First, it’s unique.  Lately I have been attracted to all things new, different, artsy, and unique.  I am tired of the same old shit (probably a byproduct of my boring grad school fueled desire for major change), and the artist was a refreshing change of pace at the movies.  It’s a silent movie about a silent movie actor.  The look and feel was right in line with the actual silent movies of the late 20′s and early 30′s.  I was surprised at how aware I was at the beginning of the movie that there was no dialogue, but at how easily I got into the movie once I started really paying attention to the story.  Artistically, The Artist was fantastic!

Secondly, and I’m not trying to be on my sociological high horse, there are all kinds of sociological implications about not only the storyline in the movie, but about the style of the movie itself.  I often don’t realized how much noise I deal with every day.  I miss so many things because I distracted by my environment, because I’m trying to do too many things at once, because I don’t really stop to pay attention.  With this movie, I was forced to focus on one thing, give it all of my attention, and I think I enjoyed it so much because all of the other crap going on fell to the background.  It felt nice to say that I focused on one thing, one character, one storyline, and I got more out of it because of that.

Not only does the outside crap get in the way of us really paying attention to what’s happening right in front of us, but it’s amazing to me how much we communicate with more than just the message we are trying to get across.  While there was not really long dialogues in the movie, I knew the story because of the way the actors used their body lanugage, their faces, their surroundings, to tell their stories.  In that way, I think the despair of the main character throughout the course of the movie became more pronounced because he did not literally say “Things are really looking bleak,” but rather he showed his emotion on his face.  His body language changed.  And that really resonated with me.   Maybe this is just because of the type of personality I have, I don’t know.  My point is, I connected with these characters on a more profound level than I have with any other movie characters in a really long time.

I would like to treat my afforementioned love for The Artist with a disclaimer: This movie may not be for everyone.  I was interested and I got into it, but if you aren’t on board with a silent movie, if you don’t really like to pay attention to those subtle things that I am so stuck on, then you may not like it as much as I did.  Regardless of whether or not this type of movie is for you, rest assured that Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo, who played the main characters, gave a phenomenal performances and are very deserving of all of the acclaim they have received.

That being said, I highly reccommend The Artist.  I said it before and I’ll say it again.  The Artist is hands down one of the best movies I have ever seen.  And that’s sayin something, my delight threshold is very low, but I feel like raving about how much I LOVED this movie.  It doesnt’ take much to amuse me, but I rarely feel so strongly about much of anything.  Go see The Artist and enjoy!

I defended my thesis on Tuesday, and I PASSED!!  My paper has been written now for a few weeks, I turned it in to a committee of professors who read it, and I gave a presentation on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the most important parts.  Presentation went really well.  My dad and my grandma came…aww… as well as a few other grad students and of course my committee.  I condenced 100pgs of my thesis into a 45 minute presentation and pretty much nailed it, aside from talking too fast and getting a little too exited with my hand motions, but that’s to be expected. Do you know me?  haha

Anyway, did the presentation, answered a few questions, and then I met with my committee to talk about presentation and my overall thesis.  All 3 professors agreed that they could tell that I busted ass (my words, not their’s) and that I had a great project.  Then they proceeded to tell me that I could collect more data, add some new comparisons, create some tables and visuals of my data, and that these things would make it a really great project…This is when I got a little nervous.  After the group of us talked, I left so that the committee could talk amongst themselves.  I was only outside for like 5 minutes, but it seemed like an eternity!  They called me back in and told me I passed!  Worst case scenario, they could have said that my project was not up to snuff and I would have to totally change it and may not be able to graduate in May. But I passed!  My advisor even bought a bottle of sparkling apple cider to celebrate and gave me a big hug.  It was cool to see her so excited for me, she has really pushed me hard over the last couple of months.  Before I’m 100%  finished, I am going to clean up a few things here and there just to make my thought process a little more clear.  Then I can submit it to the school of graduate studies so they can make sure I formatted everything correctly.  After that, I am D-O-N-E!  I fully expect that I am going to turn in my final final draft within the next month and then I won’t have to worry about it any more!

