To the Windy City...again

This week we've kicked off the spring quarter. I love the first week of the quarter- I'm well rested, eager to learn, and it's relatively stress free. Things are looking up. I had a meeting with KB today to discuss the progress of my paper, and it is going well. Seriously well. Maybe research isn't so bad after all. I'm still working out the kinks in the paper, but I'm realizing that I have to learn as I go. I'm taking Public Law and a Qualitative Methods class. Why Public Law? Because I love the Supreme Court! Really. And I'm taking the methods class so that I gain some exposure to different research methods. I've been frustrated by the research, and I think that things will get better and more enjoyable when I figure out "how" I like to do research. That's the plan anyway. I'm also TAing American Constitutional Law for TS. Should be loads of fun!

I'm going to Chicago for the rest of the week to present two papers at the Midwest Political Science Association conference. I am presenting a coauthored paper (Explaining the Gender Gap in Pathways to Parliament: Comparisons Across Western Europe) and then the paper that I am currently working on (Conceptions of Citizenship: Women, Abortion Rates, and the Welfare State). My paper is a work in progress, so I am looking forward to getting some good feedback. This should be a good vacation and a good chance to get out of Irvine. I don't know exactly what I plan to do, but I'm going to a Cubs game later in the week. Naturally, I will keep you posted. With pictures, of course.