Boise is cold, yo

... but not nearly as cold as I thought it would be.  It has been chilly, and I've needed coats and jackets, but it hasn't been freeze-your-snot-burn-your-lungs cold.  Which is a good thing.

Overall, I like being in the academic swing of things.  Once you're an academic on tenure track, your life turns into a juggle of research, service, and teaching.  So:

Research.  I'm finishing up an old paper and should be submitting it next month.  This is part of my dissertation and I HATE IT.  I can't wait to NEVER LOOK AT IT AGAIN.  I also have a great set of data and plan on kicking out a couple papers this semester.  Luckily, my coauthors also plan on kicking out at least two papers from that data this semester.  I also hope to get back into another portion of my dissertation, and a group I'd like to study just happened to expand their Silicon Valley office into the Boise area.  (And no, I didn't plan it.  I only found out about it on my drive up here.  Karma.)

Service.  I can't really do much service for Pepperdine or its students directly right now, so that's out.  But I can work on the conference I'm chairing in November.  I'm still finishing up my committee and writing the call for papers and putting together the website*, which is keeping me crazy busy, but the department has offered me grad student support for a few hours a week.  Word.  I still need to put together a break-even budget and finalize the venue.  Aye.

Teaching.  My students are pretty good.  (Note:  I have one old HS classmate in a class, which was strange at first, but now is fine.  She's great about it.  I also had one student hit on me.  Awww yeah.  I've still got it.) (Follow up note:  the hitter on-er dropped the class, so no worries.)  And most importantly, my grader is *awesome.*  She's smart, she's funny, and she told me where to find Fresca in town.

So far, work is keeping me busy, which is good because I'm in Boise and Xav is in Tucson.  But when I'm not working, I've decided to start running again.  I might even do a half marathon in May that an old college volleyball buddy is thinking about doing.  We'll be the old ladies in the back of the pack, whining about how young and fast and fit we used to be. 

*Any feedback on the temporarily-hosted site would be muchly appreciated:  http://www.nicolefv.com/CHIMIT10/home.html

Trash TV and Four Inch Heels

As some of you know (and have mercilessly teased me about), I love trash TV.  This has traditionally been almost any reality show on Bravo, E!, or TLC.  But now I can watch a reality show that's not trashy.  (You hear that program execs?  I'll watch good reality, too, if you'll actually air it.)  TLC has a new show that highlights the newlywed life of Dr. Jennifer Arnold, a Neonatologist and the Director of the Pediatric Simulation Center at Texas Children's Hospital, and Bill Klein, a business owner and entrepreneur.  Oh, and they're both little people.  The Little Couple is smart and engaging - thanks to the stars.  They aren't crazy, they aren't ditzy.  They're educated, articulate, funny, and so cute together. 

So what does this have to do with 4" heels?  Mostly, I love wearing them, and if anyone asks me to leave them at home (because it makes them feel short), I'll wear my 5" heels.  Well, I am such a fan of Dr. Arnold that Xavier has heard me say many times that I would love to be her friend IRL.  (Who, me?  Stalker?  Noooooo.)  She's kind, fun, witty, and outgoing.  So dear Jen, if we can be friends, I'll leave my heels at home.  Or maybe I'll wear them - you may appreciate how cute they are.

UPDATE:  I just watched tonight's episode, and Bill is totally invited.  That man is hilarious. 

(Yes, I know I'm crazy for acting like this will ever actually happen.) 

(No, I'm not creepy, and I don't ever plan on meeting anyone else on television.) 

(Okay, except maybe Kristen Bell.  Or if I'm really lucky, Anderson Cooper.)

(Yeah.  Anderson Cooper.  Right after he gets back from Haiti.)

Diet Coke, how I love thee

I would write my own ode to Diet Coke, but Scott Adams (of Dilbert fame) is much funnier than I am.  (Kerry, this is the quote I was telling you about.  Thanks again for my Diet Cokes with lime!)

Recently I quit caffeine. My doctor seems to think that 17 Diet Cokes per day is too much. In case you ever consider getting off caffeine yourself, let me explain the process. You begin by sitting motionlessly in a desk chair. Then you just keep doing that forever because life has no meaning.

Just after I met Xav, I went to Thanksgiving dinner at his house.  As we sat down to dinner - a huge table, because Xav has a huge Messican family - his dad toasted the meal and the guests.  And wished that by the same time the next year, we would all be healthy, happy, and no one would be drinking diet soda.  Yep - I was the ONE person with a Diet Coke next to my glass (others had Coke and iced tea). Awkward.  (And sorry, George.  Not giving this stuff up.)