This is all very exciting!!  However, with no more thesis to worry about, now I am wondering what to do with myself.  I am still a TA so I’ll have some copies to make, some grading to do, and piddly things here and there, but my academic carreer is almost over and I’m not sure what I think about it.  I do have lots to do and lots to think about.  I have updated my resume, now I need to start the jobsearch and hopefully make some headway on the “big girl job” situation so I’m not high and dry come the end of the semester.  I’m thinking about all of these things, but they are considerably less stressful than finishing my thesis has been.  I have been so ready for so long to do something new and different and I finally have enough room to breathe and make those things happen.  I’m remaining entirely optimistic, but it’s just a little wierd.  I will be graduating.  FINALLY! 

Other than that, I am getting ready for the Midwest Sociological Society conference in Minneapolis MN coming up at the end of March.  I am going to present a chunk of my thesis there.  I have no idea how I’m getting there or how I’m going to pay for it, but I’m going so that’s exciting too.  Things are moving right along and I am in this new, content place.  This is good, but I have been so stressed out for so long that, again, I’m not sure what to do with myself.  I’m sure I’ll figure out something.  I always do.

So there you have it.  I can now put an MA after my name.  I feel so important! haha.  I don’t have the piece of paper yet, but it’s all but finalized.  I’ll definately keep everyone posted as graduation nears.  So what should I talk about next?  Shall I brief you on the results of my study?

So I have always liked Garden State well enough, saw it a few times here and there, but the times were few and far between.  I asked for it for Christmas because it had been several years since I’ve seen it and I was kind of thinking “oh yeah, that’s a good movie I should own it…”  Anyway, since it has been so long, for one I had forgotten why I liked it so much.  What’s more, now that it’s been a few years since it came out (it came out the year I graduate high school), I was a little bit removed from the story.  Now, I am the same age as the main characters, and holy crap, I LOVE the movie so much more!!  I dont’ know if it’s because I feel like I can relate to the story better now that I am oh so familiar with this “quarter-life crisis” thing or what, but I am all sorts of up in arms and ready to change my world.

I think what I like the most is the ending, if you can really call it that.  I LOVE that it is so open-ended.  “…So what do we do?”  Whatever we want!  I feel like I have so many things that I still need to figure out, so many things that I need to decide, so many things to do, but damnit, I WANT to go somewhere that’s not here.  I’m not talking geographically, I’m not talking physically, but I want to do new things, create new, unique moments. I want to live my life.  I think this might have been a right place right time scenario with the movie.  I have been talking about changing things up and doing new things for a long time, but tonight have the gumption…

Every year and the end of December I always get really pensive.  I always think about the year that’s ending and the year that’s to come.  I always have the same high hopes, the same happy-go-lucky ideas about the “best year yet…” but since I’ve gone back to school for my master’s degree, 2011 turned out to be about the same as 2010, which turned out to be about the same as 2009.  2012, however HAS to be different.  I will defend my master’s thesis in January and commit to an extensive job search in Kansas City and Johnson County.  I will graduate in May.  I will have an MA next to my name in just a few short months!  I will get a big girl job.  I will move out of the parents’ house… This list goes on.  I have been itchin for so freakin long, and for the first time in a long time I can taste it and I’m ready for it!  All I have to do is act on it.

So has Garden State changed my life, or is my life changing so Garden State resonated with me more than it did the last time I saw it?  Not sure which is a more accurate description.  My point is this: 2012 WILL be new.  So what do we do?…

Sunday night a few of the other grad students and I got together for dinner at one of the grad students’ house.  I got REALLY excited about it.  I realized that this was the equivalent to my office party (minus the boss and the office slut and everything.  haha).  Anyway, it was SUPER nice to get together, have some wine, good conversation, good food, and hang out without having to discuss school.  It was really nice.

THEN, yesterday, I kind of when nuts.  I watched Home Alone AND Home Alone 2, all while baking and decorating sugar cookies.  It was kind of fun to decroate everything, but it was just me.  The parents were at work, my brother was sequestered in his room doing whatever it is that he does up there, so it was kind of a lonely afternoon, but at least I had cookies to show for it.  There aren’t many left.  Here’s a pic of my faves that are still waiting to be eaten.

