The nicest part of TAing the Peru class?

Extended time with graduate students who aren't interested in PhDs and are still idealistic, upbeat, and full of romance over the belief that public health can make a difference. Sometimes I feel that being cleared to graduate with a PhD happens once all the love and enthusiasm for the field has been beaten out of you... slowly... until you can barely articulate what it is you are doing, why it matters, and why you matter.

Since returning, my contact at the church (where I'm suppose to be holding interviews, starting tomorrow) has disappeared and the pastor is not responding to email or phone calls. I'm feeling awkward, uncertain, and frustrated, and in general... just feeling like this darn thing is never going to happen. It's not that I can't figure out a next step, it's just that the steps themselves are grating on me.

Which is why this resonated with me today:

Peru, the trip, the work... The Start.

We've been back in the States a week and I'm still figuring out how to write about our three weeks in Peru. Part of the issue is that my trusty notebook, with all my travel notes and thoughts, went AWOL about a day after we arrived home. Another issue is the nature of the work... I'm unsure of some of the ownership details of the photographs I took and feel that if I put them online before the Magazine has chosen which they are using that I could get in a sticky situation. The third issue is workflow, which does not exist. This issue relates to how we store photographs, how I process them, and the tools I use to do all of the above. Paul has a great storage system arranged for us... it just takes me hours to use it because my little 'puter can't handle much, doesn't have much in terms of software, and has display problems. The new baby has been ordered, so that last issue should be somewhat fixed in another week or so. Until then, all I'm really doing is cropping photos and trying to organize them.


Some lessons learned about photography gigs:

-- They get harder when the gig is everyday for 3 weeks. It's hard to keep up with the volume, keep equipment ready and waiting, and stay fresh. (That said, I totally loved every minute.)

-- Make sure your cameras have the same time/date set. I didn't do this and because we used two cameras, putting the photos in a chronological order is an ongoing nightmare. Combined with how S.L.O.W. it is to do anything with the photos from my computer, it is a real time-sink... but completely necessary.

-- I was up late every night emptying memory cards, checking back-ups to make sure everything was safe, trying to upload backup copies to our home network, and checking that equipment was charged and ready for the next day. These things all sound easy, but were actually very difficult when you've been up since 3:30am (we had many days that started before 5am)... the bottom line is that Paul was my saving grace for everything. As always. The perfect partner for all of the work of the trip.

-- Anytime you find yourself asking whether you should take something, the answer is YES. Every Darn Time we asked, 'should we take the tripod?' or 'should we take the flash?' or said 'maybe we should only take one camera'... every single time we went with the pesky thought, we regretted it. Bottom line: haul it all.

-- I am ready for a battery pack. Bring on the weight.

-- Although we were in many situations where pick-pockets are plentiful, crime goes unchecked, and poverty and desperation are high... I never, ever felt myself to be more at risk because of my camera(s). Yes, we watched ourselves. Yes, we were smart. Yes, we traveled in groups and always had guides who knew the community. But in the end, I actually think that having the GEAR made me/us more conspicuous. The cameras stood out so much that theft would have been obvious. Better to slink away with a pocket camera than a several pound beast with a wide angle lens attached. Plus, I typically had conversations with those I photographed and explained who I was, what I was doing, and what it was for -- this opened a ton of doors for us. While there were some who requested I not photograph, more often than not, people not only were happy to be photographed but offered suggestions and help.

-- If I ever do this again, I will approach it completely differently. I didn't fully grasp how to handle both roles (teaching assistant AND photographer/photojournalist) until the end of the class. It took a few days of doing both to see what worked and what didn't.


If I could leverage this type of photography within public heath work on a regular basis... wow. Even thinking about it is overwhelming.

Fish market pictures are up. There is a short description there, too...

Quick note for important legislation in Louisiana

Latinola has a link to an editorial in the T-P regarding pending legislation in Louisiana regarding immigrants. (Have I mentioned how much I love the colors of Latinola´s website?)

I´ve taken the time to write local officials and hope others will, too. Here is some information...

