weekend post-trauma extravaganza

now that i'm done with my candidacy and am an official PhD candidate (that's really all that passing entails, you don't get kicked out NOW), i of course felt the need to compensate for the weeks of misery i underwent for this thing. paul was a sweetie and started it of by giving me flowers=) but that was not enough for me apparently, so this past weekend i went a little crazy and celebrated as only a soon-to-be-wed grad student can. . .

1) dress shopping: got THE DRESS already. and it was half-off! and 2 sizes smaller than the usual. and it still fits! it's like some sort of post-candidacy miracle! of course wearing it involves the use of a bed post and 2 maids pulling at cords at my back and me yelling tighter! tighter! in my best southern belle voice. but it eeeesssss verrrrrry purrrrrdy. . . with sparkly things and all. you all just have to wait to see it though, unless of course you're not one of the two dozen or so people i've sent pics to because i thought they'd be half interested in seeing it. . .in which case just comment and i'll get those to you. . . unless of course you happen to be paul. . .

2) molly woo's: good, kind of pricey asian bistro in columbus. eggplant dish that is not torta but is still to die for. also firecracker shrimp. best of all it was still a free dinner since we had some cash left on a gift card from christmas. another post-candidacy miracle i guess. to add to this too, resto was in a mall and there are stores in the mall and there is plastic in my wallet and now there are two blouses in my closet. and weekend day one is done.

3) memorial tournament a.k.a catch that tiger: was up bright and early to watch people golf. now as most of you probably know, i don't golf. nor have i ever watched golf. i'm like "that's called a birdie? . . . where i come from. . . ok let's not go there". but anyway, again with the free stuff, this time tickets, and a chance to see the highest paid athlete in the world play i'm like, well, might as well. game was delayed for an hour because people don't want to walk on wide open spaces holding metal clubs in a thunderstorm. did get to see tiger play though, and he wasn't doing very well from what i gathered. not enough birdies and eagles or whatever. what there was a lot of though were drunk, rich, old men at 10am. which made it rather entertaining. also makes you wonder what type of crazy person decides which type of grass goes where and how short they should be cut on a golf course. . . i may be hanging out with a lawncare company market research analyst dude for far too long. . .

4) cirque du soleil: theme for the weekend-- "if you can't get it for free, at least get it for half-off". got tickets for cirque at half price too. was worth more than that though. it was just jaw-droppingly amazing. if any of you have a chance to see it, do. people do crazy things with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. also popcorn is not cheap but that is besides the point. there are all the stuff you'd expect from a circus like clowns! and jugglers! and tight-rope walker! but all in a rather stylized, let's-somehow-connect-it-to-a-french-funeral way. as for the flying trapeze, cirque says "those are for sissies, all we need are big, burly men with ginormous arms to swing and toss little ladies back and forth". exciting stuff i tell you. what also made it more exciting is the friendly usher who told us of horrible injuries incurred by the acrobats. that put me at the edge of my seat. that and the feats of engineering required to run that thing. . . but then that just reveals how big of a geek i am so i shall not elaborate on that.

so there. that's how i roll. i never go anywhere or do anything if i have to pay full price. and those blouses i bought? also discounted PLUS additional student discounts. there is just no end to this is there? unlike this entry that ends. . .

I'm now EBD. . .

in grad schoole-ese, translation is "everything but the dissertation (to graduate)". . . I think need to add another D to that acronym though for data. . .

if i've lost you by now, all i meant to say was i passed my candidacy exam! Thank God! Because this is one of those times when I really can't take any credit for any of it. the night before I got all of 2 hours of sleep due to a really bad case of nerves. but I did spend 5 hours praying.

anyway, thanks to all of you who encouraged me and prayed for me. I really, really appreciate it!