So Darn Topical

Bones (the TV show) is doing an episode about a 

murdered polygamist and his wives.

Bones is joining the ranks of practically every other television show worth watching.

If I could just make Mitt Romney win the next election my thesis would be the most topical scholarly writing of the decade.

For those of who you have no idea what I am talking about... my thesis is about America's undying fascination with Mormons. As well as the  formerly church sanctioned practice of polygamy and how it is represented in popular culture. 

Someone is Really Looking Forward to her Wedding

“To love deeply in one direction makes us more loving in all others.”

― Anne-Sophie Swetchine

“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.”

― Flavia Weedn

“Love doesn't make the world go 'round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.”

― Franklin P. Jones

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”

― Thornton Wilder

“There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage.”

―Martin Luther

“He is husband, she is wife. She fears not him, they fear not life.”

―Robert Frost

“When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”

―When Harry Met Sally

“One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love.”

―Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus

Monday Musings During Ho[use] 7.0

Good evening. 

Monday is over. Isn't that nice! I had work today in the costume shop from 9:00am-12:00 noon. Then class until 2:30p. Mondays aren't that bad. There isn't an episode of Hoarders on tonight, so I instead am watching the new episode of House. There is such a formula to this show. The opening always has someone you think is going to get sick and then right as the really start to take a turn for the worse an additional character and wham! we were tricked- the second guy is the one who deserves House's attention. Then after 45 minutes of witty banter- wham! House finally has a moment and he makes that "Duhoh" face and tada! the patient gets healed. But sometime- he can't treat the patient and a sad song is played. All of that being said, I have seen every episode and am going to watch each new one. Ha.
And I really really love Cuddy's daughter, Rachel. Uber cute.

But I digress. Monday's aren't that bad. 

Prospectus is turned into committee and that makes me breathe for about two seconds and then realize oh I have to actually write the thesis now. Whoops.

Um I am getting really excited about the wedding. I ordered the dress, I have picked the invites, I think I have figured out the flowers/decor, and started getting bids from wedding bands. Trying to figure out if I want a band or a DJ. I kinda wish someone would make that decision for me. Any takers? I'm still also taking offers for cool ceremony elements that dont involve live animals, sand of any kind, handfasting,
perhaps something that is a cultural tradition... I also want to have someone play acoustic guitar and someone play flute.

I have one rant. Its just a little rant. The guest list has to be limited. And people have real lives and real commitments that they must fulfill on the day that happens to be THE MOST IMPORTANT DAY OF MY LIFE... um I mean our wedding day.  I wish I could invite everyone and pay for everyone to travel to and stay in Wilmington as well as have something fun and fabulous to wear.  Attire is important. ;) Money is crap. Wedding are so darn expensive. My parents are great but I just see money that could go to house down payments or other longer lasting material things going to flowers and candles that no one will remember it in 5 years. But then again. I am never going to get married again... but then again at the end of the day as long as I am married to Chase I have everything I want. Chase and I had a conversation about it over the break and in lieu of anything else we want to make sure everyone isn't burdened by travel expenses. Anyone have any frequent flyer miles they would like to donate to my hard working college friends?

The rest of this week should be pretty stress-less. I have to break down and do some laundry. Lame. I'm also getting a trim on Wednesday. This growing out the hair for the wedding thing is a difficult task.  Especially when it gets all static-y and flat in this weather. Sometimes I blog about really dumb and boring things. That last sentence was one of those times.

The losing weight is going pretty well... 4 pounds down. Little by little. 

Successful Saturday

Very Successful.

This morning I woke up super early around 7:00- and I actually actually actually slept really well last night. Made me so happy. I have been having crazy crazy dreams lately. Why am I repeating so much? Anyway.

So I woke up and started to clean my apartment. Which needed to happen. And as I was listening to a book on tape and Christina called and needed some help cause she and Slade were having car troubles. So I switched cars with them and came back home and [begrudgingly] kept cleaning.

My neck and arm have been really hurting since I fell the other day. Really badly. Don't want to be a drama queen but I haven't been feeling up to speed. I took a nap and some meds. After sleeping (and having Chase as my wake up call- which is always nice!) I finallllly got to work.

And I actually successfully finished pretty much the final draft of my prospectus! Woot woot. I am enjoying the writing process... in a few weeks I might change my tune.

I am also really excited about working on A Little Night Music.  I really like dramaturgy. Really like it. So much that I am considering getting an MFA in Dramaturgy. There is a pretty good program in Iowa which is convenient.  I am really just going to let the Lord tell me where to go and when to go there. It is exciting to see what the Lord is going to bring my way... especially since he's treated me so well. This time last year I had just fallen in love with Chaser and look where I am now.  God is good.

