Ceilidh Practice, and Wine and Cheese: A Scottish Week

Whew. I have been drowning in schoolwork, supervisor duties, and stress.

Last night I took a brief break from all the craziness, and went to a practice ceilidh dance to prepare for the St Andrews Anniversary Ball that I'm going to on Saturday night (I'm really looking forward to it!!).

I was late due to the schoolwork craziness, but managed to practice four dances, and remembered how fun it is! I also saw some friends I've made in the St Andrews Alumni Club of Toronto, who are some of the most kind people I know.

Last Saturday night the aforementioned Club held a wine and cheese. This was kind of the anniversary for me, since the first event I ever attended was last year's wine and cheese. And I had a great time both nights. This year, one of the men I worked with on the St Andrews Dinner in Honour of the President and Vice-Chancellor, etc. gave me a lot of good advice about networking and getting a job. Getting a career. I really enjoyed listening, and that conversation motivated me to actually start asking people for informational interviews and the like. Anyway, I also had a great time talking to other people, some new, some I remembered from the year before.

It's definitely been fun getting away from the work and stress, but it sure didn't lessen the overall amount of either. Which means I should probably get started on the next thing...

November Resolutions Update:
I just remembered I posted about my November resolutions, and in going back through them I discovered that I have, indeed, managed to follow at least three of them (grad school does not equal life; I will get out more; I will spend less time in front of my computer). Unfortunately, I have hardly eaten five meals at home this month.

November Resolutions.

I've been neglecting this blog. I feel vaguely guilty, but only vaguely, because I don't actually have time for concentrated guilt. If you've been waiting for a post, my sincerest apologies.

I know most people write down their resolutions on New Year's Eve (or Day), but as I've never really felt a connection with that "holiday", I decided a couple of years back that resolutions were better made during periods of change in my life. So, I made resolutions in February, after I quit my job and applied to grad school. And I made new resolutions when I got to grad school. And now, I'm going to re-do them again, because I'm burning out, and I need a new perspective like tuna need deep water.

I'm not alone, either - a lot of my fellow second years are also struggling with motivation, workload, expectations, and the bleak career future. Lots of us are also struggling to juggle the other brightly colored balls labeled "student jobs" and "volunteering." So. Here are my resolutions, which should last throughout the rest of the academic year, and maybe beyond, but I sort of expect to be making new ones as I furiously hunt for a career-related job after graduation.

1. Grad school does not equal life. This also falls under Keeping Perspective. I will work toward an even work-life balance that includes twice-weekly exercise (soccer and swimming, for now), solitude, recreation with friends, eight hours of sleep, time outside, and household chores, in addition to schoolwork and volunteering responsibilities.

2. I will eat healthily, and at home. For many reasons, most importantly a shortage of disposable funds, and health and comfort.

3. I will get out more. I have a habit of staying home, but that never leads to adventures. I require time outdoors and in the company of others in order to be happy.

4. I used to work only when I could focus 100% on the work I was doing. Meaning, if I was hopping on and off Facebook, Gmail, and Google Reader, I wasn't working efficiently, and I might as well take a break and come back to the work later. This works when I don't have more work than I do focus, which is sometimes the case, but does wonders when I have time for focused work and relaxed breaks.

5. Do you find that music alters your mood? I do. Sometimes, I think it makes focusing more challenging. Thus, I will try to listen only to productivity-enhancing music, such as classical music, when I am working. The latest Florence + the Machine album is reserved for strictly non-working hours.

6. I will prioritize my responsibilities to other people, over responsibilities to classes and assignments.

7. I will spend less time in front of my computer. 

The underlying foundation for all these resolutions? I only have this one life to live.

Book History

Hot Yam! That Gazpacho Was Good!

Yesterday I finally left my apartment to see people, after several days of limiting my experiences to my apartment, my friend's Netflix account (I've recently become hooked on MI-5, known in the UK by its more appealing title, Spooks), the library, and of course, the grocery store.

