Day in Montreal

Today was the longest day ever.

Dad and I were on the road to Montreal at 10am and I was barely awake. My first appointment was at Concordia with Prof. Acland, which was very enjoyable. He was very personable and gave me lots of information about the school and the program. My interview with him probably put Concordia at the top of my list, actually. The campus was beautiful, great location, etc. Definately a good prospect.

McGill was so-so. My meeting was with a prof who had a wierd office on the outskirts of the campus and it was snowing cats and dogs, so I didn't raelly get a visual impresion of the school. His interview was very brief and to the point; he didn't really "sell" me on the program, but I guess that's not his job. He did reiterate what a highly ranked and prestigious school McGill is, and how few spots there are in their PhD program, etc.

The way home was a real pip. Apart from the lovely snowstorm, dad and I were thrying to leave downtown Montreal at 5 o clock PM! We were stuck in rush hour traffic forever. In fact, I only got home a little while ago, and it's now ten to ten. Ugh.

I brought my knitting bag in case I got back to town early enough to join the girls, but I'm just too exhausted from the ride home. I hope they forgive me. This week has been far too busy for my liking.

I'm excited to have a day off tomorrow, with no travel plans, and no shifts at Top. I have a few errands to run, might check out the gym at some point, do some xmas shopping. I think a day off my applications is in order though.

Weekend in Toronto

People I know think that I'm pretty laid-back, but I'm actually a huge stress-case. Case and point; my trip to Toronto. I was terrified of wandering around the "big city", finding my friend's apartment, finding York U, finding the prof, finding my way back home. I did a LOT of preparation for my trip. I researched the TTC so that I knew what I was doing. I printed maps of the city, bus routes, subway lines, etc. All this preparation, and I forgot my emailed confirmation of train ticket purchase that I was supposed to print out and bring to the station.

It wasn't a big deal; it's just a confirmation. They had my name and credit card # and stuff there, and I was able to pick up my tickets without a problem. Nonetheless, it's the kind of screwup that makes me infuriated at myself and makes me worry even more about my ability to complete my mission in Toronto.

I got there and found my friend without incident. We went to Sneaky Dee's for dinner and drinks, which was very enjoyable. Sarah and Dave just got a new teeny tiny kitten, who I enjoyed playing with. She kept climbing my legs like a monkey up a tree. Thank god for denim!

The next morning, I embarked on my trip to York 2 hours ahead of my appointment to ensure that I made my meeting on time. I have to say, I am so impressed by Toronto's public transit. That subway is quick! From Downsview station (the northmost stop on the subway) I caught an express bus especially for York students. That was a long busride. That school is really far from Toronto central! I had been told, but dang. That's a hell of a commute to do every day if I don't want to live in North York (and I don't).

Here's where things get really sad. 11:50 - I show up for my meeting ten minutes early, enthusiastic and ready for the interview. I waited... and waited.. and waited. 12:15 - I ask the secretary if they'd seen the prof. Nope. Any way of paging him? No. 12:30 - I'm starting to get upset. I call Sarah and have her go into my hotmail account to confirm time and place. Monday 12 noon, Film and Theatre building. 12:45 - I'm plotting my revenge. Infuriated, I'm planning what I'll say to this asshole when I finally see him... something along the lines of "If you think $160 and ten hours of travel is not a big deal, you were never a grad student" or "If this is a reflection of your institution, York can fuck itself", etc etc.

12:50 - He shows up. Apparently, we'd been having 'communication issues' over email... He got my frist 2 emails introducing myself and making the tentative appointment, but he never got my confirmation (which I KNOW I sent!). He apologized for making me wait, and let me in. At this point, much of my enthusiasm has evaporated. I asked the questions I had planned to ask, but I'm sure I didn't sparkle the way I had originally intended to. Furthermore, I had been really interested in the program at York but the prof told me a few things that are making me reconsider. All in all, it was not a good meeting.

Afterward, I was able to get some shopping done and had a quick meal with Sarah and Dave before getting on the train coming home. I arrived at 9:58 last night and went straight to bed.

Today my itinerary is pretty laoded:
- I have to figure out what's up with my emailing! I'm supposed to have appointments with profs in Montreal later this week, and if something's up with hotmail, I need to fix it!
- Dr's appt at 3:30 pm. What a fucking pain in the ass just to refill a perscription I've been on for almost 10 years.
- Thesis! Argh! I'm running out of steam for this school business. As if these applications aren't punishing enough, my supervisor is putting the screws on me about my thesis. In fact, he said he couldn't write me a good recommendation without a few "letter perfect" chapters under my belt. Wonderful; the applications are due in a month and now I've got some "letter perfect" chapters to produce FIRST.

