Bibas Are the Shit

Hey Gang!

Well aren't we just the shit?! I mean really. Everybody who's worth a damn wants a biba somewhere in this world, and it's beginning to look like we are going to have some OTHER sweet possible places to visit...congrats Ben, Aubs and Jacob! Speaking of places to visit, Travis and I leave March 18th to see Meag and meet up with Ben! Fuck yeah! (it's kinda early so that's the most excited thing I could type even though I sound like a Bruce).

And speaking of Bruces, Travis and I visited FSU last week. When we arrived at the regional airport, passed the 1980's video arcade and the "Food Court" which only offered hot dogs and coffee, and then came upon the ONLY taxi cab driver at the Tally airport, whose car was so full of books there weren't places to sit, it became clear that we were not in Kansas anymore...scratch that, we were in fucking Tally, which is as bland as Kansas.

Upon arrival on campus, we saw many girls wearing uggs and lots of Bruces; we faced a bit of culture shock the first day. We longingly searched the crowd of undergrads for signs of all those hipster cliches that we scoff at in Austin but wanted so dearly to see in Tally. We got really excited when we saw someone wearing Converse, sporting a tat, or riding the holiest of holies, a fixed gear bike. So, yeah, we found out that we love Austin and would trade a Bruce for a hipster anyday, even if the hipster can't stop talking about their new haircut. (we're hipsters at heart)

Anyways, the faculty was amazing and I really connected with each of them. They took me to lunch and coffee and told me everything about the department; they were refreshingly honest and down to earth, which is worth alot in grad school. Plus there was this pretty cool guy in the program from Portland who likes good music, although he doesn't have time to listen to it anymore. So, all in all, FSU's program was great, but the town and the general vibe of the University were a difficult pill to swallow. Still, given the experience I had with the department, I decided FSU was probably the place for me...

Then I got a call from Indiana University in Bloomington. They offered to fund me through the PhD level, which is more than FSU who doesn't even have a PhD program. They are a great school with an excellent rep and extensive research resources. Plus their South Asianist contacted me directly and begged me to visit. I called Elaine Craddock (my academic soul mate/mentor) and she said I should visit, see if I like the vibe of the department and accept the offer if I like the vibe since it's such a good school offering so much more than FSU can offer. So that's what I'm gonna do (visit that is), possibly at the tale end of my Ann Arbor trip. Two good things about Bloomington: it's just four hours from Chicago and three from Ann Arbor AND we have friends and family up there and Travis really loves the town. So I have alot to consider, but I feel so fucking blessed (yeah, fucking AND blessed together).

I'm still waiting to hear from Chicago, Santa Barbara, Harvard and GWU, although Craddock thought they were all too snooty for me and probably will think I should be kissng their feet just for getting in. I got in to Miami, Claremont and ASU but they can't finance an M.A. student so I just can't consider them.

So, I have no clue where we will be next year, but hopefully, wherever it is I can live up to their expectations...fear setting in.

Okay, what about everyone else? DWebb? Aubs? Em? And our grad students? Meag? Josh? What about those Austinites we haven't heard from in awhile? Nat? Claire? Dustin? What IS up? Also, let's start working on the location of NYE 2010!

love you all!! (sorry this post was so long but I am getting into my verbose writing again, you know, for school)