media is bias against him. Always.

- JR came to Columbus a few weeks ago, because hey, Ohio is a political hot-spot. Btw, Miss B posted this on my Facebook page, which I thought was hilarious:

My favorite part is the Democratic "lobsters" in the Northeast!

Anyway, Miss B, JR and I went out that night, and while having a heated discussion on FEMINISM (I'm pretty sure he was the one who brought it up), we decided to go to McDonald's for a night snack. He gallantly paid for it, and referring back to our very-heated-conversation on feminism, I teased him by asking, "So JR, why did you pay for my food?"

He smiled, and replied, "Because I can afford it."

You can imagine how Miss B and I riled into him. To give him credit, he was probably joking. Or not.

Btw, for guys out there who are asked this question, please say something along the lines of, "I know you can pay for it, but I'm just trying to be a gentleman/ nice so that's why I'm paying for you." 

So yes, exasperating. Some of the things he says makes me want to *palm slap forehead* over and over again. Having said that, he is also a really great friend. For example:

- He paid for my snacks. Twice.

- He has helped me understand the Romney campaign a lot more, and why it functions the way it does. 
I can ask him, "Why does Romney not..." and he will explain to me why he can't. As a result of our conversations, I have come to understand American politics and campaigning a whole lot more.

- Romney came to Columbus for a rally in Powell once, and JR took us up to the hotel floor that his entourage stayed in. JR's room was diagonally across from Romney's! We also got to talk to a secret service agent (frankly, their job is kind of boring). 
What is even funnier is that Miss B and I ended up talking to JR about politics till past 1 a.m. before we left the hotel room. Good thing they know JR is Mormon, if not you can imagine what the secret service agents on guard were thinking, "Hmm... two girls leaving the room with JR at 1 in the morning..."

- He arranged for Miss B and I to take a picture with Paul Ryan. PAUL RYAN!!! Someone once said, "Admit it Miss Keesh, you have a crush on Paul Ryan." Yes I do! I don't agree with all of his policies, but I think he is a promising young politician with lots of potential. And seriously, who can resist his charming smile?! JR arranged for Miss B and I to take a picture with him after the Romney rally in Powell, and my oh my...

If Romney wins the election, this picture will go down in his-to-ry!!!

- But most of all, JR sometimes just does things that are strokes of pure genius. For example:

A few weeks ago (but not the same week that we went to McDonalds), he came to Columbus again, and Miss B and I drove to meet him. He had borrowed a black SUV from the campaign, and when we met up, we decided to get something to eat at the White Castle drive-through (I think it's an East Coast eatery, like how In-and-Out is to the West).

JR went first, and ordered his meal, paid for it, then pulled the black SUV off to the side to wait for us. I ordered a side of fries, then pulled up to the cashier window to pay. The cashier lady opened the window, had this HUGE grin on her face, and said something like, "The guy in front of you just paid for your fries, and told me to give you this."

And then she promptly handed us a name card of a secret service agent that had a phone number hand-written at the top.

Miss B and I stared at the card. Huh?! Miss B immediately caught on and started laughing. The cashier lady kept grinning at us, shut her window and started gesturing to her co-workers. Then it hit me!

Think about it: some guy in a black SUV just paid for the food of the two girls behind him, was waiting for us on the side, and gave us a secret service name card with a telephone number written on top. 

Talk about being "picked up" (pun intended)!!!

Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Seriously, how genius is that?!

P.S. The name card belonged to Paul Ryan's personal secret service card. Good thing we resisted the temptation to call the number!
P.P.S. JR took the card back.