Listed below are all the immigration bills, plus one resolution that have been filed:

Ø HB 1357 by Rep. Geymann (District 35, Lake Charles) creates the crime of harboring, concealing, or sheltering an alien. (passed House floor waiting to be heard by Senate Committee)

Ø HB 1358 by Rep. Geymann (District 35, Lake Charles) creates crime of unlawful transportation of an illegal alien. (passed House floor waiting to be heard by Senate Committee)

Ø HB 25 by Rep. Geymann (District 35, Lake Charles) requires police officers to verify citizenship of every person they arrest. (passed House floor waiting to be heard by Senate Committee)

Ø HB 1365 by Rep. Burns (District 89, Mandeville) requires that landlords verify legal status of aliens (passed Committee waiting to be heard on House Floor)

Estamos Aqui

Three flights, no delays, Green taxi, no hitches.

Some notes: Spirit does not give anything on flights... no drinks, snacks, or meals. Drinks and snacks are available only for credit card purchase... when their credit card machine is working. Pack a dinner.

Even with lack of meal on 6 hour flight, Spirit was worth it because we booked early and paid an extra $20 for one of 8 "big front seat" seats. Awesome.

Paul and I are sharing a 'habitacion matrimonal' with a shared bathroom in One Hostel in Barranco, which has it's own facebook page. It's very clean.

So far, the constant soundtrack has been 80s pop... Tears for Fears, Eurthymics, Men Without Hats. Resting and settling tomorrow... Monday morning we start with the course orientation.

The Recap.

The last three weeks.

We had a week-long visit from:
Nana. Who brought presents, time, patience, and recipes. The day she left, Kate wandered around calling "Naaaaa-Naaaah, Where ARE youuuuuuu?" (Subtext: "Save me from these crazy people!")
Having a third adult in the house was a huge relief. It was also well-timed, because the day she left and returned us to a house of two adults, we downloaded a child.

He was thrilled to be spending almost a week away from home, his parents, and his particularly his sister. In Will's words: "Mommy, I needed a break from that crazy girl. She's too much for me." I dropped Will off with my Mom in Gulfport (our half-way meeting place) and he joined Granna and PapPap on a trip to visit my brother and sister-in-law. (My incredible sister-in-law, who by all accounts spent 5 hours a day on the floor re-reading the same books and cards so patiently to the-ever-curious-Will, has posted adorable photos from the trip.)

While Will was away from home for the longest time ever, Paul turned 38 on May 5th. This is remarkable only because I told at least 3 people that he was turning 36. I also wrote that I was 30 on a doctor's form a few months ago and only realized the mistake because "date of birth" and "today's date" were close enough together to make me do the math. I'm not forgetting little things, I'm actually forgetting years. It must mean that it's time for us to have some sort of life crisis.

Also on Cinco de Mayo, our friends Alex and Dawit were married. (The wedding date was chosen because it's Alex's birthday, too.) In between a day of picking up tiles, switching cars, dropping off kids, and buying paint, I took photos of the event and you can see them here.

Meanwhile, back at the station, the house continues.

Drywall took a long time. There were delivery problems. Supply problems. And daily layers of drywall dust... dirty, gritty, drywall dust... ALL OVER the bedrooms and hallway each evening to mop, dust, polish, and wash off. And, we're back to no washer and dryer. Still, the crew (comprised of a husband and wife) did a very good job.

Here's the site of the future cat-door to Scout's litter-box "room" under the washer and dryer.
Outside, Paul spent a good 20 hours on the roof over 2 days. It's done, although these pictures show it as still-in-progress.

