Much to update on. I will attempt to do this in an organized fashion.
Grad school
I successfully submitted my UCD application from my boss' laptop with mobile internet. The applicaiton website that the UCD grad school contracts the apps process out to is fairly unaccessible from some countries, and the company doesn't really care why. I could only access the site from Sheldon's laptop. I tried countless configurations of platforms/browsers/ISPs, and only Sheldon's laptop worked. I actually managed to access the site from Colin's computer at work this week as well.
Thanks to Sissy and Tom, my U Conn app was successfully completed and fedexed. Tom ran around campus and completed a scavenger hunt of form pick-ups, and Sissy patiently waited for me to finish my essays before running to Fedex and overnighting my application to Storrs for me.
In the end, I was accepted to U Conn, and funding has been confirmed, same for UCD, and flat out rejected from U Washington, which was quite gutting. I had a skype interview with my two prospective advisors at U Conn, and it went really well. They have guaranteed me funding and are really enthusiastic about having me as a student. Everything is, of course, all good at UCD as well. Dawn has already gotten me through one "OMG how do I decide" crisis. I only applied to the masters program at UCD. Dawn and I agree that I should go elsewhere for my PhD and work with other people. She's booting me out of the nest, which is good. She's a great advisor.
I have my plane tickets for my grad school visits.
Itinerary
March 3: arrive SF, sleep, SLEEP
March 4: fly to Hartford
March 4-7: U Connecticut visit
March 7: fly to Sacramento
March 8-16: Sacramento/Davis, inc. official Davis prospie visit
March 16-18: fly back to NZ
My current thoughts and concerns
I'm scared about my U Conn visit. It seems very unplanned compared to UCD Geology visits, which I have been involved with over the last two years. UCD helps with plane tickets, arranges airport pickups, grad student hosts, rides to campus, schedules a crapload of meetings with faculty and other grad students, pays for meals out, and is very VERY accommodating. I have no clue what's going on at U Conn. Christophe is not even sure he can find a grad student for me to stay with. I don't know if he expects me to rent a car. He suggested possibly renting a room between Storrs (main campus) and Avery Point (marine labs) for the duration of the trip, which I definitely do NOT have funds for. They can only throw me $250, and it's from their own travel grants, not the department budget. I'm accepted by the Integrative Geosciences Program, which is not a department. The Geology department was dissolved a few years ago, and I'm worried the new program may not take care of it's students like a normal department would have. In short, I am scared.
I would love to go back to UCD, but Colin doesn't want to be uprooted again in 2 years. He's ready to settle down, even if it means settling down somewhere where jobs are harder to find and commutes are longer. We were looking at houses to buy on craigslist tonight.
Dawn is arranging an official UCD Geology prospie visit, and I just found out tonight that the department is throwing me $350 for travel, which I was surprised by. I figured no one would pitch in since I voluntarily went to the other side of the planet, and since I'm really a local girl. UCD is really treating me like any other student, and not like a leeching undergrad, which makes me really happy and comforted to know I'll be welcomed back at UCD if U Conn doesn't seem right.
Work
Anthony the assistant manager is back. Work has been an absolute party since Anthony returned. We've been super silly. Sheldon and I really bonded while Anthony was gone, and now that he's back and I've earned my keep as pretend assistant manager, I get to hang with the big boys. We are completely inappropriate. We say horrible things about the punks at head office, eat fake cheetos at the counter, gossip about Sheldon's love life, and throw down jackets and other items at each other. I still make them feel bad all the time about how they made me do nothing but sort pants, 8 hours a day, for 5 days straight, back when I first started. We still get a lot done, but work has been pretty entertaining these days.
Head office still thinks I'm amazing. Sheldon hasn't taken away my temporary raise, like HO wanted him to when Anthony returned.
Rosemary and Andrew's Wedding
Colin and I went to Rosemary and Andrew's wedding last month. It was really great to be there. No one else from Grafton made it, which was disappointing, but we were glad to be there and represent. The wedding was nice, the setting was BEAUTIFUL (Rosemary's parents' house outside Havelock North), and the people were interesting. We were seated at the randoms table, which Rosemary felt bad about, so she visited us a lot. The other randoms were VERY strange people, so we got away when we could. Rosemary's grandparents totally adopted us, which was quite adorable. I met her grandmother the night before at the hen's night. Hen's night included dinner at the local pub/restaurant and a VIP visit to the local horror corn maze. We had our own picnic area, a huge picnic basket packed full of wine and liquor, and three generations of women wearing funny hats and drinking with penis straws. Then we all went through the maze, including the grandma. I got to lead Rosemary most of the way (it was mandatory that the bride-to-be was in front), and it was really fun. This was a good corn maze, with a dizzy tunnel, lots of zombies, a lights out section, and a run-from-the-chainsaw-weilding-army-zombies section at the end. Anyway, Rosemary's Irish grandmother adopted me at hen's night dinner, and her grandfather adopted Colin and I while all the guests were standing around post-ceremony, pre-sit down time while the bridal party was getting photographed. By the end of the day, the grandparents had us sitting between them at the family table and wanted to hear all about our future plans together. It was super adorable. They are really wonderful and interesting people.
