First, it proved very tough to get over the fact that my houseguests went back home to Sacramento. So, I was a little blue. Into town, though, came the great and powerful Kenneth Pomerantz. And I was happy--like a scholar.
My love for Dr. Pomerantz began in the MA program at Sac State, where the admirable Dr. V. assigned The Great Divergence to my World History reading seminar. After having read the exclamation-point-happy, self-citing Andre Gunder Frank the week before, Pomerantz was like coming up for air. Plus, I wrote a fabulous book review which garnered a grade that finally(!) surpassed that of my school-husband Tim. So Pomerantz has long been the source of a happy CSUS memory for me.
Pomerantz in real life did not disappoint. He met with grad students and faculty before lunch on my first day back after break. He was so friendly to everyone, and he answered all the questions the grad students asked him. It was amazing to get to quiz the prior president of the American Historical Association on the state of our profession. In the afternoon, he gave a lecture on farming society and economic relationships in China. OK, so it's not exactly in my field (or remotely close to my field), but the guy sure seems to know his stuff.
Dr. Pomerantz was kind enough to take a picture with me, the camera wielded by Dr. W. I posted this on Facebook quite proudly, causing Dr. Bob to proclaim upon seeing it, "Lorraine had her picture made with him." People in the South don't "take" pictures. They have them "made."
Even with that sunny beginning to the week, I still suffered over Tuesday with quite the malaise. I simply didn't want to do any work. So, since our Japan class didn't meet, I used Tuesday to be a slug. Wednesday, though, was upbeat because I met with my advisor, Dr. F. I have not yet left a meeting with that guy without feeling better about myself. We plotted out, well really, the entire next year. I'll be staying busy this summer doing a directed readings with him as well as working on typing and organizing my notes from this past year and studying for my foreign language exam next fall. I'll be taking three classes, of course, in the fall. In the spring, Dr. F. thinks I'll be ready to take my comprehensive exams. That seems sooooo fast to me, but he thinks it's doable. Yikes!
I left Dr. F. feeling like a scholar with a plan. Unfortunately, I had African American history that very afternoon. I NEVER leave that class without feeling like a loser. And that loser feeling lasted all weekend, right up to Sunday night.
Sure, some of that was missing Easter with my family and the traditional slaughter of the lamb....cake. But I was just not feeling the papers I had to write for this week. I was deep in the depths of scholarly despair.
Ta Da! In steps Yvette the Magnificent. We propped each other up via text messages and came up with a joint plan to get our shit together for Monday. And damned if we didn't. I put in a good day's work on Monday--then I did it again today. Whoo Hoo!
Tomorrow is African American class again, so I expect I'll be contemplating shaking off this earthly coil by this time tomorrow night. But Thursday will see me make another comeback. Time to start wrapping up the semester. Time, as Yvette would say, to finish strong.
Uh, apropos of nothing, I tweeted during Sunday's NASCAR race that actor Eric Dane gave an excellent command to fire engines. AND HE LIKED MY TWEET! That's right, world, McSteamy liked my tweet!
On that note, I'll finish up here. I've got a chapter to read for next week's Japan class before I'll let myself fall into bed and watch The Young and the Restless.
What wickedness is Victor up to now?
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