Add that to all of the Christmas decorations inside our house and my boxing Rudolph pen and I am set!

It’s hard to believe that Christmas is, what, 5 days away…Where has December gone?  Where has the year gone for that matter?  I am trying to be in the moment and enjoy this holiday season.  It hasn’t been difficult because my delight threshold has become increasingly low. haha.  I guess in all seriousness, I’m cautiously excited for Christmas.  I still have a lot to think about, a lot to figure out, a lot to do, before the first of the year.  I figure I deserve a few days to relax and enjoy myself, so I’m going to take them, damnit!

So there it is.  Merry Christmas week!

In addition to the thesis, it has been kind of a crazy month with the family.  My bro came home for Thanksgiving break and on the way his car died.  All out died, needs a new engine, is totally dead.  I picked him up from the side of the highway, the parents were able to get $150 off of the car and now my brother is carless.  Mom picked him up from campus last weekend so now over Christmas break, there are 4 people in the house sharing only 2 cars.  It’s kind of interesting.  It hasn’t been a big issue so far (although my bro has my car tonight because he’s at work), but I know it sucks for him because he feels like a huge burden.  It’s a little wierd for me because the parents haven’t been available when Danny needs to go places so taking my bro around kind of falls onto my shoulders.  Oh well, it is what it is.  We’re broke, but we’re managing.

In other news, Christmas is in like 9 days!  When the hell did that happen!!?  This year, I have been working  very hard to get into the Christmas spirit.  The Christmas presents I bought last week are already wrapped and are the only presents under the tree.  I have been watching all kinds of crappy, sappy, Hallmark Christmas movies.  Since the beginning of December, everytime I go shopping, I buy some eggnog.  When the bro and I were at Target and WalMart yesterday, we bought Giradelli peppermint bark, holiday flavors of hot chocolate, chocolate oranges, and mint chocolate cookies.  I have been so stressed out with my thesis over the last couple of weeks that I am really trying to enjoy the holiday season.  Between now and Christmas I am considering a photo project of sorts.  There are some aweosme decorations around the neighborhood every year, and a bunch of people go all out.  I’m thinking I might bring my camera around and see if I can get any good pictures.  That’s just a thought, a whim really.  More on that later.

Ok, now that I’ve bored you to death with my boring life update, I think I’ll partake of some of that hot chocolate or a cookie.  More later, I promise.  Stefanie out!

#50: Month of New Things

I haven’t made this one official yet.  I’ve already blogged about this along the way, but one of the things on my 100 things list was to do something to change up my routine every day for one month.  I made October that month and for 31 days I did little things here and there to get out of my everyday routine and try new things.  This was actually more difficult than I thought it would be.  Mostly because, while I get tired of my day-to-day schedule, right now it seems to be working.  My main goal right now is to work on and finish my thesis.  I have a routine to get that done that involves spending a lot of time at the computer and a lot of time getting stressed out.  I know I already said this, but last week I emailed 80 pgs of stuff to my professor to look over and give me feedback on.  I think that’s pretty damn productive!  I had (and still have) a laundry list of things that sound like good ideas: have a picnic lunch on campus, go out to lunch with friends, go for a walk in the middle of the afternoon, listen to different music, start a meal with desert, the list goes on.  The problem with these ideas is that they take away time that I could be devoting to being productive on my thesis.  It was difficult to fit in all of these routine-changing things into my “Get My Thesis DONE” schedule.  I am still going to try and do some of these things, and maybe in a few months it will be easier to be a little more exciting.  I call #50 completed, but it could have been better.  What I learned from the whole experience is that to some degree, routines are a good thing when you are a college student.  I might try to do the one month routine change-up again once things at school settle down.  I’m expecting 2012 to be a big year, so maybe 2012 will be a bigger and better routine change up since my routine is going to have to change anyway… We’ll see how it goes.  As always, I’m eternally optimistic.