Now that it's done, I'm thinking we may finally be able to remove the ever-present can of Goo Gone from our shower?
We discovered that Kate can work the garden hose. WATCH OUT.
Note that Will's head is soaking wet. Coincidence with that last picture? I think not.
Kate also discovered an obsessive love of ice. Workers (read: Daddy) must carefully guard their precious cups ice water, lest it be plundered by the Sweet Pea with the dirty hands.
Also: Kate loves Crabby Jack. Oysters. Shrimp. And duck. (Domilise's for Roast Beef, though, of course.)
Kate turned 2 and got presents. Including ELMO UNDERWEAR from Gwen & Co. Here she is, putting on Every Single Pair.
And dancing.
My Fellowship Year officially began with our Orientation Retreat. At first it was going to be an overnight event, but it was shortened to a Really Long Day in Baton Rouge. Who knew the LSU campus was so darn pretty??? The group is inspiring and interesting; I left the day feeling an unexpected excitement for the coming year. We did a variety of team-building exercises, including ropes. I surprised myself by having fun, and realizing that my recently-developed fear of heights is more extreme than I thought. I was Very Impressed with the folks that climbed the 60 foot pole, stood up, and jumped for the trapeze. Here's Jonathan, the only one to touch the bar, in one of my favorite pictures from the day:
This one of Kemi is probably my favorite:
Meanwhile, back at the station, drywall finished. Tile started.
Tomorrow, the base of the washer/dryer platform will be grouted and trimmed... so we're hoping to have these back by Wednesday?Paul ALMOST finished the plumbing today while I wrangled kids and house. The tub plumbing is hooked up and tested perfectly. The ONE LEAK in his intricate shower plumbing? It wasn't from a failed joint... it was a failed PIPE.
The darn elbow had a crack and hole. When Paul went to Lowe's to get another elbow, he came home with the wrong kind. When he went back to trade, they were closed. As was Home Depot. Plumbing to Paul is like Cryptonite to Superman. Utterly defeated and forced to wait until the morning... because, after all, tomorrow is another day.

Sucking Eggs.

When Judy Seward died and Gwen and I talked about what I should say at her memorial ceremony, we came up with a very clear and direct reason we were so close to her: we trusted Mrs. Seward with our lives because she trusted us with hers. She was open and honest, tried for anything and everything, and never held back. She taught me to live this same way. And although I've been burned by my openness, my trust, and my tendency to over-give, over-care, and over-commit, I am happy that my problem is putting in too much rather than not putting in enough.

I'm a hard worker, a dreamer, a goal-getter, and someone who always works through problems... I don't give up, walk away, or stop believing. I'd rather jump in and be part of the solution than stand back and complain. Complaint is easy. Not trying is easy. You can't get hurt when you don't put yourself out there; it doesn't feel bad when you lose something you didn't put your whole self into.

I found out that I did not get the writing year dissertation award I applied for in November (announcements were posted yesterday; I checked it this afternoon). Granted, I haven't gotten the mailed letter yet so maybe there is a chance I'm an alternate or something but I'm not holding my breath. I can't. It's all been knocked out of me.

Sometimes I feel that people expect me to always get everything I try for, as if I am blessed with some perfect formula or go through the world with a chosen glow that just sets me apart. Neither of these are true. I just try. Hard. Again and again. And I get rejected -- a lot. At some point, I need to talk here of my research... my 2+ years of experience with newly arrived Spanish-speaking families, the abuse, the children, the teenagers trafficked in an underground sex trade... these things that I have seen, heard, and felt. These things that no one believes are happening. But this isn't the time. Right now, this is about my want of recognition and support. I really really really wanted this. It was personal more than professional. I was looking for this to boost me into the next phase of what I have to do.

Instead, I have to find a way to jump up in the next five minutes and just go-go-go into the rest of this week and weekend. No time to stop and lick my wounds, or find a place of strength to draw from. No time to plan what we are going to do without the extra money we were hoping for this next school year. I gave out everything I had, but there is no time to look for something to fill that empty place back up. It's not something I'm unaccustomed to doing, it's just that I need to say that it is hard, it sucks, and sometimes I wish I could wallow in my disappointment and slowly recover on my own time... if only I had my own time.

When I complain that a graduate student's time is never valued, this is great example of what I mean.

