Cat_Robutt

@Austyn that looks like it should be fine––email signatures vary by type of major, school, and department; if your lab makes up a large component of what you are doing for your degree, then it can be helpful to have that information there.

Wow, you miss a few days on this forum and it's like all the things have happened––there are so many congratulations ( @RCtheSS ) and I feel yas ( @nka93 ) to give! @CornUltimatum my pard's from Las Cruces, NM––if you would like some recommendations of things to see and do while you live there, PM me! Soon you will be immersed in the delicious green chile/red chile battle in which, really, everyone wins. It was really enlightening to read the different thoughts/experiences on advisors; I'm curious as to how you all approach your classmates as well. To me, some are colleagues and some become friends, but I initially approach my cohort as I would a group at work. What do y'all do? Also, @Neist it's good to know there are others here who have low SES backgrounds! It's weird teaching really wealthy students...I view school so differently than they do.

@ihatechoosingusernames Nice username That is great advice about not feeding them a bit beforehand––do they mind much? I don't want my cat to be additionally stressed out, so I'm wondering which is the lesser of two evils: meowing because she is hungry or meowing because she messed in her carrier! I second the buckling carrier; the one I have can also be strapped in for safety, which I love. I'll also be putting some soft padding nearby just in case. It will be a long set of drives, but hopefully we will all make it through in one piece!

Hashtag cat life, am I right? They can be such little terrors wrapped up in fluffy cuteness. At least they aren't geese. @lauracol I've never traveled long distances with a dog, but I know Sherpa makes FAA-compliant carriers, even for largish dogs. I have some of the same recommendations, such as making sure dog stays hydrated, cool, and is surrounded by some comfort objects. How has your dog handled travel in the past? That would give me a better idea of how to approach making suggestions.

I'm finishing up my final semester where I'm teaching now before starting my PhD, and it's weird how many students have dropped right before the end of the semester! I teach at 7am, and three students quit showing up last week. We have five class sessions left! And they were like "aw nah I absolutely cannot wake up for five more classes." As an undergrad, I was paying for my schooling and there was no way in hell I would have put in almost a semester's amount of worth just to throw it away and make an F in a course. I don't get it, I just don't.

@yayspace I second the temporary cushion ideal- if only! My cat has the really bad habit of pooping when she's upset, so I'm just hoping that WILL NOT HAPPEN on the drive! Cats are certainly unusual creatures, that's for sure. Or fur sure, because that's also a definite. And @Citizen of Night Vale just make sure your cats don't invade any local community radio stations! Who knows what hijinks could occur then. Hopefully they will manage the trip without too much stress.

Also, to assist in our gardening adventures––you can create your own compost mix with food and paper scraps. There are small under-sink composters that don't take up too much space, and if you have a bit of room outside that can help if things get smelly. It will really make your plants take off with the added benefit of helping to reuse your waste!

@Neist HUH....that's....it just seems unethical to me? I was really fortunate that my school had low-income housing for students with academic merit and financial need; without that there is no way I would have been able to afford undergrad, even with the job I was working. Thankfully, I had a small stipend as a graduate teaching assistant for my M.A., but I can't imagine a school forcing me to live in a certain place––or lie about living in a certain place!

That seems super sketchy! How frustrating!

I'm driving from coast to coast with my cat, so around 55 car hours total. Here are a few things we did on our first bi-coastal move that she liked, but YMMV: Get a carrier that is comfortable; she has a soft-side carrier with lots of visibility (it's a Sherpa Delta one). Place food in it each day for a few weeks beforehand. Have favorite toys and objects in the carrier as well. Make sure cat has plenty of food and water along the drive. We have Buster's foldable silicone bowls, and at regular intervals (rest stops), I place some water in a bowl and dry food in another. Even if your kitty doesn't want water, having it readily available is key. If cat starts panting, that's a sign of nervousness, heat, and/or dehydration; stop as soon as you can and get them some water. Speak regularly with your cat during the drive. It may sound stupid, but talking to them, touching them, reassuring them can help. If you can travel with another human being who can sit with cat in the backseat and help you out, it makes the trip so much easier. I hope none of this seems obvious or stupid; I've traveled and moved several times with my 15 lbs. very VERY unstable rescue cat and we've somehow managed to figure out a way where neither of us get terribly mangled due to travel. She adjusts a little better now, and I don't have hours of wailing and scratched arms!

