Obies, Grad School Stuff, Heat

First, this, from Michelle Malkin’s blog. Who is Michelle Malkin? Conservative columnist, blogger, and author of such books as “Unhinged: Exposing Liberals Gone Wild,” and “In Defense of Internment: The Case for 'Racial Profiling' in World War II and the War on Terror.” I came across her blog off another blog, which, in turn, was linked from the main page of nytimes.com this past Thursday or Friday. From what I can tell, she likes to make fun of John Kerry and rail against the “MSM.” Inherent hypocrisies aside, check out her bio:

I began my career in newspaper journalism more than a decade ago as an editorial writer and columnist for the Los Angeles Daily News (1992-94). Covered school board meetings and pole sign ordinances. Exposed Rep. Maxine Waters' gang-infested job-training center boondoggle. Received a death threat from the Mexican mafia. Moved to the Pacific Northwest and worked at the Seattle Times from 1996 to 1999. Wrote editorials supporting a repeal of the death tax. Opposed editorial board on everything else. Exposed Gov. Gary Locke's Buddhist temple cash connections. Opposed publisher and supported successful campaign to abolish race-based affirmative action in government hiring, contracting, and college admissions. Quit job and moved to Washington, D.C.

My column, now syndicated by Creators Syndicate, appears in nearly 200 papers nationwide. My first book, Invasion: How America Still Welcomes Terrorists, Criminals, and Other Foreign Menaces to Our Shores (Regnery 2002), was a New York Times bestseller.

Other: Fox News Channel contributor. Oberlin College grad. Philadelphia-born. South Jersey-raised. I live with my husband and two children in Maryland.

Yup, let’s get that one more time.

Fox News Channel contributor. Oberlin College grad.

How often can one use those descriptions when talking about the same person? It should be noted, by the way, that on her blog, the text links to Fox News, but not to Oberlin College.

I’m a little irked by two grad schools to which I have applied, both of whom have sent me postcards to inform me that they’re missing some application materials. This, to put it politely, is bullshit. I mean, I appreciate the helpful reminders and all, but I was downright compulsive about my adherence to each school’s instructions in application preparation. I spent a LOT of time, energy, and money to put together my applications. I checked and re-checked the contents of each envelope. Everything that needed to go out went out, in one big envelope for each school. Not even to mention the (exceptionally high!) application fees, which, I reckon, ought to entitle me to the courtesy of not having my transcripts or recommendations “misplaced.”

I was in this irritable mindset when I received an envelope from NYU on Saturday. Inside was an acceptance letter.

??!?!?!?!!!?!?!?!?!

!!

Yesp! Indeed, an acceptance letter, roughly 2-3 months earlier than I had expected to hear anything. I had a meeting with the chair of the Composition Department in October, but it wasn’t like an Interview interview, and was certainly not an audition, which at NYU requires that certain pieces be performed on the piano (yikes!). It was more of a “is NYU a place I want to go?” question-and-answer session. And as I recall, I was asking the questions. But whatever. It’s a tremendous relief to have been accepted to a program I would like to attend, though there’s still much unresolved in the great grad school saga, including auditions at other schools and that whole notion of “tuition.”

Oh, and, in the “dang!” department, the cost of heating my apartment this past month came to $395, with the thermostat set at 62 degrees Fahrenheit. I will not have to pay all of this myself, or even half of it, for at 654 we employ complex internal cost-distribution formulas taking into account the physical properties of warm air, but still, daaaaaaaang. The chief physical property exhibited by heat in my apartment, by the way, is “escape.” Thus I am in the (time-consuming) process of covering each window with 2 mil plastic sheeting and several yards of duct tape. This, I hope, will bring my heating bills back down into the “ouch” region, rather than the “boing” region so adequately represented by the one currently sitting, unpaid, on my piano.

Busy week: rehearsal tomorrow, winter concert at my old high school Wednesday, Rock Extravaganza with Dan an Ang (pronounced “Anj”) on Thursday (coinciding with reunion of high school folks back in town for the holidays), and then home for Christmas on Friday. This month has gone very quickly.

Oh, one more thing: mint Oreos and Silk Nog (with a dash of nutmeg) are a holiday combination not to be outdone. I wholly recommend them.

Over and out.