Rodham

Seriously, Hillary, who do you think you're kidding? This woman was always Hillary Rodham Clinton. She ALWAYS sporting the maiden-name-as-middle-name thing. It was her thing, her "I'm a liberal and a feminist" thing. But please note how she dropped it in her presidential race...to ride the shirttails of her husband, perhaps? Or worse, to seem more attractive to more conservative, wealthy women who would like to consider themselves liberal but are more comfortable with a woman who is solidly her husband's wife? I think she is just getting on my last nerve these days, so every last thing bugs me. And here I am, supposedly writing Chapter 2 and yet listening to the debate at the same time. C'mon, Barack, you can do it! Barack and roll! (ha ha ha!)

Hope.

Hope is a dangerous thing. It makes you think things are possible and if they aren't, it sucks. Hope can also be pretty thrilling, and it can carry you through tough stuff. Right now, I am (cautiously) hopeful about a few things:

1. That Barack Obama will win. My friend Genevieve and I have discussed how we will probably cry big alligator tears if he doesn't. It will be so disappointing, honestly, and I can only hope that if my hope doesn't pan out, I won't be too let down.

2. That I can make this dissertation magic happen. I really need this hope to pull me through, because I have a lot riding on it, including the approval of my advisor and my future career. No pressure.

3. That my finances don't get sticky. Not having a car has helped me save some cash, not only because I'm not spending on gas, car insurance, or maintenance, but also because I'm not getting in a car to go to Target or other places where I spend money. It's been a good thing, so here's hoping I can maintain my fiscal frugality and sustain myself without loans until I graduate with the ole Ph.D.

Here's hoping...

Ran dat.

Yup, I have now completed my third marathon. Three! Somehow it feels more real now that I'm a marathon runner. The first one was kind of a fluke, like I'm just testing this, to see how it works and if I can do it. The second one was more like, well, let's try it again to see if I'm allergic to it or if I can do it again. The third one was a big ole heck yeah, I run marathons. Three, actually. And two half marathons. And many a 10k, 5 miler, and 3k just for kicks. And now I really AM a runner.

The race was great EXCEPT for the five bathroom breaks. Dude, uncomfortable! I had stomach cramps until mile 18. The good thing was that those last 8 miles were awesome, mostly because I was finally in the clear, if you catch my drift. I finished in 4'44", which I don't think is too bad considering a good 22 minutes were spent in the port-o-john. Anyway, can't wait for Chicago this year and now (once my quads no longer buckle under my weight) I'm going to concentrate on strength-training. Heck yeah!

And for a quick political info moment:

I wanted to let you know that Texas has a unique two-step process of an open primary AND caucus. Voting in the primary DOES NOT GUARANTEE a delegate vote; you must ALSO vote in the caucus that opens at 7:15pm (for Democrats; 8:00pm for Republicans) on March 4th (after the primary closes). Please be sure to find out where your primary precinct polling place is (you participate in the caucus at the same place where you vote in the primary) to sign the affidavit in the caucus. No lines, no mush - you just have to sign your name. It seems like a pain to vote twice in the same day at the same place, but you can avoid that by VOTING EARLY until February 29. You will still need go to your polling place after 7:15pm on Tuesday, March 4 even if you vote early in the primary.

Early Voting Places
http://www.co.travis.tx.us/county_clerk/election/20080304/early.asp

For information about what number your precinct is for the March 4 primary, please see
https://team.sos.state.tx.us/voterws/viw/faces/SearchSelectionPolling.jsp

and cross reference that precinct number:
http://www.co.travis.tx.us/county_clerk/election/20080304/polls.asp

And for a breakdown of how the delegates & super delegates are distributed throughout Texas, please see
http://www.lonestarproject.net/


Thank you,
Kathryn

12 days and counting

So, the AT&T Austin Rock and Roll Marathon is just around the corner - in 12 days, to be precise. Sunday, February 17, 2008 I will be running 26+ miles for 4+ hours in 50F+ temperatures with 100+ attitude! Bust it. I am really excited for the race (my third marathon! Hooray!) but I am also eager to get it over with. Long (and 15+ miles constitute as long) runs on Sundays tucker me out, and my nerves are getting on my nerves too. The forecast is up and it looks like it'll be around 48 when we start and about 74 when we finish. A bit warmer than I would like, but at least it's no horror story like Chicago this past year. Marathon running makes me feel alive, challenged, excited, happy, and fit. I really love it! This year, I am going to dedicate each mile to a friend (i.e. Mile 1 is for April, Mile 2 for my brother, etc. Mile 26 will go out to my mom for sure!) and hopefully that will keep me distracted from the pain of running 26.2 miles!

In the meantime, on the dissertation front, it's hard not to think that I'm a fraud. I just wonder if people have been pushing me along, shuffling me into completion of this degree. I feel underqualified and unfit to be finishing a Ph.D. and to begin to even contemplate a job market. I know that this is the typical anxiety that plagues all Ph.D.ers, but it's really eating at me. As are the guilt and desperation to do well and finish! Damn this road is a long one.