#57: White Tights

This is another one of the things on my 100 things list that is kind of silly, but also one that is not that difficult to accomplish.  Last year I bought a pair of black knee-high boots and have been on the lookout for a pair of white tights to wear with them.  I have seriously looked EVERYWHERE and apparently girls that are not a size small/medium are not supposed to wear white tights.  I went to target yesterday with the intention of buying practical stuff like shave gel for my legs and dental floss and I ended up spending $75 on a bunch of stuff that I don’t really need.  Story of my life… Anyway, I FINALLY found a pair of white tights in my size and gosh darnit you can imagine I snatched them up right then!  I’m already planning outfits and thinking about the skirts I can wear my new tights with.  Of course in an ideal world I could go out and buy a few new skirts.  Again, story of my life.  Anyway, white tights accomlished baby!

So there you have it.  A few more checkmarks on my 100 things list, and of course many more things to go.  This week I’m housesitting for my aunt and uncle (who are on vacation in Hawaii, lucky ducks!) so I’m a little out of my element.  I have a huge house all to myself with a couple of dogs and I dont quite know what to do.  What do I do when I’m at my own house?  I dont’ know, but I am sure having trouble keeping myself entertained here where there is no one to talk to but a couple of dogs who have no idea what I’m saying to them.  Should be an entertaining week.  Updates to come I”m sure.

Other than thesis stresses, I have been trying to get excited for the holidays.  It’s November, which means that I start getting nostalgic about what has happened over the last year and I start thinking ahead to next year.  Plus, I am SUPER excited for Thanksgiving break this year.  I love me some turkey and mashed potatoes…and stuffing, and pumkpin pie.  Basically I just want an excuse to eat a lot without consequence.  haha.  The holidays should also be pretty special because my cousins babies are going to be 6 months old ish.  They were born in June and they are so freaking cute!  It’ll be nice to have these new family members to spend time with.  Kids are cute   Holy crap, just realized that it was last thanksgiving when we found out that my cousin was pregnant with her twins.  Now they’re getting huge and showing their personalities.  How time flies…

I am also trying to figure out my plan of action as far as Christmas.  Every year I like to do something special.  Not only something special for the parents or my brother, but I like to spend some extra time with friends or bake cookies or something.  I already have a young adult christmas party planned with some people from church and a grad student christmas party with the other grad students in the program on the calendar.  Plus I kind of want to have a special thanksgiving dinner with friends.  We did that once at Baker and it really meant a lot to me.  Not all of my Baker friends will be in town for thanksgiving, but maybe I can plan a girls night where we can hang out, eat, and bake/decorate cookies or something.  I just might have to make that happen… 

Anyway, I ramble.  My point is I’m tired of working on my thesis for now, but UBER excited to be so close to finished.  I’m gearing up for the holidays and am excited to spend time with friends and family.  With any luck, but the end of the year, my thesis will be written, my resume will be updated, and January 1 I can start the search for my big girl job!!  I’ll say it again, how time flies…

Day 29: Generational Luncheon and Pseudo Halloween Party

Satruday was actually really nice.  My best friend came up with the idea that we have lunch with our grandmas.  This is the same friend with whom I made pasta for her grandma last weekend.  Anyway, my friend and her grandma got together with me, my mom, and my grandma for lunch.  We went to chipotle (which is always delicious) and it was nice to get together with the ladies, gossip a little bit, and catch up.  It’s been a while since I’ve had time to hang out with my grandma for very long.

Then I went over to another friends house to have a pseudo halloween party with a couple of my best good college friends.  I say pseudo halloween party because there were only 3 of us, and with the exception of my one friend who put on makeup and went as Black Swan, we didn’t dress up or do anything major.  Although we did get to make s’mores!!  My friend bought a firepit for his back patio so we had a fire going and roasted the most ginormous marshmellows I’ve ever seen!  I had to go home and take a shower and do laundry the next day because I smelled like arson, but it was worth it.  Great night to be outside next to the fire.  It was nice to get to hang out with them for the evening, even if it was super low key.