I meant to get up early, as I always mean to, but when I finally dragged my lazy self out of bed, I had just enough time to get ready for lunch, at the Hot Yam "lunch party" on campus, which operates every Thursday around (you guessed it!) lunchtime. For $4 guests receive an intimidatingly full plate of all-vegan lunch. Sadly, having had breakfast less than two hours before I got there, I didn't have the appetite to do justice to all that food. However, I really did enjoy the gazpacho. A perfect, very well-done complement to a hot, humid afternoon, indeed. We sat on the lawn in front of the building to eat, fending off ants and other small, many-legged critters while catching up on each others' exciting (or not-so-exciting, in my case) summers.

Today, it's back to work, this time drafting a proposal for the student conference.

In other news, it turns out that too many silly people voted for The Tourist at next week's Harbourfront Center Free Flick, so I won't be attending - instead, I'm scrounging around trying to find a place to watch Cairo Time, and in a last-ditch effort to see it sometime in the near future, will no doubt eventually put a "Cairo Time" post-it note on my computer monitor.

Party like it's... 1413? Happy Anniversary, St Andrews!

Last night the St Andrews Alumni Club of Toronto hosted the Principal and Vice Chancellor of St Andrews University, Louise Richardson, for a black-tie dinner at the Royal York in celebration of the 600th anniversary of the university.

Aside from a few minor glitches, and in planning anything, there will always be one or two, the event went off without a hitch. Approximately 85 guests showed up, everyone dressed snazzily, and mingled with refreshments before the dining room opened. I spent most of this time handing out name cards and answering the question, "where is the coat room?"

If I had a digital camera, this post would include pictures, but sadly, such is not the case.

At any rate, we sat down to dinner with a slide show of Googled images of St Andrews (and Kate Middleton posing in her underwear - a picture that just sold for an obscene amount of money in London) and beautiful live harp music in the background. The salad was the best part of the dinner, except for the rolls. Having worked a few weddings last summer, I wasn't really surprised.

Between the main course and dessert, Doug Gibson traveled around the room with a mic, gathering stories from anyone interested in sharing their St Andrews experiences with the rest of the room. The first speaker was a woman who graduated in 1944!!

After dinner Louise Richardson addressed the guests, and did a wonderful job. I was very impressed with what she had to say and with her plans for the university. I hope she achieves the things she's set out to do. Recent graduates might be interested to know that the new library project had to be scrapped due to little to no financial support from the government, and instead the less-costly renovation plans have focused on increasing seating ... and books. The university has bought land out by Guardbridge in order to house graduate students and unused library stores, among other things - and I believe some of that acreage has been earmarked for a bio-mass plant. She mentioned other interesting projects, but sadly I didn't take notes and can't remember any more. She fielded several questions about tuition (no mention of the outrageous hikes in England), the library, student demographics, and the Prince and soon-to-be-Princess's visit to the campus last month. Apparently the couple has fond memories of their experiences there. Who doesn't, I would like to know?

Which reminds me. Of course the biggest piece of news surrounding the university at this time is not, as you might think (but you probably know better), the university's anniversary, but rather the university's status as top matchmaking university in the [world]. Taking advantage of this were GlobalTV, who attended the event in order to interview any guests who met and fell in love with their partners while at St Andrews. Somewhat unflatteringly, the Principal and Vice Chancellor gave half the credit for this status to "isolation." Hmm. Making the best of a small selection, perhaps? I kid.

Door prizes were awarded, I stood up to be acknowledged for my role in the planning of the event, and walked home with the centerpiece, a small bush of Scottish heather - but that completes the surfeit of interesting news about the event.

The Proper Way to Remove a Staple...

... Involves a spatula.

Seriously, that's what the tool is called. It looks like a miniature spatula, and although it makes the staple-removing process cleaner, it also makes it more arduous.

