nolechica

Saturday was busy. I had to go get my dress fitted, which turned into an adventure. My phone book failed me and the first address I had wasn't in downtown Tallahassee, but downtown Quincy. As such, I had to find a second shop on the fly, as I didn't have cab fare to spend on a second trip for this. Then, trying on the dress was an adventure, as I had to take apart the sash and put the dress on over my head. Add to this my heels and strapless and I was not amused. I hope that I don't regret having the dress measure to the floor, as walking could be tricky. Fortunately, there won't be a groomsman to drag to the ground if I fall, as we're having a way long processional. Speaking of processionals, I told Greer she's owe me, as this'll be the first time I've been in a church since May 2004. That's damn near impossible in the Deep South, which Tallahassee still is, much to my dismay. Anyway, realized I need to quit biting my nails or a manicure will be pointless. I do apparently occasionally have vain thoughts. Still debating the tanning though, might do that the old-fashioned way, unless the rain continues.

As for the never ending thesis, got some reading done, need to write next and reed more. I want to finish the intro by Friday, as I have a meeting with Gray on Monday and game weekends are shit for being productive. Plus, my sleep is more screwy than normal. After a summer as a slave to youtube and mp3 editing, my body finally said enough. I slept twelve hours Sunday and then my power was cut off today and so my sleep is even more out of whack. I might be making a pre-dawn trip to Strozier to write. We'll see if I'm still motivated after I straighten out my ipod playlist, or maybe not exactly, but organize at any rate. I need to finish the mascot section and start on the advertising historiography, without seeing red. Some of the mascot stuff is tough because I'm writing this paper, but I still know the warchant by heart, still do the chop, paint my face (need to retrieve glitter paint for Halloween game), and will always have a soft spot for Osceola and Renegade. Add to this the fact that Dr. Frank probably won't like my thesis, especially after our last chat, and I'm kinda twisted in knots.

As for a brief football update, FSU went to Provo and beat #7 BYU! First victory over a top 10 team in two years. Maybe now beating Florida isn't such a long shot, and Thomas will have to stop being such a shit. Didn't expect a 54-21 victory though, but yay for a recovering secondary, even if our kicker can't make extra points to save his life. Scoring on our first five possessions felt damn good. Add to this an injury to the USF QB and I might make it through this week with sanity in tact. Provided it doesn't rain during the White Out of course. I hate white t-shirts at games, but might get a Nike one and hope for clear skies. Bigger problems come from a noon start, which means being at the stadium at ten. Now I know why Em bitched about Auburn games. That's too damn early, even for a girl who bleeds garnet and gold.

Vanity thy name is Mom. Apparently the way to get positive comments from my mom is to get back to my weight from the beginning of freshman year. What? How did that happen? I've lost twenty pounds and I couldn't tell you how if I tried. I assume utility bill control and being distracted out of meals helps. Anyway, now I'm hearing how good I looked at the bachelorette weekend and other wedding related things. Had to go strapless bra shopping yesterday, and it was surprisingly painless. Spent more time waiting on my cab than in the fitting room. This is amazing because bra shipping has always sucked for me and I was anticipating needing the pads from middle school to even things out. Anyway, now that I have everything, I need it to not rain so I can go to the alterations place, and then apparently the tanning bed. Mom is worried about strap marks, but if she'll pay, I'll go. Times like this I hate that it's Patrick's wedding and Mom's worried about me ruining pictures. I'm already getting manicure/pedicure/hair/make-up, and my brows waxed, but that's not new. Most of my friends won't believe the pics.

On to other things, now that the tour/summer obsession is over I'm using my crazy sleep cycle and the wonderful library hours to get some work done. I miss Night Staff/all-nighters hardcore and I need to complete the historiography from Hell soon. I finally figured out a layout, mascots and advertising instead of by chapter. Meeting with Gray next week to see where we go from here. Plus, football season creates a great light at the end of each week's tunnel as motivation. Get shit done so that I can enjoy stadium time. And speaking of football, went in Garnet and Gold yesterday just looking and discovered my icon has been redesigned.
( Pictures )

What about Thomas you ask? Well, it seems once he sobered up what he wanted with me changed. So, we had Sexual Inquisition Part Two. Only this time, I wasn't on the defensive as much. Convincing him that I know what I want is tricky because of his past, but I might be willing to try things out. This discussion happened after he made me see red over college football. The shirt above exists for a reason. Gator fans are cocky as Hell, but with good reason unfortunately. Anyway, we left things at we'll see, but I know he doesn't want a girlfriend and he knows I can't be his sports buddy, so maybe something in between? He might need to see my t-shirt.

Last Tuesday was interesting both academically and personally. I went to the department hoping to get my Program of Study signed by Dr. Upchurch before he left town again. Upon checking the form, he'd signed it and I hadn't been told. This was strange and I'm not sure whose fault my not knowing was since Upchurch can be a bit clueless and I don't think Anne likes me. Anyway, after finishing in the office I went to Upchurch, as his door was open. I thanked him and mentioned that part of my Methods paper was in my thesis. He made my day by reminding me that he thought it was publishing quality. I had no idea he remembered that three years later. That was perfect timing anyway, as another member of the grad department recently had something published in the Journal of Sports History, and his major professor is that last signature I need for my Program of Study. I'm hoping to get some insight into the publishing process in addition to thesis help. I need to e-mail Dr. Frank today to set up a meeting.

