Grad Schools, and I-LABS and GREs, Oh My!

Life moves quickly at the University of Washington to the point where you go to blog anf realize that in order to mention everything you'll need a series of novels to discuss it and short of getting J.K. Rowling to do an Erie Potter and the Chamber of Syntax book for me I'll just have to suck it up and do a long post. Well you guys asked for it so here goes:

Chelsea moved back to Seattle a week before Eric in mid September because she has an apartment she shares with several room mates. To know more about Chelsea's quarter after this point please consult the Chelsea section of your local library as I haven't seen much of her this quarter although I will pressure her into blogging again next time I see her... Let's hope it works this time.

Anyways I moved in a week later in part because we didn't realize until the week before that I was scheduled to move in Friday before 9:30. Now the drive from Port Angeles is 3 hours on a good day and my dad had to work that day so the prospects were looking bleak. Thinking quickly I logged in and changed my time. The only other available day was Thursday. No better luck there although I moved my time to between 10:30 and 12:30 so at least I could sleep. No I was left with the question of how to get me and a dorm's worth of stuff to Seattle without a car...

I also was applying for a for credit position at a place called I-LABS which stands for Institute for Learning And Brain Science. My girlfriend Alexandra worked there for two quarters last year and her linguistic heros, Patricia Kuhl and Andrew Meltzoff (Pat and Andy to their friends) are the co-runners of the institute. They were looking to hire and I was looking for something interesting to do; it seemed like a good fit. Except she told me to come in Monday or Tuesday for an interview as positions would fill up quickly. Thinking quickly again (I'm quite good at that it seems) I asked my wonderful aunt Chukkie (Laura to anyone outside the family) if I could stay with them for a few days. I lived with them last summer and for a few days this summer (see my last blog for details on that if you don't remember) and so I am starting to feel like the fourth member of their household, 6th counting their cats. I came over that weekend with Chelsea who was kind enough to give me a ride there with enough stuff so that I could live for a few days. I set up my computer and got an e-mail saying that they had filled up all their jobs. I wasn't too surprised but later I got an email about an opening they had...which was exactly when I have another class of mine. SO I had to turn it down. Right after I moved into school I got a third e-mail saying last chance, there is one more position...and this one acutally worked somehow, I had my interview and orientation last week and had my first day today (it's a one day a week three hour job for one college credit) but more one that later.

I moved in on Thursday, Chelsea was also kind enough to give me and my meager posessions a ride and I was all set up. My girlfriend is very organized and I happy to say that is rubbing off on me. My room has never been so organized and I made labels for my drawers. They kind of sound like Jeopardy categories: Entertainment and Stationery, Toiletries, Useful Miscellany, Papers Letter Etc., Tea & Tea Accesories and "Kitchen" Stuff. In case you are wondering "kitchen" is in "quotes"
because we get a "kitchenette" here which is a microwave and a sink. High class digs, I know. And just to make you even more jealous we have a garbage can too (although we cannot have toasters, a small price to pay for such fabulous cooking ability. After I was settled in I met Chelsea and her friend for some tea and hanging out. But first I went to the library and got some awesome books. Cognitive Linguistics is pretty obscure and you'd have to go out of your way to find any books on it which is why university libraries are so nice. Any place with books about Indonesian Coffee sales in 1964 (An acutal book I've seen) is bound to have a few books of interest lying around. I've been having a field day with these books and no end in sight. I've almost finished Ronald Langacker's Foundations of Cognitive Grammar Volume 1. Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyways in all the spare time that comes with being a college student I've been applying to grad schools. If all goes as planned I will be done with school here by March of 2010 and want to go to grad school ASAP. I've been narrowing it down all summer although I pretty much know where I want to go. It will come as no surprise to anyone who reads our blog that my top (and really only choice) is the universtiy of Alberta. There is a lot to recommend this school including a program I really want, the fact that Alberta hasn't been hit by the recession at all and is pouring their millions of Canadian surpluss dollars into the university, which is supposed to become one of the best in the world in a few years. However I'd say the best part is the people or rather person. And I don't mean the people on staff who were students of Ronald Langacker (although that is awesome) but rather to be with my girlfriend Alexandra. For those of you who don't know we both study linguistics and both want to become professors. In August I flew up to Edmonton to stay with her for a few weeks. I got back one month ago today (the 6th) and it seems like it was at least a year. We're planning on getting an apartment together when I go up there (should I get accepted). And you can say you read it here first folks, we plan to get married in a few years. Since the famous analogy "rich as a grad student" turned out to flagrantly false we decided we were "pre-engaged" and now she is my preance( Like fiance but with pre) We talk on-line for hours each night. Prior to writing this we just finished talking for five hours. I am very grateful for the webcam technology it makes a big difference. So going to Edmonton is the right choice for oh so many reasons but that is the biggest one. Our current goal is to be married before 2013.

One of the best ways to get into grad schools is to do well on a test called the GRE. Up until today I didn't know that that stands for Graduate Records Examination. It is scored in a similar manner to the SAT with a written, verbal and quantitative reasoning portion. I took it last Saturday and got 720 in verbal and 750 in QR. Those are very good scores. The U of A doesn't require you to have taken it but it definitely looks impressive and helps to tip the scales in my favor.

Beyond that I have been taking classes and doing homework. I'm taking linguistic phonetics (more interesting than it sounds), psychology of language (I'm fairly certain I'm the oldest student in that class) and a graduate level Neuroanatomy of Specch class which is early in the morning. Early for me anyways, as I'm sure the mom's reading this blog will tell me waking up at 7:00 twice a week isn't such a bad way to go. We had our second meeting today as spent 2 hours on terminology. I hope we start something else soon.

Okay so as far as I know now that is everything major. Just life altering decisions and school work... I will try to post more things whenn they acutally happen and get my sister to start posting as well. I know she has a lot to say. Anyways I guess I can say welcome back to the Braunsey Blog and we'll try to post more things as they happen.