So after doing some researching about waltzing (for the show) I sent to my advisor the draft I had just finished and up and went shopping. In my practically pj's. I went, of course to Target, TJ Maxx, and to get Art Supplies. I found some great great deals. Love good deals. Especially on fabulously weird clothes and bags. Love love love it.

and

....were purchased tonight! 

On SALE!

Lots of repeating. I apologize apologize apologize. I am just so relaxed and happy.  I needed today. This was a really rough week and today was the break I needed. And the Lord granted it to me! I'm glad that it was the weekend so I could really guilt-freely enjoy it.

Oh by the way. I ordered my dress and think I have picked our invites. Very very excited.
No I am not going to post a photo. Chase is not allowed to see the dress until just before the wedding- we're going to do a First Look moment. Ahh I cannot wait to marry that man.
He's my bestest friend.

(door photos are via Carli's blog--> She's doing a summer abroad in Cyprus! She's fabulous...

visit her blog...  carlishayne.tumblr.com)

Sigh

I fell flat on my tush today walking home from school. 

My stuff went everywhere, I hit my head, and landed on my left side pretty hard. 

Figure A: Ice. 

But my house was warm, Chase was able to cheer me up a bit, and I found an internet radio station that plays nothing but Chopin. 

Figure B: Chopin

And Excedrin Back and Body is very nice. 

Figure C: Excedrin Pills

Tomorrow is Friday, which means there is great TV on tonight. Big Bang Theory, Bones, Community, 30 Rock, and (sometimes) The Office are a lovely end to a cold winter day. 

Figure..umm...D: Shirley Hugs Theo on Community

I don't have it so bad after all. Minus the bruise on my tush! 

dont worry no bruise photo

Too Much School Day

I wanted to hang out with my friend Christina tonight. Instead I have too much work to do, and she's sick.

This is a day that it is not fun to be in graduate school. I'll be honest. I'm having a rough week. Just having a hard time getting back into the swing of things. And I hate- yes I choose the word hate- walking to school in this weather. And I cannot drive. I got a parking ticket last night- but I'm sorry I don't want to walk home from rehearsal in the freezing rain at 10pm. Simple as that. I'll have to figure something out before the show gets into full swing.

Okay, I am going to stop complaining now. 

um......

uh.....

I'm in a foul mood. I think its just homesickness. 

um....

I put together that new bookshelf and it is very quickly filing up with books.  That makes me happy. Books make me happy. I don't ever want to go digital. I love holding a book in my lap and flipping the pages.

I am currently working on several different projects about the Ballet Russes. I have all of these glorious picture books of fabulous costumes and scenery and other beautiful things and people. Thats a good thing. I like that about graduate school.

See? Pretty fabulous. 

I also like my professors and the projects they assign. Not kissing up or anything- doubt any of them read this anyway- but I just like the faculty.

Okay. I feel a little better. And I have theatre history today. I love theatre history. But you already knew that.

Hehe. Caity is wearing her "I heart Mormon Boys" shirt.

That shirt makes me happy. 

(If this doesn't make sense to you- Don't Judge. Its our thing and its funny to us.)

I'm thankful for my brilliant and beautiful friends, my wise and loving future husband, and my fabulously delightful parents.

Thats what is important.




Aw crap. Now I have to walk to school. 

No School Day

Since today is one of those days that makes is wonderful to be in Graduate school...
 
Thought I'd provide y'all with a little bit of a Graduate School Reality Check.

Rated PG!

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

and of course those well respected scholars... The Simpsons



Those of you who have been at this a lot longer than I have- I respect and admire you.
And I actually think we made a good decision!

Weekend Update

- sorry this isn't the Tina Fey Version-
- this is - ( a clip of Tina)

  Best Of Tina Fey - Saturday Night Live.

Anyway.

For those of you who read yesterday's post I thought I would give you a little update of my CRAZY productive day!

I worked from 9am till 1pm. I wrote 7 pages! 7 whole pages! I was ridiculously happy and relatively confident in what I wrote. Which - let me tell you- that is a really great feeling. Really great.

I went to the library on campus and picked up the 21 books I had requested to be put on hold. I love that about the BGSU library. I can go through the the card catalogue and request the books that I would like to checkout and then a day or two later the librarians have pulled them from the shelves for you and you just go pick them up from the circulation desk. Very very awesome. Currently I have at least 75 books checked out. Pretty ridiculous. I actually use them, they aren't just sitting there as decoration!

Then - one of my favorite things in the world - I went grocery shopping. I was smart and didn't buy lots of junk. I just like to grocery shop. Now to be honest I only like it once I get there. But once I am there, even if it is Wal-Mart, I like to grocery shopping. Wait, let me fix that. Wal-Mart has terrrrrible produce. It rots by the time you get home. Ahh super-stores. What was I expecting?

Anyway. Came home and took a nap. Glorious nap.

