I think I am starting to find a topic for my possible dissertation and that is kind of a big deal and it is in an area that I wasn't really expecting to do when I first started.  While it still involves Congress - which I was always interested in - it also heavily involves foreign policy and that is not something I ever thought I would touch.  So I've been running around to some IR folks and talking about things and the project is getting bigger and bigger and more and more difficult while also becoming more interesting.  I might need to create my own measure, and build a huge fucking dataset and stuff.  A possible chapter should be my comps presentation, and I might try to work on it a little this semester before I give a workshop presentation in IR.  (I signed up for both an IR and an American/Comparative one for this semester because I have no idea why.)

The guest speaker today was really interesting and I was told I asked the best question and that actually felt really good.

Guy and I haven't been talking really, but we are planning on getting lunch or dinner or something soon and having a talk about things and stuff.  I do miss hanging out with him a lot, and I know I can't keep avoiding him since I am his TA and he will be here for the next few years.  And I just...do miss him being around and telling me silly things.  Today he showed me that he got Pam Poovey's sexual harassment dolphin puppet and was going to give it to me, but I said that he did not have to or anything.  It was funny to see and everything though.  The little things.


While I would like to attend the World/Inferno concert tomorrow in the city, right now my chances of going are actually kind of low.  I haven't been in the mood to travel really anywhere, and I don't have the energy to get everything together and all.  Really, I know I should.  Roommate was saying I should because I should "get out of the house" and stuff.  He did kind of force me to go to the bar with the department...luckily not many people were there and I didn't have to stay for long.  The sad thing, really, is that I didn't feel better afterward, like I think we were both hoping.  I just felt indifferent about socializing and stuff, despite having good conversation with people and not being pressured into having a beer and stuff.  Etc., etc.

So I do know that a concert would do wonders for me, really.  Surrounded by fellow fans in a crowd, enjoying music I love from a band I adore...it would probably be really nice.  And it being in the citykind of guarantees that it is going to be fantastic.  But I also know that it is supposed to snow like crazy on Sunday and I don't know if I want to travel in that.  Plus...just tired, and I'm not sure if I want to travel at all tomorrow.

Bah.  I do want to see them though.  Why couldn't they be playing closer.  Sob.