Because I have no office at school, I’ve taken to working at the local coffee shop. In undergraduate, it never appealed to me. I just found the environment too distracting then. Now I find it a nice change of pace. There is enough noise to not feel isolated, yet quiet enough to work. Since I’ve [...]

I was hoping with all the extra precautions I took (frequent handwashing, exercise, rest, fluids, etc.) that I could avoid getting sick this academic year. Unfortunately, I have the on set of some kind of head cold. And it would have to hit during a busy academic time for me . It’s almost like Murphy’s [...]

My shamadan arrived. It wasn’t perfect (wobbly arms), but with the help of Candi’s highly informative shamadan article, the arms are stable. Even though I had vowed against getting cheaper props, I couldn’t justify an expensive shamadan to myself right now. This shamadan seems fine for what will likely be minimal uses. Stabilizing the arms [...]

Awhile ago, I had addressed generally how to argue a grade. After last semester and looking at the search hits, I’ve decided to specifically address arguing the final grade. Again, I’ve been on both sides of the table. I did well last semester, 2 A’s, an A-, and a B+. Part of me thought about [...]

Today I met with my surrogate advisor (a person who works in the engineering department with lots of physics ties) again to discuss dissertation stuff. Basically, coming up with a topic that I can complete within four years that is strong research. My actual advisor is very intelligent and helpful, but what I want to [...]

Attending school in cold, snowy winters is difficult enough. Going to class can be quite a battle, not to mention motivating yourself to leave your warm apartment. Then there’s class cancellation. I initially celebrated when one of my classes had been canceled because of the weather, but now I wish it had not. I lost [...]

Performance makeup is its own beast. In best case scenario, the dancer looks unfinished, unpolished, and unprofessional. In worst case scenario, the facial features of the dancer are lost. All eye movements, smiles, frowns, whatever can’t be seen by the audience. Even if you hate wearing makeup, it is important to invest in it. Because [...]

Being a TA again is slightly strange. While I miss leading the class, the amount of work is nice. No lecture to prepare, assignments to create. Just grading. My advisor has also been good about allowing me to set the grading rubric, late policy, etc. I’ve TAed in situations that were very controlling, and they [...]

Despite the threat of weather (wintry mix) and the mysterious line of traffic getting to Waltham, the semi-private class with Shadia of Boston ran. Shadia taught at MassRaqs this past fall. Although she is a well-established instructor in this area, I didn’t know much about her. Her workshop at MassRaqs convinced me that I should [...]

This semester seems to be somewhat themed around having me make  choices for my education in both dance and grad school. In dance, I’ve helped organize a small series of semi-private Middle Eastern dance lessons with a group of dance acquaintances and friends. I’m excited to return to Middle Eastern dance class, see old faces, [...]