FreakyFoucault

I'm generally a Fuck-It-We'll-Do-It-Live kind of guy, but I'm beginning to worry about the whole move thing, too, especially if I have to go somewhere expensive. Granted, I've historically had good luck with random roommates (several of whom are now close friends), but I'm worried that the karmic forces of the universe might balance out all my past good-roommate fortune with some psycho, or worse, a *hipster... Buhhh! *I kid, I kid!

@punctilious, gotcha! I wish we could read our letters as a matter of course, but I understand the arguments against it (in normal circumstances).

@Yanaka, this is completely unrelated, but your signature photo of D.W., crossed with what sort of reminds me of The Almighty Nicholas Cage, is priceless.

Did you two actually see your letters (or, in @punctilious's case, your husband's)? How'd you find about these little boo-boos?

@ProfessionalNerd, wow, med school would've certainly been a change of pace!

@screamingacrossthesky, that's good to hear. I love Chicago, but I'm not keen on the prospect of dragging my poor little Cobalt six hours in what'll likely be a lot of snow. Last time I did that, some random farmer had to help me dig the poor girl out of a huge snow/ice bank. Not fun.

Which is real nice for the people with full-time jobs and unorthodox schedules!

Maybe they're looking for that special kind of panache that manifests only in a face-to-face grill session? I only wish it were the BBQ or steak kind of grilling. I could totally do that... Also, best of luck to your husband, as well! Maybe with some luck, we'll both cross paths!

I haven't yet decided whether this list will induce more anxiety than it relieves... But still, an incredible effort on @Warelin's part!

You’re doin God’s work, my friend!

Bingo! The emergency Jameson is indispensable.

Resist the urge, @JustPoesieAlong! I just re-read the first sentence of the SoP, and my eyes caught on fire! It burns! Man down!!!

Eh, I really don’t think that’s a big deal; it happens to the best of us,

Bahahaha it’s funny that you mention him; when I sent my SoP to my old advisor (after meticulously scrubbing it of errors and being convinced of its perfection), he responded with the following message: ”Didn’t know Henry James also had a ‘Bloom’ character :-P” My response: “Buhhhhhhh”

I came very close to sending SOPs that referred to James’s Bloom instead of Joyce’s Bloom. Not a deadly error, but I’m sure it would’ve earned a laugh or two at my expense in the conference room.

That'd be fantastic! I hope it happens!

Yeah, I'm struggling to weigh that decision, too. I've saved enough to make student loan payments through August (no small feat, I might add), but my rational center is telling me that it'd be idiotic to forgo three months of paychecks. I guess it depends on how bad things get. I figure I could probably squeeze out another month or two if I were to duct tape a bottle of Jameson to the underside of my desk, but it only gets you so far.

Thanks, @mads47! I figured that was the case, but it makes me wonder why UCLA decided to switch application websites halfway through an ongoing cycle... Luckily, you've saved them from another annoying e-mail/phone call!

@hats yeah that was pretty much me in high school haha C+ !

I can only imagine how many famous authors failed assignments in school for "not following the prompt." I'm trying to picture Thomas Carlyle or Samuel Beckett writing a five-paragraph "What did you do over the Christmas holiday" essay, and it's not going well... Moral of the story: where would we be without our mothers' complete faith in us?!

Dear God, how inspiring! Something tells me she's not rolling around in mentoring awards... But on the bright side, when you get your Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, you'll know whom to send the first acceptance-ceremony invite. Unfortunately, I can relate. I went through a strange succession of English teachers. In middle school, I had the same teacher for all four years. Also a part-time college professor, he was one of the most inspiring persons I've ever met, and, without a doubt, I wouldn't have majored in English had I not been his student. The day he assigned my class (a bunch of ten-year-olds, mind you) The Metamorphosis, I was hooked on literature and haven't looked back since. In high school, however, I had this really strange, super cynical martinet of a schmuck who told me that I should stick to a different subject. And then my last teacher had us read Beowulf comic books all year (which, to be fair, wasn't awful). So yeah. I guess I had, in terms of quality, what was essentially a reverse English-teacher sandwich.

@JustPoesieAlong, that's pretty darn close to how I feel at this point. Really, though, most of my professional agita is the result of the politics and incompetence that are comprised in my company's awful corporate culture. It's especially upsetting because we have a lot of bright minds, but inertia and bad management have led so many of them away. That said, I hope to count myself among them come April One of my past English professors (now a dear friend and LOR-writer) offers a "Medical Narratives" course that's been wildly popular at my school; it draws in the pre-med students (of which we have many) like flies to honey.

I am! Learning about the medical industry is often pretty cool, but most of my job is either dreadfully boring or maddeningly exasperating (try to tell doctors what to do, I dare you). I hope your job is much better than mine!

My company's pretty territorial, so the higher-ups tend to discourage outside work and out-of-the-box thinking. I'm taking that as tacit approval to talk to you guys instead of writing memos about statistical distributions of medical-imaging volumes. Which made me just vom in my mouth a bit!

Welcome, @FunkyFitz! Solid name; I'm digging the alliterative F's. I can't speak for everyone else here, but I've been passing the time by resuming my normal hobbies (music, exercising, beer, etc.) and reading the news (never in short supply these days...) I was planning on throwing myself into my job, but I've found over the last couple days that I'm doing much more Grad Café-checking than actual work. #sorrynotsorry