Stanley Lemeshow is speaking tomorrow afternoon at Tulane SPH&TM/Medical School. It is wonderful opportunity; we all have read Lemeshow. His talk is "Assessing the Scale of Continuous Covariates in Logistic Regression Modeling" and YES... if given the choice between dinner out with my husband (something I do, say, twice a year?) and attending this... well, I'd tell Paul we could go to dinner once the Q&A began. (Okay, maybe it'd be alright to skip it if he offered to put out or something; I'm not totally unreasonable.) Anyway, the point is that since Dr. Lemeshow is probably in town for PAA, it makes sense to think that this speaking engagement tomorrow has been scheduled for awhile.

So WHY are doctoral students finding out about it THE DAY BEFORE!?! This makes me crazy. With our doctoral seminar from 12-1, going to Lemeshow's talk from 4-5 completely screws my day and the rest of the week, since I'd have to put off some things, reschedule others, and get even more behind in work than usual. Had I known a week ago, I could have tried to juggle the week's must-dos to make it all work. ARGH!

Gear shopping...

... stresses me out.

I've been avoiding the fact that I still don't have a voice recorder. I have IRB... but don't have a recording device. Today was a research day.... gear research. It feels indulgent.

After Ipod research and review, I think I'm going with a $100-or-less Olympus digital voice recorder. It does everything I need, without attachments and things to loose. I don't need an Ipod and don't want to mess with all the gadgets required for voice recording. I'm trying to decide between a few models and force myself to order tonight. I'm trying not to think of the cost of transcription... ugh.

Tripod research took at huge leap with the recommendation from my Aunt Deb, which lead me to this. Protective case/bag/backpack is the next consideration.

6 billion

I just read Schroeder's interesting post about climate change (well, really, it's about an endorsement, but there is a lot of good stuff in there with it). He excellently shows cool graphs about spring onset and other global climate-related data. What I found interesting was the reference to China, specifically, that "China [is] on a course to match the entire world’s carbon output by 2050" and another, in a graph, related to China's need for coal, which is suppose to match that of the remaining world totaled by 2030.

In Reproductive Health and Population Studies (all areas of focus for us Global Health folk) we talk about China quite a bit. One of the issues that is raised involves the great global hand-smacking we laid on China for it's "One Child Policy," where Chinese families' reproductive rights are limited by law: couples register for permission to have a child and pay steep fines if they have more than the allocated One Child. Interestingly, I've not met many from China who have had much of a problem with this policy... that they are willing to share, at least. While I am not advocating a limit on anyone's reproductive rights, ever, there is an undercurrent of a whisper among the demographer and population studies circles of the world that is sort of like the elephant in the room whenever China is discussed. It goes something like this: "we can't support the policy, but thank goodness they did it...because imagine what we would be facing if they didn't."

In the face of all the current discussion on global warming, and the continued discussion that should rightfully occur, China is a particularly interesting subject.

It begins NOW.

The IRB head-honcho (note: not his official title) sent email notification that my dissertation has been granted Full Board Approval (meaning the recently received consent form changes were accepted), as of TODAY. The Official Letter will be ready for me to pick up in their office next week.

Green light! GO!!

Um.... could someone please remind me what comes next?

Breaking News!

This just in...

Dear Holly,

Congratulations! You have been selected as a 2008-2009 New Orleans Schweitzer Fellow. We are looking forward to the contribution you will make to the community, your class of Fellows, and The Fellows for Life network.

Hooray!!!

It's Official!

I've been holding my breath with excitement and finally today... it's official! I've been hired to TA a short summer course in Peru! It gets better: only part of the job is to TA. The OTHER part of the job is that the Dean's Office is hiring me as a photographer to document the trip for Tulane's Global Health Magazine!

The course includes amazing speakers from a variety of areas; mostly focused on the role of environment in health. The first several days are in and around Lima; then approximately 4-5 days are spent in and around Iquitos, including 2 days floating down the Amazon. It's still being determined what areas in the Andes we'll visit. (La Oroya is the only location on the current itinerary.) This is the third year the course is being offered and the syllabus has been a little different each time.

Even better, Paul is going to come, too!! We're beyond thrilled about the whole thing. Did I mention that I'm getting paid to do this?

