So here's one my long due posts..meandering, rambling and yet another way of catharsis...of reaching out economically and subtly to people who I know want to or may like to know what life as a Grad student in upstate New York has been like since Fall semester began.
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Come end of a semester and registration for a new one, you will be tearing your hair apart or your advisor's to understand how you can leverage your credits, your precious dollar heavy credits for courses that are worth your time and investment into a Master's education. I seem to have whistled my way through Fall sem with just 12 credits in my basket and now I have to take 16........that's five 3 credit courses and one 1 credit course. What was I thinking?!!!!!!!!
As you inch closer to graduating, you want good work under your belt to show to the industry and to assure yourself that your loan back in India is worth what you are doing...so last minute scrambling around to meet Professors, long conversations with fellow students and copious amounts of scanning courses....I am still struggling to make my choice.
p.s just for context, 3 credits is worth half my annual salary back in India and let's not even go there
!!!!!!!
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Ryan and I are ..I think inching closer to beginning our research paper on 'tween shows'. Ryan is my dear friend and colleague from Canada. Given our shared love and interest in developing content for children, we decided to use our final paper for TV Research this semester to analyse popular Nickelodeon and Disney shows for tweens (kids aged 9-14) and script a pilot for our own show. ...which I hope we will pitch and hopefully see in production mode in the near future. Also, I will be Ryan's Producer for his short film in which he will cast his own kids. A short film for and by kids.....Super super excited :)
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My self appointed advisor is so stressed out that her rear molars are crumbling. The dentist recommended she sleep with a night guard in her mouth. I knew stress leads to hair fall, acne, dark circles, foul temper, irregular bowel syndrome. Now your molars are also at threat! And you know why? Because when you are stressed you subconsciously clench your jaws tighter, building up pressure and grinding your upper teeth against the lower set.
I need a night guard too...and to add to this recent cause of anxiety, a cavity seems sure and I don't have dental insurance. In the US, you cannot get yourself treated for something as simple as a cavity filling for anything less than $ 200 without insurance.
Remind me why it's great to live in India...no please do!
Conclusion...wait till May 2011 until I visit India. Until I probably lose my canine tool for enjoying my meat. Retarded developed country's ill-developed health insurance plans...grrr
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Which brings me to what I do best when I am stressed or upset......
EAT/COOK!
Jess and I spent over an hour grocery shopping. Considering the crap I've been eating (note sliders are bad, just plain BAD ...nothing more to be said there!) for a few days now, my cart was loaded with things that looked like I had just pulled off a heist at the Garden of Eden.
Dinner today?
I tried something new.
Pears chopped up and mixed in with fresh mint. Balsamic vinegar ....and a drizzle of parmesan cheese. I ate up a whole bowl of that and could have had more.
Followed by whole wheat tortilla stuffed with Indian eggplant mix...my favourite 'baingan bharta'
I was combining homework with dinner...so finally watched 'Bottle Rocket' and made notes for my screenwriter's analysis of Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson........ I can go on but for anyone who has not watched Anderson's films....it's better late than never! So start with Bottle Rocket or Rushmore and move on to Darjeeling Ltd....By now you get a sense that this director's works are mostly based on a club of men who have their fantasy ridden worlds propelling them to seek out adventure in the most unconventional fashion. A band of brothers and friends is often your main characters ....throw in a motley group of characters who appear in most of his works : Kumar Pallana, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman....the Wilson brothers of course.....
You could then watch what I consider his epic piece 'The Royal Tenenbaums'
:D
Getting back to my gourmet rant
I had two courses for dinner but then nothing stops me...so Hammas and wheat crackers....and then
Marshmallows to seal the feast
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I am hooked to The Office! The American version. Dwight and Jim are my favourites. Jim well......yes I guess Rohini is right. Sensitive, funny and caring Jim is every woman's dream ....most women I know fall in love with this character pretty hard...so hard that some actually go out looking for a Jim version in reality! Carm confirmed this is true!
Here Jim, Jim, Jim, Jim, Jim...Jimmy?
:)
Applause for the writer for fleshing out such consistent , well thought of eccentric characters....especially Dwight. Of proud German inheritance, raised rough in the country and high on loyalty and duty...Schrute rocks with his knowledge of warfare, detective skills and sales acumen that would put his boss to shame!
His beet farm really did it for me though...No wait! I think it was his knowledge of manure
:P
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Dramatic Writing has proved to be the most beneficial and fun class this semester. Watching my colleagues have their scripts read and 'improvised' by class was a real life professional feedback session. It feels good to know that I have a solid litmus test to run my script through and gauge its creative potential. Finally finished my scene outlines for the feature length film that's my final work for this class. Scripting will begin this weekend perhaps en route and in New York......Might just perch myself on a stool by a cafe's window-side for inspiration and type and type .......
I forgot to mention.
I was accepted for a Multi-cultural career workshop being organised by The International Radio and Television Society in NYC next week......
It's always good to visit the city that makes you feel at home instantly
New York...here I come
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