Sad

Today is like a rollercoaster - I just got sad news from good old Oak View. Cicero the goat has died. He was so sweet and fat, and he always loved visiting with all of the kids. I'll try to get a picture up on the blog at some point so that everyone can see my favorite goats. His brother Napoleon is being kept company by 2 pygmy goats. This is the first time they've been apart since they were born. :(

Yay!!!

3 posts in one day - this is crazy
but I'm soooooo excited!!! I have an advisor for my master's essay! I didn't expect such a quick response. Now I've just got to do the paperwork. What a great day! (With the exception of the saw, of course!)

Side note

They took out our cement walkway and are putting in stone pavers. I know this will look very nice in the end, but I'm tired of the beeping trucks and the loud stone cutting saw. It's really hard to concentrate when they start it up - not only does it make the traditional saw sound, but it also sounds like a doorbell. I wish this was a joke, but it sounds like those bells that stores use to let the salespeople know that someone has come inside. The high pitched "bing bong" is really obnoxious. Why would a saw make that kind of noise?!

Streets

So I have a paper due on Monday and a presentation about the streetscape of a Chicago street near campus. Streetscape is like landscape except that you look at buildings, streets, signs, etc. and not plants. It's pretty interesting, but it's really hard. What do I know about graystones, row houses and 3-flats? Give me a ranch house and I'll talk about it, but this era is not my specialty. I'm hoping to wow the audience and my professor with a spectacular powerpoint presentation and my amazing map drawing abilities. I didn't work for a surveyor for nothing.

I tell you, that job has provided me with so many life skills. I can read a map like nobody's business. We have had a number of map exercises in class to remind us that maps are documentary sources just like diaries and letters and whatever else we historians use. Anyway, while the rest of the class struggled to figure out what direction was north, I was leaps and bounds ahead. If only we were graded on map reading instead of our analysis of buildings.

On a happy note, next semester is going to be a lot nicer. I will have one Tuesday night class, and then I'll be writing my master's essay. Hopefully I'll have an advisor for my essay by next Wednesday. I've really only got 1 option, so I'm hoping he says yes. According to the program director, these essays can take "up to a year" - that better not happen to me. I want this thing done in one semester, and I don't want it hanging over me with an incomplete. I'll write the best darn dining room paper they've ever seen! Yeah, it's dining rooms again. One of these days I'm going to write a version that satisfies me. If not, this is my last try - I'll just suck it up and see if anyone wants to publish it. This one's going to be early 20th century, so if you've got your grandma's recipe book (or your great grandma's for that matter), or some photos of her dining room, let me know!

Pizza

People talk about Chicago style pizza. Frankly, it's not that good. Give me Teddy's New Yorker pizza in the shopping Plaza by Jones Franklin and Western (in Raleigh) any day. Let me explain. First, Chicago style pizza puts the toppings UNDER the cheese. Instead of crunchy happy pepperoni, it's all mushy. Also, there's just too much sauce. I don't particularly enjoy sauce. Finally, the crust is usually on the dry side, and has what I can only describe as a corn meal flavor. Not overtly corn meal, but a hint of corn meal in the dough. Either way, it's just not good. I was reminded of the yummyness of real pizza when we went to the grocery store today. They have 4.99 pizza Fridays. We questioned whether the pizza would taste good, but for $4.99 we were willing to risk it. It was worth $4.99 and then some! Crispy pepperoni, moist (non corn meal) crust, and just the right amount of sauce. It made my day. Granted, I think there are a few Papa John's and Pizza Huts around here, but not many. I'd rather go to a local place anyway. Unfortunately, we've yet to discover a local place with normal pizza besides the grocery store. If anyone hears of anything, let me know, because I refuse to eat another pizza with pepperoni on the inside.

Update

By the way, the girl still hasn't gotten the shampooing job. She called them, and they were supposed to call her yesterday. I'll see her again on Thursday, and I'll try to remember to ask. I know you're all on the edge of your seat.