Yes, Stephanie Still Lives Here!

New look, new name, same address, same writer. In light of how my life has shifted and evolved since I first started this blog, I felt that a new name was in order, as well as a bit of a makeover for this ole blog.

What's a history gypsy?
Why, I'm so delighted that you asked (and if you didn't, just roll along with me)! As my regular readers are well aware, I am neck-deep in a history M.A. program and I'm about as big a history nut as one can physically be while still functioning. I plan to make my living out of history -- whether by researching it, writing it, teaching it, etc. is yet to be determined. Hence, the history part. And as for the gypsy bit, well, I certainly do move around enough to qualify for gypsy status! In 2009 alone, I moved four times. For someone who's not in the military, that's quite a feat! And I get to do it again in a year (yuck)!

A Note of Explanation . . .

For those who may have been confused, no I did not blacken both eyes. I am an awkward, unlucky klutz, but I do not quite have the "skills" necessary to get both eyes at once. I just have one exceedingly ugly black eye, on the right side (sorta balances out the broken hand on the left). The pictures turned out misleading owing to the fact that I took one shot with my webcam (on my Macbook) and the other shot with my digital camera.

Shiner!

In light of the recent news that my hand has a stress fracture, I was pretty certain that I had had enough injuries to last me for a while. Nope. Today, while cleaning my room (it got a little "tornado-ish" in the stress of finishing a summer class and packing to visit MI), I had the bright idea of also rearranging my closet and organizing it a bit better. Naturally, in the process, a box fell off a shelf and hit me in the eye.

Close-up of the result:


Yes, it hurts. It really, really hurts.

Jasper's Hair Cut Photos

I meant to post these much earlier, but here (finally) are some shots of Jasper's haircut. He honestly wanted to wear the outfit. Honest! He's a quirky little dog!

Last Night, Part II

It just was not my night last night. After recovering from the shocking shellfish allergic reaction, I was a bit dizzy and lightheaded. So, naturally, it occurred to me that this would be the perfect time to do the dishes. A short while later, my unfortunate roommate walked in to find me on the kitchen floor, surrounded by broken glass, with both the floor and me rather bloody. No, I didn't faint; I just got lightheaded and then dropped a glass, then picked up the glass with my bare hands (remember, I had just been through a trauma AND I had a lot of benedryl on board). So, now I have two injured hands! And, my roommate has decided not to leave me unattended anymore.



Today was much better. I had a fun time in my film history class, then went out to dinner and a baseball game with friends. Our team won, I got hit on by the mascot, and we met so really nice people from all of our home states. Good times in Virginia!

So . . . Apparently I'm Allergic to Shellfish

It is the best of times, it is the worst of times.

Good news first:
I found out on Friday that I got the job that I wanted, which means that my final year of grad school is paid for. I will be working 25 hours per week starting next semester, doing work that involves data compiling and web design, among other duties. It's with a very friendly department (Institutional Effectiveness), and I'll be sharing an office with a very good friend. On Monday, I took advantage of a spectacular Memorial Day sale and finally purchased one of those netbooks that I've been drooling over for quite some time. Lest you think me extravagant, let me hasten to explain this purchase: my Macbook is wonderful beyond wonderful, but the battery life is a little under three hours and it tends to get heavy when I lug it around all day. Also, I worry a great deal about carrying around a computer that almost literally contains my entire life. So, I now have a cute little mini-laptop that weighs under two pounds and is smaller than most of my books, which I can use for taking notes in my classes (both now and when I am in my doctoral program).

Bad news:
About a week ago, I re-injured my left hand by smacking it quite hard on a doorknob. Since then, it has been a painful, swollen, ugly mess of a hand. I managed to sleep on it wrong last night, with the result that it is quite swollen today and in nearly constant pain. Despite the hand, I had a great day today, which I decided to cap off by finally experimenting with the scallops I've been saving. I cooked them using a delicious recipe that involves quite a bit of white wine, and thoroughly enjoyed eating them . . . until I started to itch and felt dizzy. I watched in horror as the red hives began to spread across my body. I took some benedryl after a hurried phone consultation with my mother, then threw up, then took more benedryl and drank lots of water. Eventually, the hives and the dizziness/nausea went away.

