…my nose in a bookFood, research, yoga and music. . . is there anything else?

With the start of the school year, I have realized that vending machines suck!

Simply, there is nothing good to buy from a vending machine, especially if you are looking for a beverage. Even the water is made by a soft drink manufacturer.

I have been up on campus, and have found coffee shops a plenty, numerous vending machines with pop and sugary caffeinated water and various collections of overly sugared “juices”.  All I wanted was a cup of hot herbal tea, or even black tea for goodness sakes.  I wandered over to the coffee shop, ordered a tea and then promptly was told that the fee for my lovely precious tea would be $2.28! For the record, I can buy a fabulous box of 15 sachets of organic fair trade tea for $5 at Choices Market.  So, my cup of tea in a non-biodegradable plastic-ey cup (I had forgotten my travel mug – oops!) cost me just about the same as 7 tea bags for consumption at home.  Does that seem fair to anyone?

Yes, I could have brought my own tea bag and travel mug, but the fact of the matter is that the tea cost more than the fresh brewed coffee.  Oh how I wish I could have just plugged a two0nie ($2 coin) into the giant gleaming vending machine in the hallway and pressed the Diet Coke button.  Alas, my stomach does not agree with the sugary drinks anymore, nor the aspartame filled beverages.  I wouldn’t even be thinking about having a soda-pop, as my last sip of one was over 8 months ago (which was simply a sip), yet I recently was reminded of how much I love Coca-Cola.

In a wonderful blog post about Coca-Cola v.s. Pepsi preferences at www.worldwidewatercooler.com, I was reminded of my younger days when I would chug back soft drink after soft drink (sometimes up to 20 cans a day), enjoying the caffeine and bubbly taste over a pile of ice in a frosty glass.  Ever since then, I have been thinking and dreaming of those bubbly soft drinks, and more importantly of Diet Coke in a can.  I refuse to go back to drinking that stuff, as all it does is cause trouble for my stomach (the bubbles help, but the aspartame is counter-intuitive), but it sure it tempting.

Once the overpriced coffee shops are closed, I am left searching the halls for a late night beverage to sip on.  I watch as so many people sit there plugging dollar after dollar into the vending machines, soda pop, chips and chocolate bars, looking for that quick food fix in between classes, not even considering that the cafeteria has a plentiful selection of pre-cut vegetables with dip for almost the same price as a chocolate bar and a bottle of water.

Sigh! It will be an interesting project for me, to discover what quick snacks and beverages I can pack, that will still be tasty and healthy, while not leaking into my laptop bag during my commute. I will of course keep you posted.

Ciao,

Deanna

Going back to school after being away for a couple years is a daunting thing. You worry about if you will be able to keep up with the rest of your class. You worry about if your writing skills are up to snuff. Most of all, you worry if you are going to be able to keep up with the excessive reading that is expected of you.

I started my Ph.D. this week, and was extremely excited to go to my first class.  It is only one class per week, which with my migraines, vertigo and stomach problems, I figured would be up to my speed.  I have seven other colleagues in my class, and of course all older than me, which I always find intellectually invigorating (since they typically have more life and work experience to rely on – instead of people who have never had a real job in their life).

I have taken a variety of courses over the past decade, and haven’t been what you might call overly enthused about the reading lists and discussions I have had. . . Until now!

My first task is to read Plato’s “The Republic”.  It is not an easy read by any stretch of the imagination, nor is it a boring book.  It is known as one of the most influential works of philosophical and political theory.   I am reading the book as a part of an educational history course, that is looking at The Republic in the context of being an influential part of the evolution of education.  Interesting, yes. . . The fact that I have to read this book in depth in under a week. . . ? Well, I am wondering how that is going to be realistically done. Baffled actually.

Over the years I have read numerous texts from the Academy, and have always been fascinated with the ingenuity and complexities of the Greek philosophers.  I am only a few pages into The Republic, and I think I have either been out of academia a little too long, or that this book is quite a dense read that needs tender love and thought (not to mention, I think it is more a text that I could write my dissertation about, rather than read it in a week).  Has anyone else read Plato’s “The Republic”? If so, what are your thoughts? (Please!)

I have been worried that maybe I am just behind on my reading, and that I am not reading at the same level I used to.  It is funny how one can second guess themselves.  Though when I consider it, I think I am just not in the same mindset I used to be.  The material is interesting, I can relate it to my research, yet I can think of numerous other texts that would be more beneficial to my line of study than this book.  I’m not sure.  I think I am going to go back to reading and reconsider my opinion of this text in the context of academia, once I have gotten through the first book.

I will keep you all posted on my progress through my academic pursuits, since it is always nice to know that even someone who has been in school for a decade, still wonders if they can read fast enough.

Ciao,

~Deanna