This, among other things, I learned at a special "crash course" that took place this past Saturday on the conservation and preservation of rare materials and museum artifacts. The two instructors gave very interesting presentations, one of which was on "conservation concerns," meaning things like insect poo, vermin and pest management, disaster plans, the hazards posed by visitors, moving giant ceramic Chinese horses so they can be transported to the next city on their world tour, and safe lighting for artwork. The other focused on rare books and paper conservation. We learned a bit of the history of paper (for example tumors that grow on trees, called "galls," cause discoloration and deterioration of paper) and the proper techniques to use in ordering and organizing archival material. These included removing both metal and plastic paper clips, unfolding folded sheets, and as I mentioned, staple-removal. Then we got to practice these on as-yet unprocessed archival files.

Overall, a very fun and unique way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

I'll Leave Hibernation to the Bears, And the Snakes

No matter how hard I try to entertain myself in my warm, cozy apartment, it just never works for longer than a day. I might have a short attention span. Or I might have a serious aversion to doing things like chores, and mending, and ... other things "around the house."

Today is the second day I've been at home, and although I spent an entertaining forty minutes working out, and some productive time (read: one hour) working, I've been watching t.v. shows that, frankly, I'm not that interested in, and napping.

I'm getting stir-crazy. Cabin fever. Restless.

Tomorrow I'm going out. At least for a little while. Break up the monotony. Apparently, even though daydreaming and surfing the internet aimlessly is supposed to start the creative juices flowing, it's not something I've mastered. Yet.

Sugar High

It's more like a Sugar Crash at this point, but I still remember the giddiness of the high! The library just had a special event that was all about cupcakes. Just cupcakes! I had three. I needed to celebrate turning in four essays in the past week. (Rationalization is key to living a guilt-free life... sometimes).

Having turned in those essays, I have a few days to relax. Not everything this past week was about the essays, though. I've been doing a lot of volunteering and projects with the alumni club and the library.

Yesterday I finally got my first look at the rare books in the library! I wrote useful (I hope they're useful) notes about them, such as their condition, the binding, whether or not anybody had written marginalia in them... Fun stuff, really. Nerdy stuff, too, I guess.

Because I have a big mouth (read: I love sharing and talking about the exciting things I'm doing), I also orientated a friend today, who will be helping me out with the rare books project now, and probably doing some reference desk seat-warming, as well. While I was demonstrating website functions and other such important details, we decided to have another look at the rare books, and pick one out that we thought a likely candidate for some special treatment. Found one in a box that said "fragile" or words to that effect, and, opening it, discovered a text from 1854 (I can't remember the subject) with marginalia. Marginalia! My new obsession. Okay, so there weren't a lot of notes, but the front cover and first blank page did contain a note from the editor to the recipient, who happened to be the editor's father-in-law, or some other in-law, as well as a mark of ownership. Thrilling.

Don't Ask Me to Juggle

By now you know all about my extra-curricular activities, which mostly involve volunteering at fun places, and you're quite possibly also aware that I really am gaining valuable (and fun!) learning and work experience while volunteering.

I'm enjoying those activities (and the soccer games and swim appointments) so much, in fact, that I would much rather concentrate on them, than on my schooling. Which is when I start barely-catching that blue-colored ball that has "essays" written all over it. If I hadn't already decided that I'm in school for more than the marks I receive on essays and exams, I'd be feeling pretty low right about now. For the first time in my life (yes, I've been privileged) I'm paying my own insanely expensive tuition fees, and to not be taking advantage of all the, err, advantages of being at school, well... you can see where I'm going.

So it's a good thing I'm also doing my best to make connections, to network, and to build up my work experience. By juggling the bright, orange and green balls labeled "Hart House Library" and "event planning." Also known as procrastination. Which is, in fact, what I'm doing right now, instead of pulling together my notes for one of the two essays due on Monday.

Best. Saturday. Lunch. EVAR!

I might have mentioned I'm on a party-planning subcommittee for the Toronto St Andrews Alumni Club. If I haven't, consider it mentioned.

