It's been a while since I've updated, but it's not my fault. Really. If you don't believe me (or even if you do -- I don't care, really), here is a brief chronology of the last week.

Mon. Oct. 24: Scheduled to pick up take-home candidacy exam at 9am. Actually pick up exam at 10am. Spend a lot of time reading and mulling over questions, and decide to do poetry question first. Make notes. Mull some more. Have a nap. Mull more. Waste time on the internet. Talk to mom; figure out I'm wasting time. Talk to Mike at work, who says "why don't you write your introductory paragraph before I get home." End up writing half of essay. Yay.

Tues. Oct. 25: Sleep in. Get up, putter, cruise the net, then get to work. Finish poetry essay, although not the conclusion. Start fiction essay. I am writing on post-colonialism, James Joyce and Roddy Doyle. I am insane. Joyce is hard. But rewarding. Have several lightbulb moments and really think I've hit something good. When body of essay is done I have dinner and some wine, then hit the hay.

Wed. Oct. 26: Get up at decent time, do the daily internet news/blog/hitched surf, think about drama essay, then drive Mike to work. Think about drama essay, and finish fiction essay. Whoo! Start drama mulling -- go over 7 plays and take notes. Go to meeting; come home and go over notes. Round down to three plays. Read Richard Eyre to help with essay. Actual writing of essay commences at around 7pm, and I finish 7 minutes before 9pm. It rolls off the pen -- amazing! Begin transcription of handwritten essays -- drama first, then fiction, which I half finish before picking up Mike (at just after 11pm). Come home, try to celebrate but am far too tired. Go to bed.

Thur. Oct. 27: Get up at 5:45 am to finish typing. Run out of printer paper. Go to school, finish printing, hand in essays. Go home. Have no clue what to do with myself but know I should sleep so do for a while. Get up, pack, go to Vancouver for VSAWC conference. Walk far too many block to actual conference, then skytrain to Scott's place. Exhaustion sets in.

The weekend was busy but fun. Friday I slept in a bit before heading to the conference, which was overall very interesting. I ran into an old friend from Kingston which was cool. The crowd was pretty quiet overall, although I'm sure it would have been different if I was older and staying at the Delta. That crowd seemed pretty social.

Saturday we had a pimp 'n ho party at Scott's place, which was a lot of fun. We played pimp 'n ho pictionary and debauchery ensued. Sunday I was brutally hungover so I slept for most of the day before we went to Will and Danuta's for an excellent spicy chicken dinner. Then we had to face the wrath of BC Ferries. They were most wrathful, as usual, and we didn't make it home until midnight. That's the island life for you.

Today I ran a whole whack of errands and had a late dinner with Mike. Tomorrow the new work schedule -- preparing for the major field (Victorian) exam -- begins.

Ugh. Just writing that made me tired.

I'm in the middle -- temporally -- of writing my first candidacy exam. Yesterday was day 1 and I got about 1/2 of the first essay written. Today I am finishing the first, which is on poetry, and hopefully the second, which is on fiction. It's like this special, new kind of hell, because I like what I'm writing about but I'm scared of the final results. It's just another hoop to jump through, and it's not a flaming hoop, but a hoop nonetheless, and I always sucked at gymnastics. I could never make it over the bar -- I always ran under it or around it. I guess doing the take-home option rather than the in-class option was a way or running under the bar, but there is no option to go around the bar now -- I'm stuck with sliding under that bar and either making it smoothly onto that big blue mat or skidding, giving my skin a nice burn and landing on a sharp rock sticking out of the mat on the other side. Please god make it a smooth landing.

I am actually feeling pretty good today. I have bit of sinus trouble but otherwise my flu and cold seem to have exited the body. I have a wicked backache, but that is primarily because I haven't been able to go to the gym. Not working out makes my back feel like hell.

In school news, I'm 3 days away from writing my first exam (finally). I've been concentrating on reading about larger ideas of modernism and modern lit that isn't modernist, and some poetry to stave off boredom. My brain is pretty much fried right now, though. That's why this entry sucks. Ha.