What a life!

Oh May . . . You Are Crammed!

Sorry about the lack of posts lately; May has been one heck of a busy month! Between getting Brandi (my new roommate) moved in, the end of the semester, the starting of summer semester, and all the other odds and ends, I have been one busy (and tired) girl! A lot has happened in a very short space of time, but here's my best attempt to summarize:

1. New Roommate: Brandi is awesome! We get along famously. In fact, I wonder now how I'll ever go back to living alone when grad school is over! We have similar tastes in just about everything, so living together is going far better than we ever imagined. Jasper is besotted by his new human friend; every morning, he has to see Brandi before he is willing to go outside. It is a blast having someone else who is taking the same class, since Brandi and I are able to discuss our reading together and prepare together. So, it was a very wise idea going ahead and getting a roommate!

2. End of My First Semester of Grad School: I finished with a solid 4.0!

3. Summer Semester: I am insane and masochistic, therefore I am taking two summer intensives simultaneously. Modern American Military History is fascinating but absolutely overflowing with work, to the point where I worry about how I'll get it all done. The professor is also my thesis advisor. Film and Television History is fun, taught by a very humorous and engaging professor, and is actually proving to be the easiest class ever, since I have already seen all of the films on the required viewing list.

4. Military History Conference: Beyond epic! I met the authors of three of my books from last semester, all of whom are really nice in real life. I also met four fascinating historians from the CIA (one of whom helped me with my thesis), another author whose book I enjoyed, and a very friendly British historian who offered me some thesis help. The sessions were quite interesting, and many of the papers presented actually pertain to one of the classes that I'm taking now, which gives me a little extra insight.

5. My Hand: I smacked my left hand on a doorknob the other night, in the EXACT spot where I hit it back in the winter. So, I now have an exceedingly painful hand that is twice the size it ought to be.

6. My Novel: I apparently didn't have enough on my plate already, so I started writing a fantasy novel. The hilarious part is that I never write fantasy! I guess I was inspired by my friends in my writing club. So far, my story is heavily influenced by Celtic and Welsh mythology and is about fifty pages long. I am planning to do some significant work on it this week, since I have a lot less classwork to worry about this week.

7. Jasper: He had a session of pampering and grooming at Petsmart about two weeks ago, where they gave him an adorable haircut. He loved it! He is still as quirky and funny as ever, perhaps even more so now that he has another human living with him. He loves my roommate. He insists on seeing her every morning before going outside (he's going to be bummed when he learns that she's leaving for a few days to go home and see her family).

8. My Bedroom: I finally finished decorating and arranging it. I got rid of the beanbag and added two bookcases and a desk to the room, so it is now much more functional and more attractive. I promise to post photos soon, to satisfy the curious relatives.

9. LU's "Controversial" Graduation: I went in order to show support to Brandi, and because I was curious to hear Glenn Beck. He did a great job. I read a few articles where some of the liberal media attempted to completely take his speech out of context AND significantly alter it. Those poor-excuses-for-journalists completely (deliberately) missed the fact that Beck gave a warm, inspiring speech that actually meant something to not only the graduates, but the rest of us students as well. He made only a brief reference to politics, instead focusing on good advice for how to live a life that matters, with strong focus on how best to serve other people. It was well done and was the right speech for the right time.

10. The Evil Final Paper: Remember that paper that the instructor assigned a week after class ended? Well, apparently he didn't feel like grading it (or just procrastinated for too long). Final grades are done, and that paper never received any credit at all. So, my classmates and I stressed out writing for absolutely no reason. I am more than a little bit annoyed over that whole business.

11. 26th Birthday: Slightly traumatizing realizing that I'm now closer to thirty than to twenty, but it was still a fun day. Brandi had put a little sign on the microwave and there were some very nice presents from some very sweet people. That evening, Brandi and I made a delicious stir-fry, I met friends for dessert for a little while, and then Brandi and I went to see How to Train Your Dragon (her first time seeing it, my second). Any birthday that involves dragons is a good birthday!

Well, hope this post satisfies those who wondered what on earth was going on and where I had gone. I will try to get some pictures up later today or tomorrow.

Oh Why Must I Be Such a Blasted Perfectionist?!