I'm still thinking it might have been a rash decision, but I'm sure it was also a "right" decision. As in, the right decision. Not only do I get to experience the ins and outs of planning a black-tie affair, but I get to go to said black-tie affair, and it turns out I get to attend free Saturday lunches - with menus that include white wine (who else loves pairing white wine and lunch? Raise your hand.), quiche lorraine, turkey t-something-French (made of ground turkey and what tasted like cloves, in pie pastry. mmmmm), salad, beets, fruit and shortbread. Being a grad student, I never eat as well as this! So I told my hosts I'd be happy to make it a weekly event. (Yes, I was joking).

It turns out that I'm responsible for online ticketing liaising, and I get to attend meetings with the hotel's (the black-tie affair is being held at the Royal York) party planning representative, among no doubt various other little things.

The catch? I also have to write four papers in the next two weeks. Ask me how many of those I've started. Wait. Don't.

We Lost, but that was Fun, too.

Tonight I went to the first intramural indoor soccer game of the semester. And my first intramural anything game. Ever. And the first time I can recall that I've been inside a huge air-supported, heated dome. We played in a virtual bubble. Maybe a real bubble, at that.

Originally, I'd signed up for the recreational level of play, thinking that five years of not-playing is long enough that I might look a tad foolish out there. However, it looks as though we got dumped into the intermediate level, probably because there weren't enough women who signed up to play indoor soccer (the men have four teams).

The important part is that I played soccer for the first time in five years. I discovered it's kind of like riding a bike. Before I realized it, I was calling "man on" and "time" and all those other phrases used in soccer (or am I out of date? I don't know...), and remembering not to reach (that one took a few mistakes to re-learn, in fact). I also found out how out of shape I really am, when I got all out of breath after a few minutes' play. It's kind of comforting, and gratifying, to realize that I haven't lost all skill, just familiarity.

As I started playing, all my memories of five years ago and the last time I'd played five-on-five on fake turf suddenly crowded up to the front of my mind, and the time faded away like I'd just played last week. For a moment or three, I really felt like I was back in undergrad, playing on one of the three outdoor mini-fields on Tuesday evenings, which were our "optional" practices (in fact, I rarely went). Wearing layers against the cold, running across other playing fields to get the out-of-bounds balls, smelling of turf and wind and sweat, walking back through the gym and climbing in my window so I wouldn't have to walk all the way 'round to the front door. It felt odd, though that's a bit of an understatement.

Now if only I could attach muscle memory to the remaining Italian in my brain, maybe I could re-learn that just as quickly...

Burns Night Supper

To sum up the last few weeks, I've been getting back into the swing of grad school, and avoiding reading, studying and writing. They haven't been very productive weeks...

But that's not what this post is about. This is another post about the wonderful people of the St Andrews Alumni Club in Toronto. And Robbie Burns Night.

Last night was Robbie Burns night. And the first time I'd celebrated the "holiday" since I was a young, impressionable first-year at university. At the time, I had no idea what I was getting into, when I was volunteered to stab the haggis after the reading of "Address to a Haggis." Last night, one of the alumni demonstrated the talent it takes to do it properly. A friend of mine has a video - I'll see if I can't get him to send it to me so I can add it later.

The haggis was delicious, the neeps and tatties, too; the company delightful, and the AGM short and witty. I somewhat rashly volunteered to help prepare for a high-profile dinner and event happening in March. This should light a fire under me to get started and finished with my work, but I've a feeling the influence of the cold, snowy winter weather is just too strong...

Speaking of which, I should get back to it. (Work, that is, not winter.)

Advent, Day 10

Wow. Ten days already! I just handed in my last assignment today! Woot woot!!

So this afternoon, after a nap, I'm going to brave the snow (yes, again) and cold to take a trip downtown to see the designer Christmas tree exhibit on at the Gardiner Museum. Some neat facts about going to the Gardiner, which I learned yesterday:

• It's open until 9pm on Fridays
• Post-secondary students are FREE on Tuesdays with ID
• 30 years of age and under FREE on Fridays after 4pm with ID (this is why we're going today)
• The museum focuses on ceramics, with Italian Renaissance ceramics (for example) and a research library for ceramic studies
• Chef Jamie Kennedy foodstuffs available at the restaurant, on Fridays from 11am - 9pm.
• There's also an exhibit on The Tsar's Cabinet, which looks intriguing and fascinating. Might try to take a peek at that tonight, too. 

