It Never Rains in Southern California?

This morning, I woke up to the strangest occurrence: It was raining. Like, really raining. It wasn't sprinkling or lightly misting; it was truly raining. I wanted to crawl back into bed, but I had to head to campus to meet with professors and attend a job talk. Here is the view from my window:

You can't see that it is indeed raining, so just take my word for it. See how dark and dreary it is? There were few students on campus today, and many were without an umbrella and unprepared for the weather.

Progress is slow but steady on my qualifying paper. KB and I did some quick stats stuff yesterday with my data, and it looks like the results will be interesting. I am currently busy reading, reading, reading lots of theory about citizenship and the welfare state for my paper. KB has proposed that we co-author this paper so that we can get it published (after I have it signed off as my qualifying paper.) This is obviously a great opportunity and I am very excited because I doubt that I could get this published on my own.

I met with DM today, the prof who will be the 2nd reader for my qualifying paper. I dropped in his office to give him the latest update and discuss a couple points from our previous conversation. We talked about research methods, and he gave me a few of his articles to read so that I could get a better feel for what he does. DM has also offered me abortion events data for me to use. I'm not sure what I would want to do with it, but it is always good when a prof offers you data. Data collection for this current qualifying paper has been a long and tedious project, so I could use a data collection break for my next paper.

I also met with CU to talk about my class paper for my political participation class. We have to write a research design, which means that I have to come up with a research question, propose my hypotheses, and then discuss how I will go about answering the question. There are a few more components, but that's what it is, in a nutshell. It is due in 2 weeks, so I don't have to completely commit myself to a project. It only needs to be something that I can live with for a short time.

I also went to a job talk today. We are hiring a professor that focuses on International Political Economy. Today was the 2nd or 3rd candidate for the position. Basically, a job talk is when a candidate gives a presentation about a chapter from their dissertation. It usually lasts about an hour, with a question and answer session. Afterwards, some grad students meet with the candidate so that he/she can ask the students questions about the program or UCI in general. I don't know too much about job searches or the job market because I am nowhere near going on the market.

Happy Pumpkin Pie Day!

Happy Thanksgiving! I spent the day in Irvine, since the Oceanside crew had Thanksgiving plans with their other sides of the family. My friends got together and we had a great dinner. Sho, a visiting fellow from Japan, celebrated his first Thanksgiving with us. He seemed to have a great time taking in this very American tradition. It was a dinner of firsts for him- first tastes of turkey and first tastes of pumpkin pie. Of course, we have photos to commemorate the event:

I have been spending the day after Thanksgiving hard at work on data sets and lit reviews. Progress is slow but sure, and my impatient self can't wait to be done. We have 3 weeks left of the quarter, and it is hard to believe that I'll soon be in the blustery cold of Minnesota.

In other news, it was simultaneously a happy day in California and a sad day in Minnesota: Torii Hunter is trading his Twins uniform for an Angels uniform. It has been strange to see such a familiar face covered in the LA Times these past couple days. It will be even stranger to see him in Center field, wearing red, next spring.

The 7th Week Stretch

We are headed into Week 7, and the quarter is flying by! I think that I am finally done with my data set. I've been saying this for the past month, so I'm not holding my breath. I just finished coding my variables, so I think I have all the information that I need to start analyzing.

I finished the baby blanket:

I'm also working on a scarf.

A Perpetual Fall

It is that time of the year again, the time when my internal weather compass expects falling temperatures, chilly, brisk winds, and the promise of snow. If I were in Minnesota, I would be bracing myself for the first snow and pulling my red winter peacoat out of the closet. I would be getting my mittens, hats, and scarves in order so they would be easily accessible when I needed them. (Actually, I probably would have done this last month.) Instead, I am in California where the daytime temperatures have been consistently in the 70s and where my peacoat will see the light of day only when I go home to Minnesota for Christmas. The weather is so reliably beautiful that I don't bother with a fall jacket or even a sweatshirt, save for at night when the sun goes down.

Now, before you quit reading and disown me from the family, hear me out. Because I have grown up in Minnesota, I have become accustomed to the bitter cold and snow. I didn't move to California to escape the harsh Minnesota winters. In fact, I miss them. You probably would too if below zero windchills and snow were all that you had ever known. A year ago, I had quite a bit of a weather shock when winter never arrived. I kept waiting for the leaves to change and for the crisp, cool air to usher in winter. Instead, I experienced what I call a "perpetual fall." The temperatures do not dip below the 60s, and Californians consider anything in the 50s to be cold. Of course, this is laughable to Minnesotans. Already, Californians have pulled out their "winter" coats and scarves. I chuckle when I see the neat display of scarves, hats, and mittens at Target.

I can feel that I have started to climatize. I periodically forgo my uniform of flip flops and skirts for real shoes and jeans. Last year, flip flops and skirts were my uniform well through the California winter, despite the strange looks that I received from passerby bundled up in scarves and coats. This year, I am coming back to Minnesota for Christmas. Already, I shudder as I wonder if I will be able to handle a "real winter"- I am trading highs in the 60s for highs in 20s. Brrr....it's hard to believe that a year ago I was playing in the ocean on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Sunday Night Dinner Club

The other night, my friend Bron and I were discussing how we enjoyed cooking but hated all the leftovers, an inevitable result of cooking for one. On top of that, dining alone can get old and boring, so we decided to start a dinner club that would meet on a weekly basis. Each member would rotate cooking duties. We racked our brains to think of other potential members, and Megan was an immediate first choice. Tonight Bron, Megan, and I got together for our first Sunday Night Dinner Club meeting. The inaugural dinner was held at my place, and I made Citrus Pork Tenderloin with egg noodles. It was yummy. Tonight we decided that we should add a member to the group, and so I have extended an invitation to Jon. I am awaiting his reply.

In other news, I will be presenting a paper at the Western Political Science Association conference in San Diego next March. It is the paper that I am working on with Amy and the one that was presented at the American Political Science Association last September. We will also be presenting this paper at the Midwest Political Science Association conference in Chicago next April. In addition to that paper, I will be presenting my own paper at the Midwest as well. It is titled "The Impact of Welfare State Policies on Abortion Rates." It is the paper that I am working on right now under KB's guidance.