Yesterday evening, I finally finished that miserable final paper. I wasn't terribly pleased with the result, but at least it was done. I was done -- with everything! First semester, completely wrapped up! I could actually go to bed and sleep. Or so I thought . . .

As I lay in bed last night, my mind kept returning to a few unique paragraphs in the paper, which were far different in both tone and quality from the rest of the paper. Suddenly, a great idea occurred to me. And now, because I'm a bloody perfectionist (at least when it comes to history classes), I'm going to be up all night long rewriting this blasted twelve-page epistle.

Originally, I had written my paper with passive-aggressive revenge in mind. Because my professor hates military history, I used military history as my theme. However, the paper lacked spirit, interest, energy . . . in short, it was acceptable, but flat. Reading it, I felt sort of like a cannibal who has just been handed a baked potato.

My new idea, however, positively scintillates with creativity and originality. Not to brag, but I am a little proud of where this is going. I am now writing a paper that applies Kübler-Ross’s Five Stages of Grief to European daily life and society after the First World War. It's ambitious, but it's working. And, I think I can pretty safely say that it will be dynamically different from anything that my professor is expecting. Plus, it's still got military history in it, so I still get my passive-aggressive revenge. :0)

Homeopathic Migraine Remedies

Since I have been on a regular migraine-safari for the past few weeks (mostly owing to my neck issue, which has suddenly decided to flare up), I have been experimenting with different methods for easing some of the intense constant pain. I know that there are many fellow migraine-sufferers out there, so I thought I would share some of my techniques.

To begin with, the second I feel a migraine coming on, I immediately dose with my prescription migraine meds. Since those are incapable of getting rid of all of the pain, I use the following methods to help further:

1. The best thing that I have found is a hot bath with no lights on in the bathroom. I put just a little bit of lavender body wash in the water, since lavender is soothing. I bring a hot cup of tea in with me, preferably camomile, although peach, mango, and peppermint tea are all quite soothing as well. Vanilla tea seems to have an adverse effect. I sip the tea slowly while stretching out in the tub. I take intermittent deep breaths. Then, about halfway through the tea, I submerge my face under the water, holding my breath for as long as possible. I come up for air, then repeat a few more times. After that, I finish the tea and soak a while longer.

2. Heat packs are also good. I have an herbal neck wrap that I heat up in the microwave for about four minutes. I first wear it around my neck, then place it over my face and ears.

3. My latest discovery is the healing power of lavender essential oil. I put a little bit of it just under each nostril, then rub a little of it into my temples. Many smells will make migraines worse, but lavender is actually very helpful.

4. I have a vibrating massager that I use on my neck, forehead, and cheeks. After alternating between these areas several times, I use the massager in the area next to each eye.

5. For a serious migraine that has lasted longer than a few hours, I often find that the best thing is to make myself vomit. It's unpleasant, but many times it has instantly caused a lessening of the pain, plus it does wonders for the nausea.

6. I have also found that it sometimes helps to lay on my stomach with a bag of ice on my neck, right at the base of the skull. I lay this way until I cannot stand the cold anymore, then take a break for a minute or so, then repeat.

Hachi

Tonight Jasper and I shared a very special experience. I have been wanting to see the film Hachi: A Dog's Tale ever since I first heard about it, so tonight, I rented it. It's a very sweet little film about a dog who waits at the train station for his owner to come home from work each day. After the owner dies, the dog continues to wait - for another nine years. It's actually based on the story of the true Hachi, who lived in Japan (and did the exact same thing).

Normally, Jasper prefers to play or chew on a bone when I watch movies. He'll come up in my lap for cuddles, but he generally shows no interest in what is on the TV. There are a few exceptions: he gets upset if he hears shooting or knocking on doors on TV, and there was an actor awhile back (the name escapes me at the moment) whom Jasper took a definite dislike to (he spent that entire film growling at the actor). Generally, however, my dog is not a cinema buff.