But.... some good news!!!!

IRB responded!!

My research went through full board approval -- and no big changes required! NO changes to protocol, questionnaire, or outreach materials. I have to make 6 minor changes to my consent form and turn in the final consent for final approval. The changes include changing "subject" to "participant" on one line and adding a running title to the header on each page. The other changes involve phrasing/wording, which is a little funny to me since, most likely, the consent will rarely (if ever) be given in English. But this is NOT a complaint... I'm very excited!

... and a bit freaked out because now I actually have to officially hire staff and start doing summa' that primary investigator stuff!

Taking me away from Important. Adult. Business.

I SHOULD be spray painting rubber boots, making superhero emblems, and decorating that seriously gorgeous float sitting in our outbuilding. And Emmy just called from the Mardi Gras store... I could be with Emmy in a Mardi Gras STORE!?! My priorities are way out of whack, 'cause that is what I should be doing.

Instead, I'm redoing my consent (or at least complaining about it) because the IRB people don't like that I wrote a sensible, understandable, useful form (in two languages, don't forget that part!) I didn't correctly use their template and didn't have a running footer with the version date. Apparently, you MUST use their ALL canned fill for ALL project submissions, even when it includes stuff about my salary from the research (what?!) and the potential profit in the sale of body parts (hello, this is qualitative research, people!) I understand and respect the IRB process and generally think it's super fantastic that they are mandatory, but seriously... isn't rational thought involved anymore??

Actually, what is pissing me off isn't all of that... bureaucracy I can reasonably handle. I'm ticked that I requested meetings 3 weeks ago to go over these details and was blown off... three times. So I'm irritated that NOW I'm having to make changes. I guess it could be worse... they could've flat out denied me and made me do the whole process again. Aye, when I think about all the trees who gave their lives for this submission...

Important adult business

Hooray and hoorah, I submitted a mammoth-sized pile of documents to IRB today for the Biomedical Review board. Between the multiple copies of everything, the fact that so much of the material had to be in both English and Spanish (with translation certifications), the thing was probably 250+ pages. I practically had to give a blood sample to turn it in... but it's DONE. Fingers are crossed that any review is minor. Time to move on to hiring staff... but that can wait until next week. Important work presses...

Like finishing the paint on the ladder. Adhering superhero names to our costumes. Adjusting my wig. Finding awesome costume bling. Determining which headpiece is the most appropriate for each parade. Important. Adult. Business. Get out the glue gun; it's Carnival time!

What I learned in my PhD

The more I do this PhD thing, the more I learn. Don't confuse this with being trained in your field; that stuff you learn in a post-doc. PhD learning is about learning how to get through a PhD. Unfortunately, I'm not proving to be the best learner in this area... I'm too determined to actually gain something from my experience and catching on a little too late.

Today's lesson: there is a reason why PhD students do not do independent research. PhD students are better off piggy-backing something on a Professor's work agenda because that is THE ONLY WAY TO GET ANY F&%$*!NG attention.

If I weren't okay with just charging ahead on my own with no direction whatsoever, or practiced at getting feedback and advice from other areas (read: other universities, departments, persons outside my chair), then nothing in my degree program would ever happen.

Piles it Higher and Deeper Reflects on NOLA

The guy who draws PhD Comics, Jorge Cham, came through New Orleans on a trip to the Gulf Coast and wrote a comic about some of what he heard and saw in his most recent installment. Click on the comic to go directly to it on the web:

Tin Roof, Rusted (Part II): Party Conversations

One of the people I most enjoyed was a wife of one of Paul's cooler co-workers, who is the Department head of the Math Department of a local high school and teaches AP Calculus and AP Statistics. She and I were discussing the importance of women in Mathematics and Sciences when she came out with this: "I have a class of 28, and each year, about 21 of them are female and all of them consistently outperform their male peers. Our student government is always female. So what I want to know is: WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING IN COLLEGE????"

A brilliant question placed so nicely within the observations and experiences of someone who faces it everyday. What is happening to women?

