Occludine 12, 27.

CONCEPT

COMMENTS
- I'm feeling sick enough now that I woke up at two in the morning with trouble breathing, and right now I'm dizzy. It's pretty superficial stuff, but I realize that I've now spent a full month with a continuous cold of sorts.
- Last night was extrememly mellow. The big excitement came from cooking up a dinner of eggs and what I thought was corned beef hash, but was actually roast beef hash. The stuff wasn't bad, but it had an unusual flavor, and smelled a bit like canned dog food. I begin to understand vegetarians, I think, though I'll never abandon my coneys.
- Five grad school apps down: U. Wash, Columbia, New School, LSU, and University New Orleans.
- Three to go: CUNY City, CUNY Queens, and Wayne State.
- Now for an unmomentous announcement: I've decided not to apply to Trinity Dublin. There are a million little reasons adding up to several big reasons: I want to go to a program where I will benefit from exemplary instruction, a rich environment, and financial stability. At Trinity I could reasonably expect none of these, even in the event I was selected. The program does not have an extraordinary reputation and has not "sold" itself to me well... I was unconvinced, and had no convenient means of evaluation. While Ireland is as rich an environment as I could hope for, the program lasts less than a year, which not only separates me from the American contacts I've been cultivating for years, but also means I have to begin arranging a return after I've only been there a few months. Finally, Dublin is ludicrously expensive these days, the dollar is weak, neither Jess or I would have any guarantee of employment, and I don't want to spend the rest of my life in debt.
- I do believe that international travel has an important place in my future. I want to spend time in Ireland, and many other countries. But the timing is critical. If I went now, I'd simply be staying there. Not living there, nor being there. I have to search myself and find patience.

COUNTRY OF THE DAY
England (Part of the United Kingdom).

WORD OF THE DAY
Gelid.

NEWS OF THE DAY
New York Times: New Poll Finds Bush Priorities Are Out of Step With Americans

PICTURE OF THE DAY
Blues Mama. Suburban http://art4children.com/DAWN/blues.html.

QUESTION OF THE DAY
When was the last time you got dejàvu?