This film was different. I lit several candles, just because I like them, and their gentle aroma and flickering light lent a very special ambiance to the film. I was snuggled up on the couch with a few pillows, getting ready to hit "play" when Jasper decided to join me. Naturally, his favorite toy, a disgusting and raggedy stuffed mouse (at least, I think it's a mouse) had to join us as well, along with the tire toy that Jasper picked out at Petsmart a few weeks ago. For the entire film, Jasper snuggled with his toys and me, and actually watched the film! His ears perked up and twitched whenever the dog was on camera - in particular, Jasper seemed very interested in the scenes where people were throwing a ball for the dog and in the scenes when the dog was just a puppy.

The film is quite sad at the end, though not in a heartbreaking way - rather, it's a warm, touching sort of sadness. Since I'm a sap, I of course started crying. Jasper turned those large, chocolate-drop eyes of his on me and regarded me patiently for a moment. Then he licked my hand and buried his head in my chest - as if to say, "Don't cry, Mom - you've always got me!" I think Jasper actually understood the film!

Getting My Kicks before 26!

I don't know what it is about the number 26 (and really, it IS just a number), but for some reason, it's affecting me considerably more than 25 (and believe me, THAT one hit pretty hard). I guess it's the ever-closer proximity of 30, or perhaps the lengthy list I things I HAVEN'T done that other people seem to think I SHOULD HAVE done by this point. Of course, in my favor there is the list of things I HAVE done that other people HAVEN'T done by this age, so in reality it all probably balances out.

Nevertheless, despite all the clever adages, the reassurances from friends who've already been here (and beyond), and the general optimism I have about my future (which defies logic at times), I am profoundly affected by this encroaching number. Try as I might, I can't shake the emotional/psychological response. It's not an issue of vanity - my first white hairs started cropping up last year, and honestly, although I fuss about them as I yank them out of my scalp (there are only three, so this is much less painful than it sounds), I'm okay with looking older. In the mornings, I can see where the wrinkles are going to set up permanent residence before too long, and even with that, I'm okay. I don't always rejoice in it, but I do accept it. The physical consequences of getting older are just fine by me. It's the psychological ones that have been nagging at me.

Everyone seems to have their own mental "laundry list" of what it means to be a successful individual by my age. Though well-intentioned, the gentle (and not-so-gentle) hints of "you're not getting any younger" and "what are you waiting for?" (among others) have the same effect as a branding iron applied directly to the back of my neck. While it would great to have a stable career or a happy marriage by now, and while I do love children, none of these are required for success. Let me rephrase that. For some people, those are the marks of success in life. For others, like me, there are other things that come first.

I'm not going to give a self-appreciating list of my many accomplishments. I know them, God helped me attain them, and that's enough. I'm not sitting on my haunches, feasting greedily on the efforts of others - I'm actively pursuing something, and I'm working HARD. No career, no marriage, no kids, but by golly, I am still successful. I'm where God wants me, I'm doing what He wants me to do, and I'm loving it - brother, that right there is success. Gleaming, golden success. It may not get much glory for me yet, but it's enough that I should be entering 26 with my head held high.

Despite all that, 26 is still a mountain to be conquered. It still intimidates. It still makes me sit up, eyes wide, and say aloud "Am I really getting that old that quickly?!" To those who have already scaled this particular height, my consternation and mental whiplash must seem a bit silly. Compared to 40, 50, 60, and beyond, 26 is still a relative infant. To someone staring it in the face, however, it's a little daunting. Where did all the time go?

One of my dearest friends is also approaching this particular summit, and is also grappling with the angst and the psychological side effects. Together, we have agreed to tackle 26 with grace and attitudes befitting the plucky, sassy dames that we are. In that spirit, we have both committed to a list of 26 things to get done before 26 smacks us in the face and takes over from where 25 left off. Maybe then we can turn the tables and be the ones smacking 26 in the face! Several items are the same for us, while some are unique to our own needs and desires. For fun, I've opted to share my list. Some of it is frivolous, geared toward greeting 26 with an attitude of humor and merriment. The rest is more serious, in order to meet 26 with maturity and self-improvement. At any rate, I'm certainly going to "get my kicks before 26!"

(NOTE: Items are listed in no particular order, since I have decided not to add any weight of importance. I'd rather just do them all, and not worry about which things carry more significance.)