I'm delivering my first professional conference paper tomorrow up at Malaspina and I'm getting nervous. It isn't really in my area, and it's a paper from my MA year so it's been out of sight and mind for a while. Luckily it's a topic I'm interested in, and a prof from my dept. told me this conference is usually pretty friendly and supportive. He also warned me that if my paper is only tangientially connected to the others on the panel (which it is), I shouldn't be surprised if I don't get a lot of questions or feedback. Which is good -- it means that even if they think it's a horrible piece of trash I could walk away not knowing it and just thinking they didn't know much about it. Ignorance can be a lovely think for the academic ego sometimes.

But that's worst-case scenario. I'm sure it will be fine, it's only 20 minutes of my life, and it gives me an ever-so-important line on the CV -- which is, at the end of the day, what half of being an academic is about, if you're a cynic about these sorts of things.

1. First Name: Doctor T
2. Were you named after anyone? No, but my middle name is from my mom.
3. Do you wish on stars? Yes, but only the first one I see at night.
4. When did you last cry? I teared up a few days ago when I was really sick and feeling particularly horrible.
5. Do you like your handwriting? No, it's very messy and inconsistent.
6. What is your favourite lunch meat? I still have a fondness for beer sausage.
7. What is your birth date? July 24, 1980.
8. What is your most embarrassing CD? The Armand Van Helden single "You Don't Know Me." But I only have it because my sister left it behind when she moved. Really.
9. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you? Yes, but not close friends.
10. Are you a daredevil? Um, no. I'm way too clumsy to be a daredevil.
11. Who is your favourite cartoon character? I really don't know -- can I just say one of the Muppet Babies and leave it at that?
12. Do looks matter? Yes, of course.
13. How do you release anger? I work out at the gym -- weights, cycling, sit-ups. And I bitch to anyone who will listen or pretend to listen -- so usually Mike.
14. Where is your second home? My parent's place in Lethbridge.
15. Do you trust others easily? No, not really.
16. What was your favourite toy as a child? Barbies!
17. What class in high school do you think was totally useless? Math or Phys Ed.
18. Do you have a journal? I have a private hand-written journal and then this little blog.
19. Do you use sarcasm a lot? I use it judiciously.
20. What are your nicknames? There's not a lot you can do with my real name, actually.
21. Would you bungee jump? No, I value my spine too much.
22. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Shamefully, no.
23. Do you think that you are strong? Physically or emotionally? Physically, I'm okay in controlled environments -- like the gym -- but my lower body is useless. Emotionally, I'm definitely getting a thicker skin as I get older.
24. What is your favourite ice cream flavour? I love them all. Chocolate is all-time stand-by.
25. Shoe Size? 9 to 9 & 1/2.
26. Red or pink? Pink, I think. Magenta, really.
27. What is your least favourite thing about yourself? My stomach.
28. Who do you miss most? Right now, my friend Karen, as she's only recently moved back to Ontario.
29. What personality traits do you dislike in other people? false humility; being a drama queen; people who can't adapt to change.
30. What colour pants and shoes are you wearing? I'm wearing an army green skirt and no shoes. I'm still not too keen on pants, but I do normally wear flip-flops around the house.
31. What are you listening to right now? South Park.
32. Last thing you ate? Marble cake.
33. If you were a color what would you be? Purple?
34. What is the weather like right now? Dark and cool.
35. Last person you talked to on the phone? Mike's mom. We are both sick so neither of us sounded like the other expected.
36. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? The nose.
37. Do you like the person who sent this to you? I stole it from Jen. She's cool.
38. Favourite Drink? Water or wine.
39. Favourite Sport? I don't know -- I like watching hockey or golf. I don't play anything.
40. Hair Color? Ashy-reddy blonde.
41. Eye Color? Green.
42. Do you wear contacts? No, I have great eyes.
43. Favourite Food? Full-on turkey dinners or fettucine alfredo.
44. Last Movie You Watched? The Man on the Train. It was very good.
45. Favourite Day of the Year? Usually it's Thanksgiving, because it's the food without the rest of the holiday stresses, but this year I was sick so it sucked it.
46. Scary Movies or Happy Endings? Happy endings, I guess. What kind of choices are those anyway?
47. Summer or Winter? Summer!
48. Hugs or Kisses? Hugs.
49. What Is Your Favourite Dessert? Anything chocolate or pastry-ish.
50. Favourite Movie? Wild Strawberries.
51. What Song Was Recently In Your Head? Back in Black by AC/DC.
52. Living Arrangements? Live with Mike, the husband, and two cats in a two-bedroom suite in lower level of a house.
53. What Book Are You Reading? The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir. It's for my upcoming exam.
54. What's On Your Mouse Pad? It's Mike's computer, so his mouse pad, and there's nothing on it. It's just a round black thing.
55. What Did You Watch Last Night on TV? America's Next Top Model, My Name is Earle, The Office (American), Law & Order: SVU. It was a big TV night for us.
56. Favourite Smells? Oranges, vanilla, my little cat Tess, Vaseline Intensive Care lotion, Estee Lauder Youth Dew perfume.
57. Favourite Flower? Gerb daisies.
58. Rolling Stones or Beatles? The Stones.
59. Do you believe in Evolution or Creation? Evolution. Creationism is weird.
60. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first?A haircut and highlights.

