So I've known all weekend that I matched with a site for my pre-doctoral internship, but it wasn't until today that I knew where exactly I would be heading. I think I have a reason to be happy, starting with the fact that I'm staying in the Chicago area, meaning that Susan doesn't have to quit her job, we don't have to find a new place to live, and we don't have to scrounge up the cash for a big move. Hurrah! Besides these logistical concerns, I very much like the site itself, which is a middle school (with some of my time to be dedicated to a high school). The other sites would have been great, but I'm certainly not crying right now. I'm really looking forward to all this starting up. It's too bad that I have to wait until late August...
February 2007 Archives
I just got back from my nightly walk with Murphy, and I feel inclined to share something.
As he was sniffing around like he normally does, he came across a highly compelling section of snow. As in "I really need to poop on this" compelling. The only problem was that this spot was approximately 8 inches from the ground. Being that he's about 15 or 16 inches tall while on all-fours, you'd think that this would create an impossible situation. But no! He proceeded to lift his hind legs off the ground and perform a handstand, canine-style. He then angled his backside upwards in an attempt to launch his poop (sorry for using this word, but there are only so many ways to express the concept) on top of his target. Success! I wish I had a video of it; the event was inspiring. Yes, inspiring! His struggle was a message that no matter how petty or insignificant your goals may seem to be to other people, the important thing is that they are your goals and you need to do whatever you can to achieve them. Accomplishment is always determined by you, not by them (whoever they are). I laughed at him and I called him a nut, but he kept at it and ultimately I wound up having to clean it up.
Yes, darn it, I found a moral in watching a dog take a crap.
As I write this, there are approximately 8 hours until I find out from APPIC where I matched for my doctoral internship. There is a lot riding on this: while I know that I am going somewhere, the location is a big question mark. There is a chance that Susan and I will have to pick up and move downstate in a few months, and with her just having started a new job at a good company, that can make for a rough situation. I'm really excited, and I have no doubt that where I go will be a great learning and growth experience, but the short-term planning is potentially stressful. Eek.
Whatever the outcome, I guess I'll have more to say in the morning!
It looks like I matched with an internship site for next year! Happy times, but I have no idea which location it is. It could be the northern suburbs of Chicago or further downstate in Springfield or Normal. Maybe we'll have to move, maybe we won't. The suspense is a little painful, but everything will be clear Monday morning. More to come after that point...
Murphy got a haircut yesterday, and boy did he need one. Here are a couple pictures of him in his favorite napping places, one "before" and one "after":
Hairy
Bald
And as long as I'm going nuts with these pictures lately, I thought that I'd post a few quick ones of our apartment in Vernon Hills. It's cozy! Where's Waldo Murphy?
In other news, tomorrow is part 1 of Match Day for APPIC and I'm stressing. It relates to the necessary internship for my degree, in which applicants and sites rank each other after going through interviews, and a computer system pairs up those rankings. If a site and applicant were lucky enough to both put each other in the #1 position, then they're paired up. If not, then things can get a little complicated. Sometimes it doesn't matter how awesome you are; if the cards don't fall where they should, you're stuck scrambling for one of the few sites that are left over. I don't like it, but that's the way it is. Another thing is that while everyone finds out whether they matched on the 23rd, no one knows where they matched until the 26th. Obviously this schedule was implemented solely as a device of psychological torture. Fitting, I suppose.
