The Decision Process

I know the whole BU vs. Ohio State thing was supposedly the "easiest" decision of my life, but it didn't seem easy for me at times.  While my heart was screaming, "move back to Boston!" the rational side of me wanted to make sure I was making a good, objective decision.  So I made charts.

The Pro/Con list for BU.  Note the overwhelming advantage of the Pros.
And  despite Boston's many good qualities, it's true that Boston winters are f---ing horrible.

The Pro/Con list for Ohio State.  Don't worry, the fact that I would have had to find a new bank was not the major deciding factor.  I was just being thorough.

A side-by-side comparison of qualitative and quantitative factors of each place.
And yes, that is the phrase "for when I'm inevitably 31 and still single."

I believe the data speaks for itself, and thankfully, the data and my heart are in perfect agreement this time.

The "Big Reveal"

Okay, you've waited long enough.  Ladies and Gentlemen, I have picked a grad school.

Here's a hint:

If that's not enough of a hint for you to get it, please see me for Pop Culture Remediation 101.  But here it is: I will be spending the next five years of my life at:

...

...

...

Yep!  I'm going to BU for the PhD in Anatomy and Neurobiology (Anatomy Track).  I know what you're thinking:  didn't I know that already?  Yes, you did know that.  Everybody knew that except for me, and really, I probably knew it way down deep.  Boston is where my heart belongs, and BU is where my brain will be getting smarter.  Also, the funding is really good.  It's official:  I've sent in my acceptance forms and I've told all the other schools I got into that I wouldn't be going there.  The best part was that after I hit "send" on the acceptance form, I had a really good feeling, which is good, because sending another email with a "just kidding" on it probably would have been awkward.

So I'm moving back to Boston, everyone!  I'm very, very excited.

What I'm Doing This Weekend

  vs. 

I am making giant Pro/Con lists, as the decision for where I'll be spending the next five years of my life just so I can get that blessed little "PhD" after my name is much harder than I had expected it to be.

Grumpy Cake

My former-roommate/co-worker is having a birthday tomorrow, so some of the office-mates and I are baking.  Her favorite meme is "Grumpy Cat," so I figured I'd incorporate that into the cake.  Here's what happened:

Hard to believe I've never decorated cakes before, no?

Anyway, it prompted me to create this.

The Memory in the Music

"Every song has a memory; every song has the ability to make or break your heart, shut down the heart, and open the eyes."

-Andy Warhol

There are certain songs that, much like smells, can trigger memories for me like no other.  They start playing and I'm all of a sudden transported back to the time when that song meant the most to me.  Here are just a few examples:

• "Breathe (2 AM)" (Anna Nalick); I'm a freshman at BYU sitting in the dining hall of the Cannon Center (the old one).  This song played every morning on the radio in early 2005.  For the first time in my life, I'm part of a close-knit circle of friends, and my life is blessedly complicated because of that.
• "Mariella" (Kate Nash); It's the Fall of 2009 and I'm in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  More specifically, I'm in Laura's enormous boat-car getting a ride home from church on a Sunday.  She warns me that her music isn't "Sabbath-appropriate," but I don't care because that was the day that Kate Nash became one of my favorite artists.
• "The Trapeze Swinger" (Iron and Wine); I'm in a Volkswagen Jetta somewhere in the middle of Western Massachusetts and the windows are open even though it's freezing but again, I don't care because Western Mass is beautiful and life is good.  (Alternatively, it's two months later and my life is about to turn upside down completely and oh my gosh why is this song so dang evocative and also nine minutes long and I start sobbing on my bed as the melody floats up from Lindsay's room.)

There are certainly others, some that I won't think of until I hear the song, and some that don't even need mentioning (e.g., the entire BYU Concert Choir repertoire from 2005-2008).  But this is one of those times I invite comments:  what is a time-machine song for you and where (or when) does it take you?

Why I can't talk to people on Wednesdays.

My latest favorite TV show is ABC's The Neighbors (Wednesdays, 8:30 pm EST).  I like it for two reasons:  1) It's Hilarious and ballsy (they did a musical episode in the first season! so risky!), and 2) Tim Jo.

Just look at that adorable face.

Anyway, my mom and Laura also love the show, and they have the benefit of being on the East Coast and getting to see it before me (not to mention they have TVs and I have to wait until the next day when it's on Hulu...)  So usually about 3:00 pm on a Wednesday afternoon I'll get an email from Laura (who is very spoiler-phobic) saying something like,

"OMG...THE NEIGHBORS"

And then at about 4:00 pm I'll talk to my mom on the phone and, to strike up conversation, I'll say, "I heard The Neighbors was pretty good" or something like that.

And then she gives away the huge surprise ending.  But of course, I'm still going to watch it, because [Spoiler Alert] OMG Reggie and Amber are going to kiss!

Plans C-F

Let's get one thing straight:  I am going to grad school next year.  I don't know where yet, but I am definitely going somewhere and in (hopefully) five years I will have a PhD.  But there are some days when I think, what if I just said "screw it all" and decided to do something completely different?  What would I do?

I put on my Disney Princess Daydream Face, to begin with.

You know what I would do?  For your enjoyment, I present four alternate life plans:

1. Move to Minnesota and become highly involved in the Betsy-Tacy Society.  Learn to make all of the food featured in the books and then open a cafe whose specialty will be onion sandwiches.  Laura and President Nixon can also come.
2. Move to Salem, MA, become a self-studied expert in the Witch Trials, and work in one of the museums.  Become best friends with one of the Wiccan shop owners and solve mysteries together.

   

   Just like Buffy and Willow!

3. Move to Canada; marry a hot Mountie; make out with said Mountie on top of a moving train.  Also learn French and become a forensic anthropologist who doesn't write horrid, trashy crime novels.*
4. Move to Europe and subsist solely on freshly-baked bread.  Also have an fling with a man named Raoul before settling down with a man named Rupert.'

But really, though, I'm probably just going to go to grad school.

*I'd put a link to a certain author's webpage here, but I have to see this person at national meetings occasionally, and this person has a lot of power.