I've changed my blog's look The template design comes from Noipo.org, but I've changed the background image to a picture of my own from our trip to Tofino last January. I think I'll regularly change the background. I like the look now. It's simpler and more me. Plus the font is purple -- very nice.

I felt much better today although I'm only functioning at about 10-20% of my normal energy level. Oddly enough, my appetite was worse today that two days ago, when my throat was incredibly sore. I think it's because when I had the sore throat I had a disgusting taste in my mouth but now my mouth is feeling a bit more normal. I've also regained functioning use of my voice, which is good news considering I have a conference paper to present. My first professional conference -- aieeeee!

Anyway, if you read this, and you like my new look, let me know. If you don't like it, then I say, in the Monty Python manner, fuck off. Ha.

Ugh. I've had this bloody flu for a week now and I'm sick of it. Today I postponed my first candidacy exam because I haven't had any time to review my reading, and there is no way I'm in any shape to write 3 critical essays on 100 years of British literature. I hate that I have to delay it as I'm utterly sick of the reading list and keen on getting my first exam over with, but my arguments would suck the casbah if I tried to write any time soon. So the big day is now Oct. 24th. Bah.

In other flu-related news, I've completely lost my senses of smell and taste. I couldn't even smell the litter box yesterday, which Mike assured me was particularly nasty. I am quite happy that I could not smell the litter box, but I am quite perturbed that I have no working taste buds. In order to get some flavour into my lunch, I put both yellow mustard and blackberry jam on my chicken sandwich. It tasted like something, although I'm not sure what.

I spent a few minutes yesterday and this morning looking at my throat with the help of a flashlight and damn it's ugly. Beyond being sick, which made one side of my throat bright red and slightly pussy, throats are just ugly. Especially the uvula. It's gross, all hanging there and stuff. Blech.

In response to Michelle's oh-so-eloquent request for more updatey, I will post about my very boring life.

Last week I lost two days of work because we were looking after Mike's nieces. They are really good kids, but you can't read T.S. Eliot while trying to entertain a 6-year-old and 3-year-old. I did my best to keep the TV off as much as possible and be an interactive auntie -- yay me -- but kids just go go go and sometimes downtime is a good thing. I did manage to read the new Avon catalogues though. They reminded me that I need bubble bath.

Mike and I had a couple good arguments last week. I think it's the second-year-of-marriage thing. We spent two late nights trying to half-assedly figure out things like kids and romance and communication and the weather was shitty the next morning as a result, I think. It seems a lot of our friends are going through the same thing right now -- thinking about careers, where to live, when to have kids, how many etc. Aaron and Emily were over for dinner last night and they are officially not trying not to have kids which reaffirmed in us the feeling that we are not ready to have kids yet but it's on the horizon. The logistics of being pregnant suck though. I really do wish a stork could deliver kids, or we could buy them at the market. Whoever invented Cabbage Patch Kids had the right idea.

We had beers with Jamie and Teresa up in Cobble Hill on Saturday night. Jamie and Mike were harassed by a drunken 45-year-old who licked their ears while hitting on Teresa and I. Those crazy country folk. We ended up crashing at Jamie's parents place instead of sobering up to drive home, which makes two Saturdays in a row where I've not bothered to come home after beer drinking. Ha. It's like I'm a Master's student again!

Now I must continue reading T.S. Eliot and drink my very English tea. Cheerio and all that.