1. Find something I've never tried at Starbucks and try it, but with creative alterations.
2. Find a truly odd nail color and paint my toenails with it.
3. Attempt to locate aviator sunglasses that don't make me look like an evil bug from Hades.
4. Buy and try something new from the foreign food section at the grocery store.
5. Celebrate my birthday in a way that I have never celebrated any other birthday.
6. Get a toe ring.
7. Spend more time basking in the outdoors; take some downtime from stress.
8. Create something artsy to wear on "that fateful day." (most likely jewelry)
9. Add something reminiscent of childhood to my wardrobe (i.e. jelly sandals, a flowered hair accessory, a plastic headband).
10. Make a conscientious effort to listen a whole lot more.
11. Have an old movie marathon with the theme of "Suave Leading Men that I Would Love to Bring Back from the Dead and Marry." (obviously, Cary Grant will be well-represented during this upcoming film marathon)
12. Experiment with scallops.
13. Live backwards for one day (meals, general activities, etc.).
14. Do a completely spontaneous act of random kindness for a friend.
15. Do something to my hair that involves temporary color (and no, it is not going to wind up burgundy again - that much is resolved!).
16. Re-read the three most influential novels in my life: Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, and The Perilous Gard.
17. Memorize Psalm 73:21-26. Try to live with it in mind more often.
18. Finish one of the short stories that I have started writing and then abandoned.
19. Make a list of good things from age 25 and tack it up on my bulletin board. Read it often.
20. Find three new ways to cook asparagus (it's my favorite vegetable, but I'm in a rut).
21. Improve my time management skills.
22. Explore a place in Virginia that I have never explored.
23. Research a topic that I know absolutely nothing about, just for the fun of being better-informed.
24. Go for two whole days without reading the news.
25. Finish one of the projects that I have started and left dangling.
26. Take Jasper hiking

The Zombie among Us

What a week! Last week is nought but a hazy vision of a memory to me, as I spent most of the week thoroughly doped up on pain medication. My neck had decided to act up again, so I had constant neck pain mixed with occasional spasms in my neck, which in turn caused a few migraines. Despite the heavy dosage of prescription pain meds, I still got my papers written on time and made it to my classes, though I was unable to make any substantial contributions to the discussions - instead I sat there staring blindly into space, attempting to pay attention. One professor told me to just go home, but I reminded him that my GPA is far more important to me than my health or physical comfort. For the record, that GPA happens to be the highest of my entire life, despite this being the most intense, difficult coursework that I have ever undertaken. Yes folks, Stephanie is carrying a glistening, beaming 4.0!!

Amidst all the "fun" of the past several days, I had the additional issue of internet troubles, which is akin to a death sentence for a grad student. With no way to communicate with my revision partner for the week, I had no way of knowing his suggestions for my article until class rolled around. Fortunately, the only issue he found was a footnote that had somehow wandered into the middle of a sentence rather than at the end, where it belonged. During a perusal of my paper, I happened across that same disobedient little footnote and put it in its proper place, so despite the potential hindrance, everything turned out all right. The article is now with my final revision partner and will be on its way back to me tomorrow, at which time I will likely make one or two minute alterations, and then this opus of my semester's research will be completely finished and ready to be handed in on Monday of next week. I already earned the highest grade in the class for my rough draft (this came as a very pleasant shock to me), so I am confidently expecting a high A on the final draft.

One class is now finished, aside from one remaining book review and a horrendous final paper that the prof has not yet assigned. I live my days in terror! Of course, my classmates and I cherish a fragile dream that the prof will become overwhelmed by his workload (the semester is almost over and final grades are due in just over a week, plus he really does have a lot on his plate) and will mercifully choose not to assign this monstrosity after all. I doubt this dream will come true.

I cannot believe that my first semester back in grad school is almost over. I feel like I have learned a massive amount in this short space of time, which is a complete reversal from my experience during my semester at UNCW. That program was undergrad level compared to this one! Liberty is not perfect (no university is), but it does have a fantastic history grad program (even if we do sometimes feel like the illegitimate child of the grad school - a situation which seems to be the case at most schools). I'm really looking forward to my two summer intensives, even if I am a bit nuts for taking two at once. And next semester, though full of hard work, is also looking like it promises to be terrific. The only sad part is that my two favorite professors are not teaching any grad classes next semester. I've heard great things about one of the profs I'll be taking, though, and I already know that the other two are excellent instructors, so I'm sure that even without my favorite profs, I'll still have a great time.