Tomorrow, look for me at the Christmas Market in the Distillery district.

A Tale of Two Networking Opportunities

The first networking opportunity: Having volunteered at a CRRS (Center for Reformation and Renaissance Studies) conference on Book History and Print Culture back in October, I received an invitation to a gratitude reception that took place last week. I went alone, expecting to see a few people I knew, but also  knowing I'd have to make an effort to network and meet new people. I was welcomed by the people I knew, and introduced myself to a woman sitting alone on a couch - we chatted. I learned from one of the women I'd worked with at the conference that there is an opportunity coming up for interdisciplinary work with CRRS, with which I hope to get involved.

The second: A couple of months ago, new to Toronto, I came across the alumni club for my old university, and made up my mind to go to their next event, which was held last night. After much internal deliberation (The semester ends on Friday, and of course I have mountains of work) I decided not to back out in cowardly fashion. I expected a similar experience to the one I'd had earlier this week, but nothing could be further from reality. From the moment we walked in, we were welcomed, our names given, received and remembered, and everyone there made an effort to talk to the new people and find out who we were, etc... in short, they are wonderful people. I made two networking connections in addition to the social connections I hope to keep. I sincerely look forward to their next event, a Burns' Night celebration in January.

Advent: Day 5

I spent too much time being sociable this weekend. Went to a reception and a party on Thursday, and last night immensely enjoyed a wine and cheese with alumni from my undergraduate university in Toronto. This means I got much less work done than I planned, and that I've neglected my Advent Calendar.

Let's see. I spent a few minutes looking at my Christmas lights on the 2nd, listened to White Christmas with Bing Crosby on the 3rd, and failed entirely to do anything Christmas-y yesterday, which was taken up with being a grad student.

Here's the White Christmas version with Rosemary Clooney, who's a favorite of mine.

So I guess today I've watched a snippet of the movie White Christmas.

Pie for Breakfast

I've been eating pumpkin pie for breakfast all weekend, and of course loving it, because isn't pie one of the best breakfasts ever? At least, that's how I feel about pie for breakfast. I lie and tell myself that because it has pumpkins, or apples, or peaches in it, it's healthy. This time it's pumpkin, and it's left over from Thanksgiving.


Being in Canada, and not having many American friends (they're probably off to places like Europe, if they study abroad, because who goes to Canada if they can help it, right?) I thought I'd miss out on Thanksgiving, my second favorite holiday. But I got lucky - I happened to run into another American, whose roommate is American, and so she invited me to their mini celebration dinner. 


The highlights: 


1. Nobody'd made cranberry sauce, so we had cranberries with vodka. In juice form. 


2. We had chicken, instead of turkey, because we're still students, no matter that we're graduate students, and turkeys are frozen and HUGE. What student has an oven that big? 


3. I drafted myself to make the pumpkin pie, because I love making and baking pies, and really they're the only kind I like to eat. Homemade pies, that is. I had this recipe that called for anise seeds in the crust to give it an "Italian" flavor, but naturally my small neighborhood grocery store didn't have anise seeds. My crust recipe yields enough for a bottom crust and a top crust, and I got the really large can of pumpkin, so I got two pies for the effort of one! Which is why I can have pie for breakfast this weekend. Turns out my pie was a big hit (it's all about the cream-instead-of-condensed-milk). 


4. I was tired, but not hungover, for my Friday morning class. 

Yahoo! Pipes!

If you look closely, you might find a new item on my page down at the bottom right, just above my usually-inane Tweets. Check it out!

One of the many things I thought I'd never do but find myself doing in this Masters of Information program, is designing/developing a Yahoo! Pipe. Turns out it's one thing I really enjoy. But I guess that's not surprising, given how much I enjoy other Web 2.0 apps like blogging, Twitter, Facebook, etc. If you're not familiar with the idea, it allows you to connect websites, images, RSS feeds, maps, and much more, in a mash-up format. Mine's a plain old list, right now. I'm still learning the basics, but have definitely enjoyed putting the first one together, which is mainly about fashion, one of my extracurricular interests.