Once upon a time, Paul and I made similar observations about friends and acquaintences, noticing that they shared the same college: we joked that this particular university had a curious way of beating dreams and aspirations out of women. This particular university is also well-known for having faculty who openly have flirtations and affairs with students -- and write about it -- and maybe this isn't a coincidence. What happens in college, and what happens after, and why is it so toxic to the promising potential in the talents of women?

Maybe it isn't necessarily what happens in college, but is instead what happens afterward? She gets hired by Company X and gets stuck working with the guy with the roaming hands. This guy is pervasive everywhere and is typically one that everyone seems to like (or is maybe tolerated out of some strange peer-pressure fear), and while it's well-known that he is inappropriate, he remains untouched by an indifferent management (make the environment more friendly to women? what is that a requirement of management?) Worse, he may be her boss. Or, her boss totally ignores her, calling in for the first time on the day she resigns. She gets paid less than her male peers, receives less promotions, and is hounded on her personal life (marriage and kids makes a working girl distracted, ya know.) Are all of these things illegal? Well, maybe, but they are all active and real... as part of corporate culture as power ties and pumps. Maybe my use of the word 'corporate' unfairly fingers business, which is not my intent: it is even worse in academia.

So what does the world offer to women, professionally? Well, I'd argue it offers all that it offers to a man -- at a reduced pay, of course -- IF the woman is willing to act like a man.

For a woman to be successful, she must remain aloof, act tough, rough, and hard (which will label her a "cold bitch" but is preferred to the alternative, patronizing treatment). She is constantly observed for signs of female-ness: did she marry, buy a house, or (gasp!) have a baby!? These are all connected to risk within the robot-male business model, where one must have no emotion to any thing but the job, dedicate all time to it, and reject life outside of work. Forget that 30 hours a week of work is the most efficient, connected to more completed in a work week, healthier employees, and a better overall company: you are required to be at work, even if you're not doing anything at all, 12 hours a day, everyday. Not performing at this level is a feminine slip, a sign of weakness, and shows lack of dedication. Want to push back that 4pm meeting to 3pm so that you can make Tommy's soccer game? Tisk, tisk... your priorities are all messed up. (Incidentally, if your male boss makes the same request, he's just "being a good Dad.")

A day of sexual harassment, hours and hours of extra work with little reward, pay out of whack with peers, and diminished opportunities for advancement... who would willing and openly choose this life? Staying home with babies (who actually need to be with their Mothers for more than the ridiculous 6-week window) does not sound like a "choice" but a rational path made by smart women who are lucky to have enough resources available to them so that they do not have to endure the torture of a sexist, hostile work environment.

If the work world was structured to be family friendly: to offer part-time opportunities with benefits (or have university health care so that benefits were not a requirement for families), and work options that allowed for quality jobs with less hours and more flexibility; if maternity leave was reasonable; if childcare was affordable and on-site for nursing mothers... in short, if women and families were valued, then I believe more women would remain in professional positions in all fields. Women "choose" to leave the work force because there is no other choice to make. I don't think it a coincidence that so many women have part-time independent businesses, photography studios, craft endeavors, design consultant services: these are flexible areas where women can control their professional lives. Signs that women want to continue to develop themselves outside of their family identity and responsibilities, but cannot do so in the professional world. So they look for other places to do so.

So what happens to women to take them out of mathematics and sciences (and the professional world, in general?) Well, they get beaten. Enough licks and anyone with a ripcord will pull it to get out.

The whole situation sucks for men, too, who are expected to work, expected to find well-paid employment to support a family, expected to work too much, and expected to not notice that they are missed at home. What would it take to re-think how we work and who we expect to work? Is it too much to encourage young women to think beyond a life in homemaking and allow men to pursue art or craft-making without looking at him as irresponsible?

Tin Roof, Rusted

Not really. Just thought it summed up the weekend.