Stephanie's Plumbing Lesson

Last week, my nearly constant vomiting from that whatever-it-is bug that I picked up resulted in a clogged toilet, which I was clearly in no condition to deal with.  Schoolwork and other distractions soon chased the matter from my mind.  Then this morning, to my consternation, my other toilet got clogged as well.  Thus, I was left in the unappealing situation of having two clogged toilets and no plunger.  What was a single girl to do?

Obviously, there was no way that I was going to call a plumber, or anything drastic like that.  I have never actually used a plunger, and thus was rather reluctant to buy one and try to figure the thing out.  Instead, I looked online for some credible solutions.  I struck gold!

Apparently, if you pour a bunch of Dawn dishsoap into the toilet, let it set, and then pour a pot of boiling water down the toilet, it actually gets the clog out.  It took a few pots of boiling water to do it, but now both toilets are in excellent working order, and smell rather nice as well.

Since I have a low workload this week, I opted to do some needed housekeeping and random household tasks today after dealing with the toilet issue.  One task in particular that I have been meaning to do is to clean out Jasper's toy box.  He has literally loved some of his toys to death, so I wanted to weed out those that were in poor condition and dispose of them.  Jasper did not appreciate my efforts in the least.  He followed me anxiously to the kitchen when I had selected the toys that would be thrown out, and watched in horror as I threw them into the trash.  For the next half hour, he sat in front of the cabinet where I keep the wastebasket, mournfully staring at it and whimpering pitiably.  I remained firm, and eventually he gave up on trying to "rescue" those toys.  The matter was not entirely over for him, however.

The next thing I knew, Jasper began collecting his favorite toys, one at a time, from the toy box and hiding them in various locations throughout the apartment.  Apparently he is now gravely concerned for the safety of his remaining toys, and is determined to keep me from finding them.  An hour later, the toy box is now half empty and the "toy guardian" is fast asleep on the couch, worn out from his self-appointed mission to protect his toys from his evil owner.

Coffee and Smoke Alarms

In short, I forgot to drink my coffee and it got cold.  I put it in a small saucepan on the stove to reheat, then got distracted.  The next thing I knew I was getting scared out of my wits by my smoke alarm!  Apparently, the coffee reached a full boil and spilled onto the burner.

On the bright side:
1.  I know my smoke alarm is in good working order.
2.  My apartment smells like a coffee shop.
3.  I have learned that Jasper has good instincts in the case of a fire.  He immediately began barking, whimpering, and frantically trying to get out the door.

Negatives:
1.  My pulse is still racing and my ears are ringing.
2.  I get to clean the stove once it cools down.
3.  Jasper, though calmed down now, is definitely displeased.

Hard at Work or Hardly Working?

It's difficult to believe that this first semester of grad school is almost over.  Two of my classes only meet two more times, while the third meets either two or three more times (the prof still hasn't decided).  I only have one major paper left to write!  The big one that I've spent all semester working on is nearly perfect now (according to my professor) - in fact, my rough draft received the highest grade in the class!  I just want to add a few more things to it so that it can pass my standards as well as my professor's.

In my European military history class tonight, our very dear professor announced that he is canceling the last two book reviews, so now I only have to read the remaining two books, not write about them.  Book reviews have gotten to be easy for me (I mean, sheesh, they're only three pages long - I can churn one out in under an hour in a pinch now), but it's still nice to no longer have to do them for that class.

In another class, however, I am growing ever more concerned.  I like the professor personally (he's brilliant), but I am frustrated that I have no idea how I'm doing in the class. Plus, I keep feeling like I'm somehow not grasping the full point of the books. I just don't seem to like them as much as he does.

Since my work is nearly done in two of my three classes, I am suddenly aware of a strange phenomena that will be occurring in my life this week:  free time.  I actually have the time this week to read for fun, rollerblade, sleep for a full eight hours, cook something complicated . . . wow, the possibilities seem endless!  Knowing me, I'll probably just use it to get ahead on my reading and research for one of my summer classes.