Man, I am such a poor excuse for a blogger! And it stinks, too, since blogging is something I actually really like to do. It makes me feel like I’m thoughtful or funny or whatever. Whereas when I’m working on my dissertation I usually just feel dumb and bored. (But more on that later.) Anyway, I am going to make a concerted effort to do more blogging, though more frequent posts will also mean short posts. Still, short is better than nothing.
In dissertation news, despite what I just said, I am actually feeling vaguely positive about the diss right now (and vaguely positive is about the best we can hope for at this point). It actually seems possible to finish this blasted thing in the next four months or so, though it will take a serious amount of work to do so.
In other news, we are about to remodel our kitchen! We went to IKEA and picked out all new cabinets, appliances, etc., all courtesy of Will’s impossibly generous parents. Their/our rationale is that if we end up moving away this summer, the house will be much easier to sell with a new kitchen, and if we end up staying, well, then, we’ll have a nice kitchen! I will post some “before” pictures sometime soon. The cabinets are going to be delivered tomorrow. And of course, since it’s IKEA, they’re all flat packed, so we’ll get to spend some quality time assembling them in the next week or so. Once they’re all assembled, we’ll dismantle the current kitchen and then go from there. It should be exciting. (Incidentally, if anybody wants those huge bookshelves that are currently in our kitchen, they’re free for the taking.)
And finally, here’s an amusing conversation I overheard yesterday while waiting to buy coffee at the Crappy Coffee Stand in the student union:
Stoner “Barista“: Hey, dude, uh, do you know how to make drinks yet?
Stoner “Barista”-in-Training: [unconvincingly] Uh . . . yeah?
Stoner “Barista”: Do you know how to make a Snickers?
Stoner “Barista”-in-Training: Uh . . . Heh . . . Heh . . . I can . . . I can try. I can try. I can do it.
[At this point I'm about fifth in line, and the guy who wants the Snickers Latte has just ordered. My questions are:
Number One, why order a snickers latte here? If you want something fru-fru like that, walk a block and go to Starbucks. I have no doubt that a Snickers Latte from this crappy stand must just be awful. Like a gas-station cappuccino except worse, because instead of making it yourself you have to wait for some unwashed, smelly, I-do-and-say-everything-in-slow-motion stoner guy to make it for you.
Number Two, why can't the stoner guys figure out that it might not be the best idea for them to make their incompetence and general stoned-ness so clear to the fifteen people waiting in line? I guess the answer to this one is obvious, but geez. If you're not sure how to make the drink and you can't even convincingly pretend that you maybe sort of know how to make the drink, you should at least just shut up about it. You're not inspiring any confidence in the rest of us. If I hadn't been buying coffee from the self-serve canisters on the counter, you can bet that I'd be walking away and taking my business elsewhere rather than trust you two yahoos with anything I'm planning on putting in my mouth.]
Stoner “Barista”-in-Training: [emerging from the little back corner where they make the specialty drinks after an unacceptably long time--by this point I'm paying for my coffee] Dude . . . sorry, but . . . uhhhhhhhh . . . can you just tell me what shots go in the Snickers?
Stoner “Barista”: Yeah, it’s caramel, hazelnut, and chocolate.
Stoner “Barista”-in-Training: Oh, right, the chocolate . . . Uh . . . Got it.
Update: It gets worse. I just walked by the Crappy Coffee Stand and saw that actually the Snickers latte is the featured drink of the month, and all of the ingredients, including each flavor shot, are listed on the enormous menu that hangs above the stand.