New Year's Resolution

I generally don't do resolutions... because I never actually *do* them.  I'd like to lose weight, but I also like food.  I'd like to play more volleyball, but I don't know if that really counts since it's something I like doing so much.  And I'm moving to Pepperdine, where volleyball is just a way of life.

But according to msn astrology, each sign has a resolution they should keep for the year.  Blah blah blah... until I read mine.  I think I can try this one:

Sagittarius
Expansive Sagittarian energy demands both freedom and adventures. Even if you are experiencing tight financial times, resolve this year to do at least one very exciting thing each month. It could be hiking in the national parks, leading a children's sports team, or campaigning for your favorite cause - anything that pushes your limits and expands your horizons will do. The more people you meet, the better you will feel.

Check yours out here.

A question for the internets

Now that I'll be in front of a bunch of crazed undergrads a few days a week, they'll have to address me. And wadded up paper just won't work every time. So...

Suck it, 2000's

Before I write about any resolutions I might have, I'm gonna do a year in review. Except I'll do one better and kick out a decade in review. Because the 2000's were pretty crappy and I'm happy to see them go.

• 2000: At Utah State - go Aggies. Did a 6 month internship with IBM, which brought me to Tucson for the first time.
• 2001: Finished my undergrad as Valedictorian (yay) and moved to Tucson (#2) to work for IBM. Published my first paper in a conference. Got engaged to college boyfriend. Lost my dad. Got "married" to my college boyfriend - in quotes because it should have been annulled after 2.35 days. Or maybe 2.35 hours. But at least I got to live in...
• 2002: Hawaii. Worked for IBM, then Time Warner cable (consulting), then eWorld. Met some great people, trained for a triathlon (until crashing and burning) and ran the Honolulu Marathon.
• 2003: Still in Hawaii, working and planning my escape. Lost my Grandpa, proving that Thanksgiving sucks in my family. (My dad was in a snowmobile accident two days after turkey day; grandpa died a day or two after turkey day.)
• 2004: Got Lasik and could see without glasses for the first time since Kindergarten. Moved to Tucson (#3) and started my PhD. Filed for divorce. Paperwork died.
  
• 2005: Back to IBM to pay the billz for my schooling. Drama from divorce and overly enthusiastic student, who ended up earning himself a restraining order. Divorce finalized (finally). Met Xav. First date with Xav. Awwwww.
• 2006: Started the year back in Hawaii for a friend's wedding and a Lasik retouch (but done with PRK - bad idea). Got my puppy Lucy. Got engaged, then married, to the greatest guy in the world. Another restraining order.  Lost my father-in-law.
  
• 2007: Surgery on my left eye to remove scar tissue from 2006 retouch. Serious pain for 2 months. Finished up my coursework, then headed to New York for 6 months to do research with IBM Watson. Passed my orals, making me a PhD Candidate (aka "the end is in sight" and "zomg now I need to write a dissertation"). Left IBM to focus on my dissertation.
  
• 2008: Wrote my dissertation. Got the PhD. Vowed to never be a student again. Looked for jobs in a tanking academic market. Back to IBM in August. Second eye surgery (4 total on left eye now) to remove scar tissue. Laid off from IBM at the end of the year. Had some crazy idea I should get a Masters in Accounting to take advantage of their awesome academic market. Turned 30. Didn't freak out.
  
• 2009: Back to school. Ugh. Interned with local accounting firm (no comment). Looked for jobs in both Accounting and MIS markets. Landed a job at Pepperdine, with a semester stint lined up at Boise State beforehand. Turned 31. Freaked out because I thought for sure I was turning 30. Finished school. Vow to never go to school as a student again. And I mean it this time.

Wow. No way could I have imagined all of this happening back when I was an undergrad. Honestly, I would rather have skipped much of it. I had thought about the PhD, but this sprinter had never considered a mile run, let alone a marathon. "Marriage" #1 was crappy, but somehow, my do-over has made it all worth it. I still need another surgery on my left eye, but I have a great eye doc who also has a PhD and has been very supportive with my crazy schedule.

A big thanks to all of my friends who have been there for me through the years and to Xav for putting up with me. I promise the next few years won't be nearly as crazy. Well okay, this year might, with a semester in Boise, then a move in the summer, starting a new job, and chairing a conference. So I promise that starting in 2011, things won't be nearly as crazy.