...that I was in a hot tub with Fantastique and Aestu. Things seemed to be going well, in twos and threes, when their embrace tightened and seemed to merge with the foaming water. The next moment, the two had turned into a single Sylvari, with complexion and features precisely between the two, and I was motorboating my way through a gallon of maple syrup.
I suddenly woke up with an overwhelming compulsion to gorge on maple syrup. So I dashed to the fridge and drained an entire quart of real Vermont maple syrup, straight from the plastic novelty keg.
High on syrup and filled with visions of lust, I felt inspired to renew my efforts with graduate school. This bizarre experience had filled me with new insight into my life situation, so I frentically wrote my mentor at UMass Boston an email:
Quote:
As you know, I am a native of Sacramento, California. The biggest land developer in the Sacramento area is one Angelo Tsakopoulos - a Greek-American. He has a profound interest in Classical Studies - he has given grants to CSU Sacramento for the creation of a classical library, and he frequently works classical themes into the names of roads and the designs of buildings.
At his behest, CSUS has had a fellowship for classical scholars for some years now. CSUS is at a disadvantage for recruitment because, despite Sacramento being the capital of a state with a population of 32m and the "world's seventh largest economy", the city is a boring and bigoted place with the civil amenities of a maquiladora, but it competes for talent against San Francisco and LA.
My big misgiving is that they will simply not be willing to hire on someone who is not Greek (is that why your husband changed his name? [he assumed a Greek name despite not being ethnic Greek]). But then again, there may not be qualified Greeks...and I could always rip a few pages out of the book of my ancestor, Titus Flavius Josephus [we look almost physically identical].
It was not my intent to return home until I could be carried through the streets in a chariot (you think I'm speaking metaphorically), but it seems that this could be a potential opportunity.
Besides, I've been thinking more about what you wrote in the letter of recommendation, and the kinds of thinking that led me to begin my quest in the world of Classics ten years ago - I have come this far, why not keep going? Not like I have any other pots on the back burner, and it's not like people are shoving each other to get in the door like they are with MBAs. And maybe I could be good at this.
So perhaps I should begin another research project, being as I am without anything else productive to do.
Obviously, this effort would require more than one such project, each and all larger in effort than the Capstone. To say nothing if this creeps into some sort of career. Take things one step at a time, I guess.
I do remember from when I attended CSUS that Tsakopoulos has a preference for research that flatters the Greeks by way of connecting the ancient to the present - most of the collection consisted of documentation about Turkish oppression of the Greeks. Perhaps a good place to start would be something about the effects of Greek emigration on cultural diffusion in the ancient world.
What do you think - how should I go about this? Is there a certain topic that would be a good one to research?
I also came up with another insight and frenetically re-examined Boston graduate schools. Apparently, Boston College has a pretty good chemistry program, and
I think I can game their app. However, I could use more recommendations and other materials. I'll have to talk to some particular people into chemistry, science and academics on FUBU and see if they would be generous enough to help by offering insights or a good word.
Besides recs, honestly, I want moral support and insight into how to strengthen the app. But chem being so low-demand, I think that it will be easy enough.
I then applied to...that alma mater I mentioned the other day. So that's another torpedo in the water. We'll see what comes of it. I'm more optimistic about the other two efforts.
Oh, and why the weirdass dream and syrup gorging? Well honestly I made that up. But I wish I had a dream like that. It would be cool. I'm inspired to roll Sylvari now just so I can start an internet meme about the nature of their lactation. I was definitely in an abnormal state of mind from consuming large quantities of homemade green curry while simultaneously playing Pokemon Coliseum, doing Guild Wars Vanquisher, and reading that book about the Roman Civil War, for a good ten hours straight.
Either way, something good came of it.
Insights/advice? I'm really looking for life guidance atm, tbh. Sorry if that sounds pathetic.