@SisterVigilante There are many pros/cons when it comes to Tallahassee, and @rack_attack124 as I'm sure you know, north Florida is nothing like south Florida North Floridians call the panhandle LA, or "Lower Alabama." It's considered by locals to be the "True Florida," which I know is a debatable point! This means food like grits, sweet tea, cracklins, and greens; it means lots of rural agrarian towns near Tallahassee with farmland, hiking, and nature; it also means mosquitoes, love bugs, and whackadoodle perceptions of race and gender outside the somewhat liberal Tallahassee. It IS humid, especially in the summer, and gets really hot! There are also many days where it is absolutely beautiful, sunny, and perfect for hiking, biking, etc. It does get cold in the winter, with lows around 20-30; unlike south Florida, there are pseudo-seasons. As far as crime is concerned, I posted in another forum some city data info––there is some crime, and yes, some violent crime, but that isn't all of it. It's very hard to sum up this town; there's good, bad, and weird.

WHAT. How is this even....what....I guess it's a good thing I have cropped hair. None of these were obvious! I'm just new to the game. Also, may I ask what mountain medicine is? We would make cold medicine with peppermint syrup and bourbon back home; is this similar? Thanks! I will be walking/outside often, so all of this is really helpful.... looks like I have much to think about and possibly buy (whomp whomp).

I was wondering if any of you have ever lived in a climate similar to State College? I'm from Florida originally and have never lived in a cold climate for an extended amount of time! I know about snow and layers and all-weather tires, but feel like there are a plethora of small things that are normal for people who deal with snow that I wouldn't even begin to know about.

I'm not going, but am from Tallaclassy/got M.A. from FSU––if you'd like some tips on things to do, I'd be happy to help out if I can!

Rosemary! This herb needs little water and little space. Many kinds of herbs are very hardy, like rosemary, oregano, thyme, and apple mint (for mint tea). They do well in small pots near windows and are more likely to take over the pot than to die! If you have a bit of space and sunlight, tomatoes can grow well without too much fuss. You can get "decorative peppers" (the really small ones) and grow them in a tiny pot. The resulting peppers are very small, and very, very hot; you only need a tiny amount to spice up your food, so each one goes a long way. If you buy a bag of green onions, you can take the white stalks, stick them in a clear jar full of water, and place it near a window. Change the water every few days and new green onions will grow. It's like magic. You can also do this with fennel ends.

@Neist seems like you've got some good plans for the future! Are any of you going back for your PhD after time away? I've been an adjunct for a little while now, and it seems like most of my cohort are coming straight from other programs. I'm a little worried about playing catch-up with theory and writing––is this something anyone else is experiencing? It's like being accepted is one of the best things to ever happen to me, and has also caused a thousand additional stressors I hadn't even thought about up until now. I still can't believe I'm moving in seven weeks...

I need to sit down and rethink my life. This is....wow, like, how did I not know about these?

Go @gradswag!

If you do get accepted, please let me know––that's my hometown, and I'd love to give you some recommendations on fun things to do and eat and see

@bioanth It's so cool that you like the department AND you got great funding! What a combo

And, for those of you who have a not-super-high income* but would like to buy a house, there is the State College Community Land Trust that has homes for families that fall within a certain SES. It's pretty neat!

@Kristen Ackley I'm not seeking a roommate, but some of the students in my program recommended Bellefonte as a nearby town in which to live––it's quiet, about a 10-15 minute drive, and there are other graduate students living there. You might also want to check out houses a tad bit east of Lionsgate apartments/that area of State College. It's an slightly older demographic according to the data I've seen, so finding a 2 bed/2 bath house may work there.

More shore recs! Yes! Thank you all again!

Yes! I love cooking and baking! Being from the South with Amish background, with a pard from New Mexico, and a sibling who lived in Japan, I make a lot of fusion food!

@herstory hahaha okay! I will have to go to THE grocery store And @hippyscientist I do love me some Trader Joe's, even though they don't carry certain things I would expect them to, like ramen noodles, silken tofu, and egg roll wrappers (you can tell what I made for dins yesterday).