One-Legged Butt-Kicking

I am busier than a one-legged man in a butt kicking contest today. In addition to Andrew's having me play secretary (not in that way, you dirty minded naughties) on our tenant problems of our house in Bryan/College Station, I have been trying to find the chapter of work I did for the conference back in April to add to current dissertation drafting. This means pulling out the old laptop. Cruising around files looking for the one I want. NOT finding it. Then after despairing of ever finding it, finding it in the computer I hadn't looked at. In a folder I now distinctly remember creating for ease of future finding. Named "PCA conference." DER!!

Then I got a call from my advisor. The call that I had been waiting for. I wanted to play it cool:

"Hi Kim, How are you?" (my tone: unconcerned. She's telling me the temperature, not something important).
"Fine, you?" (casual)
"Well, I'm good." Pause. Throat clearing. "Um, well, I wanted to inform you of the committee's decision on the department's nomination for the Fellowship."
pause.

(What the hell? has she been watching Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Pauses suck!! I'm waiting to hear the bad news. Trying to steel my stomach to not clench when she says I am not it.)

Me: "Yes?"
Her: "Well, you are the department's nominee"

Joy Joy Elation Happy Yay!
More discussion follows: yadda yadda. etc. etc. details. Things to think about for possible future interviews/etc.

Whatever. The thing is, this is cool. I have never really won any kind of award. I've been a "nominee" for something before, and not gotten it. Also-ran, always the bridesmaid never the laughing on the way to the bank person. But even to get a nomination is cool and prestige-full. I can put it on my vitae. At this stage, I prepare the acceptance speech, pick out the fab dress, and prepare my "happy for them" face for when the real Oscar winner is picked and I have to sit there on camera not looking fundamentally pissed. Cause it really is an honor to be nominated. I actually will not be outrageously disappointed if I don't get this. I will be pretty happy if I do.

Anyways. In order to qualify for this, I have to admit that I may not be completely DONE with the damn thing till Spring 06. That means edited, filed, defended, etc. Well I'm willing to admit that. It's possible that it will take that long. I don't want it to, but hey. Even if J manages to finish her dissertation in Spring of 05 that is totally okay. Cause she did officially start college before me, after all, and this isn't a frickin' marathon. I'll just have to school myself for the graduation queries "so now that J's done, when are you going to be done?" and the feeling of sadness that I'm still plugging away while she's Doctor L. But what's one lousy year in the course of a lifetime? Besides. I'm still going to try to be done by then. Even with the money. I can stretch it out with job hunting and stuff.

This much cash is also a little bit of bait for people who will want to hire me someday, showing that I can show them the money. The mahonay. So. Picture me, on the phone, a la Tom Cruise shrieking as loud as possible.

Now back to the regularly scheduled one legged butt kicking.