Trippin'

Today, three colleagues in the department found out that they had won fellowships for next school year. This particular fellowship is granted through the University and is designed to fund the final year of dissertation writing. Our department could nominate three people, and for the second year in a row all three were granted fellowships. It was very exciting indeed.

During dissertation workshop, our chair poked his head in the open door, saw the gathered group, and said, before disappearing again down the hallway, "There are two winners in this room!" Without missing a beat, one of the other students called, "And four losers!"

I don't think that student had applied for any fellowships this year, but another of my colleagues and I had, and had both been rejected--though, to our credit, they were far more competitive (the fellowships, not our colleagues...). The fourth "loser" was our adviser, who runs the dissertation workshop out of the goodness of her heart, and has won plenty of prizes for her awesomeness (if not, yet, though she certainly deserves them, for dealing with our frequently tactless chair).

Today's news about these three fellowships means that I'm now the only person waiting to hear back on funding for next year. The committee is supposed to inform the Director of Graduate Studies (in my case, also my adviser) in "early May." I welcome any finger crossing/prayers/pleas to the universe that you care to send my way!

In any case, as a friend pointed out today when I was teetering on the brink of beginning to think dire thoughts about not getting a fellowship, "Even if you don't get it, you'll still have the roadtrip!"

Yes, the roadtrip!

In a week--on Thursday, to be precise--I'm flying to Portland to present at a weekend conference. And then, David and I are driving back to Minneapolis! By way of Seattle, Hermiston, Walla Walla, Boise, Yellowstone, Carhenge, Lincoln, and Davenport! Here is the current plan (click for a larger view, with clever little icons for each stop):
We're getting back to Mpls in time for my neighbor's wedding, and then we're heading back west, where I'm going to spend the summer attempting to write a chapter of my dissertation (and, you know, pursuing weekend adventures, picking blueberries, hot-tubbing, playing games, running a race or two, and any other manner of other exciting summer activities!).

This is the sort of trip/summer that should assuage any pain about not being awarded a fellowship--though I'm really hoping it won't have to.

If we're going to be in your neighborhood and I haven't already arranged to see you, let me know so that we can meet up!