JWS, PhD

I had planned on posting some pictures of me when I started the graduate program, nine, yes nine, years ago. But then I thought it might bum me out because I was so much skinnier. Granted, that first year of grad school was so intensely stressful that I was drinking Ensure because I couldn't bring myself to eat. And my friend Nikki finally confessed to me the other day that I was a little megacephalic at that weight, which made me very happy indeed--not that I was megacephalic, but that I've since rectified the situation.

Anyhow, after much worry that I would not graduate this semester over a piece of paper and last minute scrambling to fed-ex a piece of paper from France to Massachusetts to Austin (a classic Jess move), I was able to turn in all of the necessary paper to graduate. I left the office and had some fellows who'd just turned in their philosophy dissertations take this photo of me doing the longhorns symbol. For some reason I was making it gang-ish?

Longhorns represent.

We went out for steak dinner that night, and Agapito gave me silver longhorn earrings, pictured below. They are the only school-affiliated insignia I've ever sported. Very UT, very Texas. I would say that I've generally eschewed that kind of stuff because I see it as a lesser form of nationalism--doesn't that make me sound thoughtful and deep?-- but the truth is that I've just never cared to come off as the sporty type.  I sort of loathe college football. I even tried attending a game once. I haaated it. Anyway, I love my earrings, and I love that Magdalena is such a merciless carnivore.

We also went camping the week prior. It was the first time ever. It confirmed for me that I'm still not a nature person. I need human artifacts, whether ancient or contemporary, to really avoid feeling empty.  I don't know why nature has always made me feel an overwhelming sense of ennui, but it just does. As Agapito put it, I like attractive landscapes as a backdrop for other activities. Oh, but I do love hiking. Or at least, I love having hiked.