The universe wants me to go to grad school!

My ass hurts from sitting non-stop in front of this computer trying to focus and get my last grant in before the deadline after a whirlwind (and chronologically frivolous) escapade out to the west coast.

When I went to upload the missing essays into the grant website, lo and behold in giant red letters:
The application deadline has been extended.
Submit before 11:59 pm (EST) November 17, 2008.

Isn't that lovely? I think God and the Universe actually want me to go to graduate school even though the American system seems to be so against it. Yeah, that's right. If you've had as much stress over the past month and a half as I have had, you would be conjuring the almighty powers that be right about now as well.

So instead of having a deadline 30 minutes from now, it's been moved to 3 days from now. YAY! Not that I'll be heading to sleep before finishing this application, I do have the evil GREs coming up. As a safety, I have decided to apply for Cambridge and UCL as well. Hopefully the European recession will continue to even out the sterling (sorry, I'm a horrible human being sometimes, but 2-quid to the dollar is a bitch of an exchange rate to be honest).




At anyrate, because I need a break (and am so good at procrastinating), I am linking my escapade photos. Very glad some halfway decent shots did come out of it (after a bit of tweaking, because my anciently modern camera is now falling sub-par). I just might take this hobby up into serious-level since my uncle seems to be convinced I have "the eye". Eh, it can be plan C should being all scientific not work out. Plan B is top secret.



Here's the link to my San Francisco escape with Nohemi:
http://picasaweb.google.com/kmarian.viterbo/HaciendoElGuiriStateside#







And the link to my relaxing getaway to autumn California with my aunt and uncle:
http://picasaweb.google.com/kmarian.viterbo/MarinCountyCA#

Nature always seems to have the answer for me.








Future escapades are currently in the works. Yay! Jess is totally in on hopping over to London to have tea with Saskia (and her future Duke-entitled husband). Who else might want to come with? The plan: 7-10 days, but NOT all in London because I will shoot myself if I have to spend that much time in a place that lacks sun.



***

Well here's the rundown:

Deadline - Program

• Nov 6 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
• Nov 14 Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowship
• Nov 18 Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
• Nov 20+21 SUNY StonyBrook visit
• Dec 15 Washington St. Louis application deadline
• Jan 1 Arizona State University
• Jan 2 Harvard University
• Jan 5 George Washington University
• Jan 10 University of Missouri - Columbia
• Jan 15 SUNY Stony Brook

And then some breathing room... to ponder and worry about whether or not they'll actually accept me. Ugh, this stuff just doesn't end... At least I can do it with a potpie in my mouth, or a tapa?


Two down, and only the rest of my life to go.
I just keep telling myself, one day I'll be able to google-scholar myself!

the road to my future is paved with applications and personal essays...

Thus begins the season for paperwork. Returning from an amazing summer with a 7a-8p schedule each week and having nothing more than excavations to worry about has spoiled me silly. I would say, was most definitely the most productive summer vacation I've ever been in.

But it's back to reality and again diving into the world of standardized exams, essay after essay about who I am, what I've done, and why exactly should I be accepted to programs and given financial aid. *sigh* So much to do, yet time flies so quickly.

If only there was an easier way to do this.