Tuesday was shaping up to be a normal night when the guy I've been talking to upped the ante considerably by suggesting we meet at AJ's. Little did he know that he'd just named my favorite bar in Tallahassee. Unfortunately, it's also one not within walking distance, and Night Nole and I aren't on good terms because the stop by Potbelly's isn't clearly labeled. Anyway, I ended up getting a cab and getting there before him. It was nice to get a drink and watch some baseball on the big screen, even if the Red Sox game was over. He got there and we met up outside, talked for a while before he went back to his buddies and me to my computer, or so I thought. No sooner am I changed back into comfy clothes, out of my jeans and dress shirt that now almost don't fit courtesy of totally unplanned summer weight loss (maybe some of those Saturday Secrets have gotten to me more than I thought, who knows) than Thomas IM's me and wants me to come hang out for a while before he leaves for Boston at 6am. I went and this is where things got interesting. He'd asked me on my way out the door when my last boyfriend was, and I said I'd tell him later. Anyway, we spent the next several hours discussing why my dating history is brief and my sex life non-existant. He'd totally missed my v-card comment earlier in our discussions. Between being given the third degree on my love life and him trying to understand my sports allegiances, which nobody should ever attempt, it was 4:30 before I was ready to leave. However, this didn't happen without my first kiss, which was not romantic in the least. I think we might be at two different places in our feelings for each other, but who knows. I might need to stop being so damn analytical for once and just go with the flow.

Ok, this is about to be possibly the most random entry ever. Football season is almost here. This means I need to register for hours and figure out the new ticket system ASAP, as I can't afford the student ticket package you can now buy. As for the rest of the new system, general admission, WTF? There goes an extra two hours of game day and ever seeing skull session again. Fortunately, we have several night games early, starting with Miami, which is why the ticket urgency. I have no idea why that game is Labor Day again, way too much stress. I miss mid-October, that'd be the perfect wedding decompression, but no. Instead, I get a bachelorette party in Atlanta and game day in Tally in 48 hours, with Sara in town Sunday, genius planning I tell ya.

However, the start of football season also gives me a target for finishing my thesis, as Matt, a Miami fan from my AOL board days, asked to read it when he IM'd me last night. Holy blast from the past hadn't heard from him since February and probably not more than twice in the last year, both short e-mails. He's married now and a dad, the latter of which is so surreal I don't even know where to start. Was just thinking the other day how much I miss him. I need some balance in my football discussions as Tyler has worse garnet and gold goggles than I do.

I may have just found that balance though, in the form of an interested admirer from an online dating site. We first messaged and talked about two months ago, as his profile picture was him sitting in The Swamp, but he lives in Tally and is not an FSU student. Turns out, he's a Gator fan, but dating the enemy could be intriguing, especially since he wants to go to an FSU game with me. He'll see another side to me, that only a handful of friends know exists. I told him we must me up before then though. And if I'm not in Gainesville for the Gator game, I will be watching it with him, whether he likes it or not. He told me he likes watching Gator games alone because he has a temper. He shouldn't have done that...

( potential controversial NFL discussion ahead (sensitive topics) )

Productivitivy, out the window… I was going to go to the library and start writing my introduction, for real this time. Unfortunately, my power went out after I showered and dressed. I knew my bill was overdue, but they don’t usually cut off the power for non-payment at 3:15pm. It’s normally in the morning. However, I couldn’t get an actual human on the line to determine the cause of the outage. It took forever, but I paid the bill and then when I gave them the confirmation number they told me that there was an outage, not a disconnection. So, my power’s now sort of on almost two hours later. My alarm clock’s radio has been randomly cutting on, not in the mood for Seacrest’s voice right now. My lights and fans are at partial power, I have no internet or enough power to restart my desktop.

And I’m currently listening to old music, need to raid mp3_share later. I just recently got enough power for the external hard drive that may result in analysis of my endless copies of Slow Ride. It’s the last track in checking my AI tour mp3s for quality. Found some surprises in doing that, such as the Little Rock Starlight being the best quality, the crowd least likely to really appreciate it. And the Vancouver Bowie Medley (naughty versions not included those are worth it regardless), as most of the other Vancouver mp3s sucked. Or maybe not…my power’s back on!

( long ass weekend )

As for school, not much progress on the paper, but I did get my committee in place. I hadn't had anyone except my major professor sign my program of study, oops. This led to delaying graduation until Fall, as Dr. Upchurch isn't available now. However, he and Dr. Frank agreed to sit on my committee, which is better than the committee I thought I had. Especially since my thesis began with the Methods paper I wrote for Upchurch, five pages of which is in my thesis. I've started writing the intro, but didn't get good advice on my intro until I talked to Dr. Frank. Talking to Dr. Gray was useless, even with direct questions. Hoping I get the introduction finished soon.