So. Have a look at the Pipe, tell me what you think... especially if you know how to add the results of a Google image search!

Nap Time as Metaphor for Essay Writing

I'm currently working on a hypothetical response to a request for a proposal regarding a hypothetical oil spill off the coast of Newfoundland. My goal is to design and discuss implementation for an information system that facilitates communication and effective goal-achievement in the recovery efforts. It might be the most difficult paper I've written. It involves analyzing a case study; many many summaries; responding to specific requirements; justifying my choice of requirements to address and the order in which I've prioritized them; considering problems and guidelines for implementation of the information system; and drawing a model of the information system. Whew!

So, it's due tomorrow afternoon, and I still have two or four of those subjects to cover, the model to draw and discuss, and the usual editing, revising and proofreading.

This morning I've finally gone over my analysis, which is what the rest of the paper is actually based on. (The solution has to fix the stated problem, right?) So, briefly, I feel more comfortable about being able to answer all the sections appropriately and well.

Which brings me to the metaphor. I recall very well one particular nap time in elementary school, I believe it was first grade. Back then I hated nap time, like most kids (what was I thinking?), and usually spent at least part of it chatting to my next-mat neighbor. One day we had to take a memory test. My name was whispered, so I got up and walked outside to the little table by the door where the teacher told me a story, which I was supposed to repeat back to her. I failed. At the time, I couldn't remember why my teacher got so mad at me. She told me I could try again later, and even though I protested that I could do it then, I got sent back to my mat. The second time, I realized how easy the task actually was. All it required was my attention, and applying myself.

I realize now I've not been paying attention to the story I've been trying to tell, and that paying attention to it is all I really need to do to succeed. I guess I'll find out if this metaphor still holds when I get my assignment back in a few weeks. Here's hoping it does!

CRRS Conference: Rethinking Early Modern Print Culture

Just got home from the second round of a two-day annual conference (the title is in the title of this post, naturally) and of course find a cold apartment and nothing to bake! My strategy of cooking just to warm up my apartment won't work today, I guess.

But to get to the interesting part, I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to go to this conference, because the department that puts it on is actually the Center for Reformation and Renaissance Studies, and no other conference in years past or future will have as much to do with my degree as this one did. An international conference, I briefly chatted with natives of France and Italy, and the keynote speaker works at Oxford. I went to some fascinating (and not-so-fascinating) panels, nodded off through a few of them, but took good notes in most, and helped arrange, clean up and register attendees. Also, I snagged lots of great scones and cookies. Not to mention I got a free book, with another potential one on the way. Depending on how many other volunteers want it.

Some of the topics included the economics of the European book trade in the early modern period, marginal notes in Renaissance texts, and collated volumes of plays by different authors.

I brought my books with me and did some reading today, which turned out to be a popular conversation-starter. Apparently two or three attendees have read the same texts, and freely gave me their opinions on them.

And now, after a very full Friday and Saturday, I have not gotten much reading done, have tons left to do, and am so knackered all I can think about is sleep.

Meeting My Advisor for the First Time

Toronto's advising program is great. They put every master's student (junior scholar) with an advisor whose interests match said student's interests.

My advisor is working, researching and teaching in my collaborative program subject area.

I sit down and we start chatting, and he keeps throwing out things about me that sound like they're from my application. So I notice he's done his homework (which is great, because I didn't), making it easier to converse and of course, draw me out on one of my favorite topics: me.

To wrap things up, I just want reiterate how much I really, really want to be studying this subject, so I suggest that he may remember in my application that I said this is one of the main reasons I decided to study at U of T. Without missing a single beat, he nods and says, "It was your first sentence."

I wanted to laugh. My first sentence? Seriously? Oh right, that's how desperate eager I was to get in. Sometimes I should give myself just a little more credit for, er, motivation.

Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to the program.