Fall 2009

In general, I spent this fall preparing my applications to graduate school. I decided over the summer that social psychology is where I want to focus my training in the near future, and particularly in the area of intergroup relations and conflict. I reseached programs and read literature, took the TOEFL and GRE, wrote my essays, managed to improve my resume a bit by publishing an article, and presenting research at an international conference. I had no idea it would take so much time, so much work, and so much money. It is an inherently unfair system to the underprivileged. Thankfully, I made it through. A bit more about that later.

Let's start where I left off in my last entry; September, after a fantastic labor day weekend. It was a strange arrangement at Clark that semester. I had only one class a week, no homework, no readings... I was supposed to be in lab all the time. Instead, I was there only occasionally. I took part in some discussions/seminars in peace psychology and other things, keeping in touch with the field, making sure I knew the field enough and was up to applying to grad school. In hindsight, I still can't think how I could have done otherwise, though I paid for it dearly in the spring and summer that were to come, making up the Master's work.. But I'm getting ahead of myself again.

On September 19th, I went to Boston (the Panera near the Red Sox stadium) to a brunch that the Phi Beta Kappa people threw for award winners there. It was just a couple hundred that helped me get through the summer, but getting to know those people was even better. We talked, ate, and then some of them offered to give me a short tour of their favorite places in Boston. We went to the Boston Athenaeum, a really, really old private library near the Commons, as well as the Christian Science Center's maparium, which I recommend to everyone, if you would like to be sitting in the core of the globe, and see how much the map of the world has changed since the early 20th century. And if you like acoustic tricks.

After mid-September, I began taking lessons in Spanish, Hebrew, and Icelandic, from some great friends. Why? I like languages. I just wish I had time to keep it going long enough to master them. But it was fun while it lasted, and now I know I want to and I will learn at least the first two before too long. As September was drawing to a close, my laptop gave up the ghost, a mere 3 days after the warranty expired. I think that was the most difficult thing to deal with this whole year, in some ways. Thanks to the generosity and support of Casey and Cali, a gloomy acceptance of misfortune and the way it seems to find me, and enormous stubbornness about completing the things I set out to do, I was able to make it work.

Before I go on, is it a common experience in life that one perceives the misfortunes that happen upon them as being suspiciously timed and orchestrated in nature? Am I crazy for thinking that my misfortunes always happen after periods of happiness and contentment, and that they end up being things that are just bad enough to destroy my well-being, but not bad enough to stop me from going on, just making things as hard as they could possibly be? Anyway.

On the 1st of October, I continued my now 5-year tradition of seeing a Shakespeare play in the fall. It was Aquila Theatre performing As You Like It. It was an excellent evening. It was also October when I most got to see my friends Steph, Ryan, and Kyo, with Becky, who in her great spirit brings such valuable and unlikely friends together. My first paper was published October 23rd.
On Thanksgiving Day, I finished applying to graduate schools. I applied to 9 programs;

University of Notre Dame (Joint PhD in Psychology & Peace Studies)
University of Michigan (PhD in Psychology of Personality and Social Processes)
University of Chicago (PhD in Social Psychology)
University of Massachusetts Amherst (PhD in Psychology of Peace and Violence)
University of Virginia (PhD in Social Psychology)
University of Connecticut (PhD in Social Psychology)
State University of New York Stony Brook (PhD in Political Psychology)
Princeton University (PhD in Social Psychology)
Georgetown University (PhD in Social Psychology)

So, November finally ended, after seeming to take eons and draining me of every ounce of energy and motivation I had. I got the first week of December to take a bit of a breath, capped nicely by seeing my first official Great Whiskey Rebellion show on the 4th, at Beatnik's. Amy, Geo, Nick & Emma were as brilliant musicians as always, but this was the first time I heard them play their own songs, with a full set, and instilling their distinctive atmosphere in public venue.

Then came finals week, though that week had very little to do with exams for me, it was still a pivotal time for me. I started seriously working on my Master's research, hung out for the first time for a decent time with my roommates, Alec and Stamos, and on the 16th, had coffee at the Bean Counter for the first time. That cup of coffee would end up giving me the only thing that I would really treasure, and truly regret, out of the whole year. Wouldn't you like to know what that was?

Winter break passed in a blur of labwork. The highlights included beginning my friendship with Father Si, a good and genuine man, whose experience of the world, compassion, and commitment to all the good things that come from a true faith, inspired me and gave me a real adult companionship I'd been lacking at college. And Jesse and Peter came to visit for a week, we went and saw movies, made crepes, and had the old gang (dave, val, etc.) over for some interesting games (the hat game, interrogation oh hell..). I also had to say goodbye to Steph, though I hope it will not be our last meeting. Nagraj also came to visit, after a long absence. New Year's Eve and Day were quiet and solitary, though Ali and John dropped by to say hello.

Here, I would just like to reiterate that though this is a public forum, I do write here mostly to remind myself of my days past. And of friendship and companionship I do not wish to lose in memory and change. So for my followers, I apologize for some of the more mundane details, but you have been warned.