This situation is killing my ambition and making me wonder if I am simply a sado-masochist seeking stress and pain. Every time I meet with a prof, they suggest that I apply at another school or program. "Cast your net widely," they say. Have they forgotten that each school costs $80 just to apply? Transcripts cost another $10, and each school wants 2! That's $100 per application, plus that time and pain and suffering that goes along with all the work that I send in to them. I mean, FUCK!

I'm going to proceed with applying to 4 schools; York, Carleton, McGill and Concordia. If I get in to one, great. Cool. If not, fine! I'll wrap up my masters thesis and try again next winter. Take a year to work and save money and maybe even get my driver's license. Not the end of the world.

Wow, what a long, cathartic post. I remember when I started this blog and would stare at the blank window wondering what to write.

Today I worked 10 - 5 and didn't accomplish much else. It's 8 o clock and I feel like going to bed. It's amazing how standing around, selling shoes and sipping coffee can tire you out!

I'm not allowed to be tired for the rest of the week! Lots to do! Assignment corrections, thesis, PhD application, in that order. First thing tomorrow I go to school and correct! Then I need to start trolling for references... I would assume my supervisor would recommend me but number 2 will be a shot in the dark; I have some ideas though. Then I have to get the theoretical portion of my thesis banged out and being reviewed by the end of the week (ideally).

I had a mini business meeting with my sis and her boyfriend, who are officially undeadclothingco's only staff. And they're volunteers! I'm eager to see another version of the logo and improvements to the website. I'd like to have some of my never wallets up on etsy in January. January 2008! Undeadclothingco's officialy buniess unveiling! Party time. Seriously, I'd like to have a party about it.

Apart from that, hm. Knitting circle thursday, I presume. Maybe some 90s dancing thursday night... it's been a while. Hm. Yeah. Boringest post ever.

So this morning I had a wonderful idea. I started looking at schools I might consider applying to for my PhD. This was a great idea because it's inspired me to actually work on my friggin thesis for the sake of getting it done. Yes, DONE. The sooner it's "DONE" the sooner I can get to the editing stage... so in essence, DONE isn't really complete at all. Anyway;

I think it would be wise to throw an app to these 3 schools;

1) Carleton. I've lived in Ottawa all my life, so there is a certain appeal in staying in a city I know and am comfortable in. Furthermore, I had a pretty good experience with my MA; good teachers, good courses, good campus, no complaints.

2) Ryerson/York. I wouldn't have wanted to move to Toronto, but when I saw this COOL program, I realized I have to at least apply to it. It's a PhD in Communication and Culture (not 'sociology') and it's offered through both Ryerson and York universities. The rationale is that you have access to the best of both universities; York's rigorous theoretical background, and Ryerson's hands-on, empirical emphasis. Cool eh? Toronto is far from home, but I do have friends there and this program is too neat not to apply for.

3) McGill? I dunno, it doesn't grab me very hard, but I feel like I should give Montreal a chance to be fair. It's not as far as Toronto, and my sis lives there. Iunno. Couldn't hurt to try. It is choice #3 though.

So yeah! Applications are due as early as mid-January 2008, so I gotta get on that. I'm going to start trolling for recommendations this week, and there's a seminar on how to write good personal statements this Thurs.

That's all the inspiration I needed!

Task list for Thursday;

- Breakfast. Pancakes. First order of business.

- Put nice pretty photos up on undeadclothing.ca... in fact, today might be the day I shell out some bucks to get rid of those dang pop-ups and ads...

- Make wallets now that I have my labels? I'm only 50% stoked on them... thing is, I wanted them to have a black background. Jennifer printed the black onto white ribbon, so the black is kinda... dingy? Faded. When I sew it against pure black fabric, it looks pretty ghetto. I've mentioned the matter to Jennifer who was a very nice and courteous vendor, but if she can't print onto black ribbon I don't think I'll use her services again.

- ummmm, thesis of course. :P

- Look into PhD application. OH GOD! No, there's no way I'm ready to do this today. That's a weekender.

- Dinner with Anna! It's been ages!

- Knitting circle at J's! YAAAYYY!