Oh! Let me make a recipe recommendation. I baked some salmon with just lime juice on it. While it cooked (12 minutes at 375-turn once) I made a salad of the weedy type of lettuce (yes I know it has a proper name but I like calling it weedy) with kalamata olives,  marinated artichoke hearts, and sun-dried tomatoes. Once the salmon was done I let it cool for a minute, cut it up in little little pieces added it to the salad and squeezed more lime juice on top of it all. Amamamamzing.

Then back to work. I got to page 16 and was 3 pages of text and a bibliography ahead of my goal for the day. Heck yes.

So today is church and work day. Going to start with a cup of coffee and some oatmeal. And then.. dun dun dun back to work until church time.

Today's goal is to finish writing my prospectus. Edit it tomorrow morning and send it to my advisor by 9am. A very obtainable goal-- Lord willing.
Again, I'll be busy until 1:00p and breaking until 3:00p. If you want to chat contact me then!

To end this post- I found this amazing photograph of the world's most perfect reading nook. Don't know when I'll have one like it- but I feel that is a pretty great goal.

Before it all Begins...

Hello Loyal (and new) blog readers:    

This weekend my life is consumed by...

• Drinking Coffee
• Drinking Sparkling Water
• Eating Hummus
• Wearing leggings and a turtleneck
  (very comfortable)
• Vacuuming my house
• Grocery Shopping

  and...
LOTS OF PAPER WRITING.

Yes, this weekend I have about 20 pages worth of paper to write. I am writing my prospectus for my thesis, which basically says,

"Why Yes dearest Thesis Committee- I have been researching this topic for a very long time. I would like to think I have read about 80% of all of the scholarship out there already... therefore you should let me write some new scholarship. And if that isn't good enough, have I reminded you that your work is some of the most profound contributions to the discipline of theatre since the time of Aristotle's Poetics? And on top of that you dress very well." 

So yes. Thats what the plan is. From now until Sunday night. It is due to my advisor by Monday night. I want to have it to him Sunday night. Gives us both more time edit what I have written and breathe a little tiny tiny bit.

On a happier note... I had such a wonderful week with my Chaser (he left yesterday) and my first week of classes was pretty good too. The two of us watched Boardwalk Empire (the HBO series) and it is simply amazing. Crazy amazing. Gets an amazingly passionate recommendations.

I am going to have a not too intense semester - classwise- not too many papers (one), a take home midterm, an annotated bibliography for feminist theory, and some really fun costume design projects. I am thinking of creating a (Boardwalk Empire inspired) 1920's Cirque du Soleil show- well just the costumes anyway. I love costume design. It is down and out therapeutic.

My largest stress provider will be my thesis... duh.

I am proud to say I bought and put together a new (cheap-o Big Lots) bookshelf. It allows me to keep the over 100 library books I have checked out organized. Yes. No exaggeration. But in the process I dropped one of the shelves on my left foot, I thought I had chopped my toes off - okay maybe that is an exaggeration- work with me here... My big toe is turning purple. Nice ;)




Need to order my wedding dress this week- Christina is going to help me take my measurements and we'll order it. Wonderful. Keep your fingers crossed that when it gets here it looks great and is exactly what I want.

EXACTLY WHAT I WANT!  

[whew- sorry- bridezilla came out]. 

Some things I would like to do differently this semester in order to increase my quality of life:

• Read things that aren't related to Theatre or Mormons or Feminist Theory or school related. I am in the middle of Edna St. Vincent Millay's biography right now (Savage Beauty). It is simply amazing. This time period is super awesome. 
• Exercise More. I need to just get the stress out of my body. I actually really enjoy my Wii Fit and am going to start with 15 minutes a day and gradually increase the length of time. 
• No emotional Eating. Simple as that. Food is not a good reward, neither is it a source of comfort. Face it. 
• Try to not buy food at BGSU. It is so darn expensive and I have food at home. 
• Talk to Emily on the phone more. She makes me feel happy and good and talking to her is good for both of us.  Great girl time- a great therapy.
• Break down and spend money on a good pedicure once a month.
  

 I am starting to get really excited about decorating our new Des Moines' apartment. I am on the hunt for funky signage in the numbers 1-12 to make a clock. Chase loves big clocks and we have the perfect place for one.

Color combinations are also swirling through my mind. 

I want one color family for the living room, dining room, hall way, and kitchen.

Then a different set for my office. 

And yet another for the bathrooms and bedroom. 

Suggestions are welcome. Does any one have any good indie blogs about decorating? Especially Cheap?

Oh and those of you that read this... A GREAT wedding present for us would be money for cans of paint. We might not have great furniture but we'll have a happy colored apartment!

Blah. I should really start my homework. 9am is my start time and its 8:57 right now. I need  pour another cup of coffee and make my bed. I don't know about you- I have have have have have to have a clean house in order to be productive.