We're back. Some lessons:

-- Flying without children is a treat, no matter what happens. You can sleep, read, use the bathroom, and actually have that bag of pretzels and cranberry juice from the attendant. These are true luxuries, even when they happen in coach.
-- Shots pushed into your hand from someone who maybe a boss of your spouse is a very different type of peer pressure. Especially when you're the one in the room giving out Mardi Gras beads.
-- I have become the one who can handle cold. Paul complained of impending frostbite in the 20-degree weather on Sunday (granted, that hard wind was bitter, and I was dragging him all over monuments on exposed hillsides) while I surrendered winter gear to ease his pain. Make no mistake: the cold still hurts, but I didn't find it particularly bad -- and my ears were as exposed as Paul's and I was wearing less layers and a lighter jacket. Still, I was shocked when (I-love-hockey) Paul admitted, "there is no way we can ever move to back Michigan." Either he drank so much the night before that his thinned blood couldn't take the cold, or my cross-campus marathons over iced paths and brutal winds hardened me more than I thought. It was a surprise: as long as the sun is shining, 20 degrees and freezing winds are no huge deal to me.
-- We really do love DC. We mean that as DC, the area across the Potomac, where one is taxed without representation. There is no great desire to live there, although we admit that living in the District would not destroy us. Paul is perhaps less interested in the idea as me (and by interested, we mean "not 100% against the idea as something to do if we had to" and by had to, we mean "otherwise would suffer ignoble destruction") -- mostly this is because he is certain that the likelihood of the city being hit by a Really Big Bomb in our lifetime is at the same level of risk of New Orleans' flooding once again. We've done one of the two and would like to stay with experience.


The point of the trip was for Paul and I to attend his company's post-holiday ("no, we always planned it to be a post-holiday") party. Thank goodness for the post-holiday idea, which is a brilliant one. Bummer was that it coincided with Krewe du Vieux and blasted those plans. But it was too hard to not take the opportunity: professionally, socially, politically.

The party was at Clarendon Grill, set in a flashy area of Northern Virginia located near Metro stops and built up with all the accouterments of the urban yuppy: huge Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Whole Foods, Container Store, and even an Apple Store... all glowing new and shiny with 'clean lines' and 'simple design.' It's a fun area; young and hip, single and swinging. The hotel was perched on a hillside 2-blocks from Courthouse Metro and offered easy access to all the area's offerings.

The party was fun, mostly because of some really cool and interesting co-workers. The rest of the fun was due to the incredible band, Gonzo's Nose, a local cover band... a really, really, reeeally good cover band. You can't have a bad time when them on the stage, nor can you avoid the dance floor all night (although Paul gave a valiant attempt, he eventually gave in over "Jessie's Girl" and once broken in, became a permanent fixture to the pit). We brought throws in the requisite Endymion bag... beads of all types, a light-up crawfish, a few spears and tomahawks, Frisbees, some stuffed toys. Just a little NOLA spirit going out in party shwag.

It happened without the aid of alcohol or bribes, really!

I am officially a Candidate for the Doctorate of Philosophy in Public Health.

And hot damn and hallelujah for that. I don't ever have to go through it again! (The candidacy part, that is.)

It wasn't that bad, the 'deliberation' took maybe a minute (one of the shortest I've seen) and the only revision I have to make is to construct the full field guide (usually done collaboratively, but they want me to produce my own full copy before hiring anyone). With some of the questions and discussion that occurred, I was pretty surprised that I wouldn't be doing more. The discussion was extremely supportive and most of the talk was literally about what choices would make things easier on me -- which, in retrospect, was really wise. My committee had a lot of different views and comments and them all hashing over my prospectus was a great lesson in why diverse teams can be strong: it is great to have many viewpoints.

So, my "prospectus results" form was completed with the "approved" box checked. Once I do the changes they want, I turn in the full prospectus to the Dean. Then, I actually have to start doing all the things my committee agreed I was qualified to do. Honestly, it's hard to celebrate this milestone mostly because the work isn't over... it's sort of like it's just started. The celebration part is that I don't have to pass any more qualifying milestones... I just have to complete the research I proposed.

But that can happen later. Right now, I want to focus on some holiday fun -- and maybe treat myself to a massage or something tomorrow...?