What Accent, You Tie-Wearing Weird-Ass?

Undergrad Brats

There are three apartments on the lot where I live, so I share the yard space with a bunch of guy undergrads. They kind of suck. One reason they kind of suck is that they have campfires in the back yard starting at 12 a.m. and going until 4 a.m. Whatever wood they use for these fires is maybe soaked in bacon grease or something because it has a weird smoky/meaty smell. They also throw beer cans into the fire. On one hand, I sort of think it is awesome that they can pretend campfire on the weekends, but on the other hand, it stinks, it's dirty, and it's right under my window.


Data Crunching Satisfaction

School got really busy starting this week. I spent probably 20 hours downloading Census data and formatting it. When my head was on the verge of exploding (and after I spilled a cup of hot coffee on my hand and cried for 10 minutes in the campus bookstore bathroom) I was able to step back and realize this: grad school is not fun right now but I probably am learning some skills to be a better planner and policy maker. Whoo. I also spent the entire Friday in the library doing data crunching, but came out with a strangely high amount of self-satisfaction for getting so much work accomplished. Weird.


My Accent?

I have now been asked twice about my "Wisconsin accent." The first time someone asked me about it, it went one ear and out the other. The second time I was like, "I have a Wisconsin accent?" and people were like, "Oh YEAH!" It's news to me. I guess I've never lived outside my home region where I could "have an accent." I've also never lived in a region where they wear ties and seer-sucker pants to a football game. They say: it's more refined. I say: it's more uptight.

Other things they haven't heard of down here: the movie "Shortbus," and eye surgery for Asians.