Colin and I gave the happy couple a Woddles the Penguin Waffle Maker, of course. They loved it, of course. Who doesn't love penguin waffles?!
We have no photos. My camera was threatening death. It only likes rechargeable batteries. Colin forgot to charge his battery.
Colin and I got a much needed break from our sucky Lower Hutt life. We were about to KILL each other before the wedding. Everything has been fine since. We learned that we have to drop everything and take a short vacation every now and then. Colin booked (many months ahead of time) a really nice little cottage just outside of Havelock North. It had one room and a little bathroom, and one of those awesome copper shower taps that comes straight down from the ceiling. A hedgehog played outside the window at one point. It was in the hills just off the valley floor. Hawkes Bay looks like the coast ranges, and was hot like Sacramento and humid like the coast. It's only a few kms from the ocean, but you wouldn't know it. Havelock North is a cross between Davis (hot summers, cute cafes and shops, nearby vinyards and orchards) and a so cal beach town (pretty tree lined streets, cute houses, relaxed atmosphere). I felt like I was back in California. It was freaky. The grass was gold, the trees were green, and even the rock outcrops looked like those in the coast ranges. Freaky.
Other
Life in general has been pretty boring. I've been sleeping again since I finished grad school apps. That helps. I've become completely obsessed with Battlestar Galactica, and Colin is addicted now too. I watched 4 episodes a day twice this last week. I'm currently waiting for season 3 to be available at the library. I've got 2 more days to wait... ugh.
The other night, Colin and I came home and found a hedgehog playing in our driveway. We are now obsessed with hedgehogs.
Colin and I had our first Valentines Day together. We got stuck at his parents' house when we went to pick up the coupon for the restaurant. Colin's dad needed help pulling nails out of wood, and Colin couldn't refuse. I spent the day at their kitchen table, trying to get my new portable hard drive to work, and diagnosed my problem -- USB drives had lost their bus power and couldn't power the drive. 4 hours later, Colin's dad realized that we sacrified V Day to the housing project and threw Colin some cash to make up for lost time, which was really nice. After a temporary wardrobe freakout, Colin and I had a nice dinner at Strawberry Fare. Our coupon was void for the night, so we still have to go back and use it (YES!!!) Then we watched Battlestar Galactica, and life was good.
Still on the topic of food, Colin and I tried the Mexican restaurant in Wellington -- the Flying Burrito Brothers. It was shockingly good, and it's the only decent Mexican restaurant in NZ. They import their produce themselves, as well at the Dos Equis. It's the only place I have ever found Dos Equis in NZ, and I had the waitress ask where they got it, and that's how I found out that they import everything. They make a good mole.
More food: don't try the sushi in Wellington. I went on a city-wide sushi search, and was sorely disappointed. Don't even try. It's crap everywhere.
More V Day: Colin got me a toy hedgehog and a hatching penguin (put it in water) from the zoo as presents. Mom sent us boxes of chocolate. I have been having Russell Stover cravings, so this was much appreciated.
Wellington is not summery anymore. We've been hit by, like, 10 storm fronts in a row, and today we were hit by the edge of a cyclone, so it's been a mess. We froze the other day (not literally). I bought a down jacket for my Connecticut trip. I had to wear it around the house until I broke down and turned on the $8/hour heater.
I fixed up my container garden. I had the Bekah/Nina zucchini problem. I couldn't keep the aphids off, even when I absolutely soaked the plants in soapy spray. I gave up and replaced them with rocket (arugula), oregano, and uncrowded the rainbow chard. My bush beans are producing, but I have yet to cook any. I can't find any coriander (cilantro) to plant. I actually discussed this with a strange woman at the grocery store who was having the same problem. We were both standing at the herb plant rack and making angry faces.
I found imported California cuties at the grocery store tonight. I ran around until I found Colin and then tried to convey my excitement to him. He does not understand the wonderfulness of cuties. He had to pull them out of my hands because I tried to put a lot of them in the cart.
Time for bed! Will attempt to update more often.
-N
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