I think I jinxed myself with my happy thesis update. Friday the shit hit the fan, to put it mildly. I am now not graduating until Fall. I thought I had a committee in place, but I learned I didn't after I did as Dr. Gray suggested and sent my chapters to the committee members I thought I had. Turns out only Dr. Gray had signed my Program of Study. McMahon returned it unsigned after we exchanged e-mails and the advisers never talked to Creswell. Fortunately, Creswell was understanding when we met today. I told him that Gray never explained committee procedure to me that I'd relied on Anne and Chris for that. He explained procedure and I set in motion the graduating in Fall e-mails, such as canceling Summer graduation. Now I need to find a lease for Fall. On the upside, I know where I'll be for wedding event commutes and football season.

Also involved were two conversations with Daddy, which I felt bad about right before Father's Day. Friday, I called him crying because my thesis defense had fallen apart and I'd gotten a rejection e-mail for a job I really wanted. He didn't understand the pressure I've been feeling since being jobless since January. Especially since my power, phone, and internet have been cut off at different times and I feel guilty about not being able to pay for any of that. He told me I'd have to commute from Mobile for my defense, which made things worse. Saturday, he called me and apologized, saying that Emily had been given a grace period to find a job, and I would to, so I'm here until December with his blessing. He does want me to finish my thesis this summer though, so I can job search in the Fall, which I can do.

So, the thesis chapter from Hell is done and now I have to write an introduction, conclusion, abstract and acknowledgements. Of course, when I ask Dr. Gray for advice, he tells me to read other theses instead of saying these are the parts and here is the length. This led to searching through recent History department theses looking for classmates whom I didn't think would mind if I contacted them with questions. I found two completely opposite ones without trying. One was way long and had a chapter outline to die for while the other was very brief with a good historiography section. This gives me an idea of what I'm supposed to do. However, there was one catch. The library computers have MS Word 2007, on which I cannot figure out how to create an outline. That's tonight's plan, as I'll need something to focus on before I write this time.

My thesis is becoming a pain in the ass. I finally figured out a way to write my final section of the body of my chapter. I found four Sioux/Sue Bee Honey ads plus an article. However, only two of those ads are available in Tallahassee. Two of them I'll have to write the dissertation author and ask her if she can tell me where she got them, or if she can send me scans. Add to this the fact that the library actually closed for a holiday (they are open on my birthday and MLK), and I've gotten nothing done in a while. I did get the subbasement holdings I need and information that one of the requests is in the stacks. *headdesk* Anyway, at this point, I'm just ready to be done with this chapter. However, my need to rejoin Friends of the Library to avoid more fines and regain database access is also a snag. As is the fact that motivation is seriously lacking.

As for my being a horrid sports blogger of late, it's not June 1st, so baseball doesn't matter yet (the season's too damn long). And the Lakers are trying their damnedest to not get to the Finals. They beat the Jazz in five, but then went the full seven with the Rockets. They are now up 2-1 on the Nuggets, but all three games were anyone's to win, and while I know that's how most of the world enjoys basketball, there is a reason I enjoy blowouts. However, I've gotten a little solace from the fact that the Cavaliers who ripped through the first two rounds without a loss are now down 2-1 and were it not for a damn good shot by LeBron, they'd be facing elimination tomorrow. He hit a three at the buzzer to win Game 2 after I'd called Daddy to tell him that the Cavaliers had essentially lost. So, anyway, Lakers Game 4 tonight, here's hoping for smoother sailing.

As for American Idol, well let's just say that I'm not quite ready for a full post-mortem yet. However, hearing Adam Lambert's version of the winner's single on the radio this morning helped immensely.

I still have three section of my last thesis chapter to finish, but I can't summon the energy to write. Not to mention that I'm a little nervous about taking my laptop across campus again after my fall. However, I can't focus here. It's too hot and anything that's not Native American advertising is more compelling. Add to this my lack of a deadline or enough source material to not have to stretch it an impossible amount and I'm not sure how I'll finish by tomorrow, my self-imposed deadline. I need to reread articles and scrounge together at least two and a half pages on why Native Americans are overlooked in advertising. Argh.

Also, I thought going to Mobile and New Orleans this past weekend would help, but being around my parents only made things worse. They don't understand my difficulties with this chapter. And not having any gift ideas for Mom's birthday/Mother's Day made things worse. She ended up just getting a birthday cake, a rum cake made from scratch. And I got Daddy to make pina colodas, so we all won. Her birthday dinner was homemade barbecue, which was fabulous. As for why New Orleans in such a short trip? That's because Katherine and Patrick were in town and Patrick had a meeting at the University of New Orleans, where he's been accepted into grad school. He wanted to talk to the professors, figure out some logistics before deciding whether to go. He seemed thrilled, but whether Greer will agree is anyone's guess. Anyway, this meant window shopping in the French Quarter and lunch in the Garden District at a "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" spot with fabulous roast beef po'boys. Later we got ice cream at another place from the show, which was equally yummy (lavender honey was fab). Then we drove Patrick to the airport before heading back to Mobile. And I decided that night that spending eight hours on a bus on Tuesday was worth it to get to watch Idol in peace. More on that to follow.