I appreciate your prayers and happy vibes.

I am trying to put in a 10 hour workday. 9am-1pm and then 3pm-9pm.
 

So don't call me or text me or instant message me or
 smoke signal me or anything.
(Unless it is 1:00-3:00p)

I'M WRITING! I'M PRETENDING TO BE FOCUSED!

So, Moms on Facebook: every time you post any exciting news about your kid — it’s his first birthday, or she just took her first steps — why is it that every other mom on Facebook feels compelled to comment on your post with something about their own blessed spawn? Like, “Oh, I remember when Jordan said his first word, except 400 times more awesome because the word was ‘pulchritudinous.’ Aren’t children GREAT? This time is exciting for you I’m sure, but just wait until they graduate from Harvard Law School and complete their first triathalon!” The worst. And birth: “You were in labor for 22 hours? Lucky! I had to have an emergency C-section in the middle of a hurricane. Enjoy this time. Eventually they’ll grow up to hate you and you’ll be 50 pounds overweight.” There’s reaching out and relating to a friend — and then there’s stomping out someone’s fire by implying that the most extraordinary experiences of her life are totally ordinary moments. You stop it right this instant, Moms. You are terrible for reals.

---via JennaBee

Laundry Day

Hello lovely people. I am here in Des Moines enjoying our last few days here in town. This morning we are going to a lunch meeting with Chase's grandfather at Ryan's Steakhouse, which Grandpa Stover fondly calls "Puke and Guts." Yeah. Exciting :)

Then later I am going to have a Trader Joe's date with Chase's sister Amber. I must stock up and prepare for the spring semester. Need lots of curry. I have officially decided to start the "get ready for wearing a white dress in front of a lot of people" health plan. I won't be one of those women who bores you with the details. Sometimes I feel -please don't be offended- some people over share on their blogs. There are personal details that certainly should not be spread out over the interwebs. So y'all. Just expect some updates. Like this summer... the good moments and some of the icky but no gory details. Promise.

I have so much laundry to do today. I am going to love going home with a whole suitcase of clean laundry that didn't cost me 30 bucks. ThankyouMcCoolfamilywasheranddryer. It is a Christmas miracle. Just two weeks late.

I am starting to get excited to go back to classes, not to do work per se, but to start learning and researching stuff again. I also am excited to hunker down and get to work writing my thesis. Very excited. I submitted a paper to an ATHE  Emerging Scholars Debut Panel. We'll see. Not expecting much. There are so many great scholars out there- but some body has to win right? It  could be me?! :)

Last night Chase and I went on a date to a restaurant called Splash! The decor was... strange... but the food was great. We had fresh flown in sea food and whew it was great. I really like dating Chase. I think I'll marry him.

Oh and I need to buy a humidifier filter. Please pray that they still make them for the one I own.. that would be cheaper then trying to buy a new one... blech.

Okay thats all for now.

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2011!

This year holds a thesis, a master's degree, a wedding, and two out of state moves!

On New Years eve we found a great apartment to live in here in DSM.  It has a fireplace, a great little dining area, two bedrooms, and a jack-and-jill bathroom. It is super great and doesn't make me feel like I am in a dormitory.  I am really looking forward nesting and finding fun vintage things from some of the great stores here in the Moines.  I want lots of color and unique pieces!

Here is a floor plan of our apartment-to-be:

And here are some ideas I have for decorating!

I think our decor is going to be a mix of Ikea modern and shabby chic eclectic. Very excited.

Love the orange couch.

and I'd love to reinterpret this idea for our mantle

I am very excited to move to Des Moines. I am seeing lots of possibilities and potential in all of the things this new town has to offer.

I have been very bad and haven't worked on my thesis prospectus enough. I am working on lots of theory books and Mormon history books. Today I read 5 that I thought had a lot of potential. And NOPE -- nothing noteworthy. The most interesting thing that I found in any of the books was the hilarious notations the previous scholar (I use the term lightly) ((wow that makes me sound pretentious)) had made all over the text. They underlined an entire paragraph and then after drawing an hard to erase arrow wrote "Not Useful!" Another part was underlined and surrounded by stars and the word "cool."

I will be very busy this week reading and writing. 

Yikers.

Tomorrow is my last week of Winter break. Chase and I have some errands to run and last minute DSM specific things to do. (I want to go to Raygun and buy a "D+ Student" shirt. Gotta love Drake U.)  We'll head to BG on Thursday. Bright and early. I am ready to get back to classes- not to work- but to classes. I like being in class. Simple as that!

I hope you are having a wonderful new year. I am blessed and very happy. Best to you and yours!

Please visit our wedding website! (its still in progress!)
http://www.mywedding.com/mccool2011/