Day 30: Work Day Sunday

Yesterday in lieu of my usual sunday starbucks and homework run, I drove to campus and worked on my thesis for a couple of hours.  B-O-R-I-N-G!!  Not the way I wanted to spend my sunday afternoon, but I am kind of stressin because my advisor is “concerned” about whether or not I can get everything finished by the end of the semester. Boo!!  Anyway, got some stuff started, edited some other stuff, and I’m planning on finishing up what I’m working on before I leave campus at the end of the.

Day 31: Happy Halloween??

Then there’s today… I”m kind of in a funky funk.  I don’t know if it’s because I’m stressed about all of this stuff I need to turn in to my advisor and the grading I just remembered I need to do before tomorrow, or because maybe I didnt’ sleep well or what but it’s funky in here and I don’t like it!  This year is kind of wierd because 1) All I can think about is how much homework I have to do, and 2) My parents are not handing out candy this year.  What the hell!?  We are going to be the dark house on the corner that won’t answer the door for the cute little fairy of the lady bug!  Granted I am fully capable of going out and buying candy and handing it out myself, but I am seriously stressin about getting all of these edits done that I’m just not in the mood.  I’m not in the mood. That NEVER happens.  What the hell is going on with me today?

So there you have it.  31 days of routine change-ups.  I’ll have a beter reflection on all that when I don’t need to get off the internet and get to work.   Anyway, hopefully I’ll get into the Halloween spirit, or at least come up with something to do when I finish up at school to distract myself into thinking I’m not in such a funky funk.  Happy Halloween, you crazy ghouls and goblins!  Stay safe

Wednesday was a rough day for me.  I think I was so amped up on Tuesday’s awesomeness that I didn’t get to bed early enough and I had a hard time getting going.  They recently redid the library at UMKC and added a new little coffeeshop/bakery area that serves coffee from the Roasterie.  I have become increasingly interested in supporting local products, and I really like coffee, so I made  a trip the the library for a cup of dark roast.  12oz cost me $1.85.  Uh, yes please!  I should stop by the library more often, it was tasty, warm, and delicious!

Day 27: Vampire WTF??

I dont’ know if this counts, but it’s worth writing about.  Yesterday was Vamprire Diaries day.  The only show I watch regularly that I get really pissed if I miss it is Vampire Diaries.  I know this is wierd.  I am 25 and I’m obsessed with a show meant for 14-yr-olds.  Anyway, last night’s episode was a little crazy, even for me! and that’s sayin something!  There have been some crazy things going on in Mystic Falls, and in the last season/season and a half of Vampire Diaries has introduced us to vampires (duh), werewolves, witches, warlocks, ghosts, hybrid vampire-werewolf combos PLUS last night there were ghost vampires, and ghost werewolves.  Even I had to say WTF man!  The ghosts were invisible except to this one dude who had died and was then brought back to life, but all of a sudden the witch named Bonnie did a spell to give all of the ghosts a “foothold” on our side so then everyone could see them and it was crazy and I was confused.  But now the ghosts and the ghost vamps/werewolves lost their foothold and nobody can see them anymore.  I feel like I lost braincells just typing about this!   What the hell does this say about kids these days?  What the hell does this say about me?  I have problems…

Day 28: I am the Costume Master!

So, dont’ know if you’ve heard, but Halloween is coming up.  My parents were invited to a Halloween party with some people from church tonight and wanted some cheap and easy costume ideas that they could throw together.  I gave them a couple of suggestions that I’ve found over the years and they actually took them!  Mom was a cereal killer, stabbing a box of rasin bran with plastic knives, and Dad was a ceiling fan.  His sign says “Way to go celing! You can do it! I”m behind you all the way!”  Go Ceilings!  (get it? A fan of ceilings?).  I took pictures because I seriously thought it was amusing.  I kind of felt like a proud parent sending her kids off to a Halloween party with a homemade costume.  That makes me a DORK! I like the touch Mom did with red finger nail polish around the murder weapons, allthough the picture doesn’t do it justice because you can’t see the clear plastic silverwear.  For giggles, I also looked up a picture of my days as a ceiling fan senior year.  Man I’m a dork!  But I must be good at the cheap and easy costume thing

Happy Halloweekend!