I'm actually feeling quite excited and optimistic about SCHOOL right now. Yes, you heard me right. Crazy, huh?!? I think I will be done with my big scary essays on Monday. Then I can focus on my own research. Maybe even take a trip to Maine. I also just watched a very well done thesis defense seminar, which is very inspiring, like, "This could be you!"

So, after Monday (and maybe a day or two of celebratory slacking), next up is getting my summer 2007 data manuscript in submittable shape to submit for publication. I have a decent start on that from last year. Then I have to put together my thesis research proposal, which goes along with a presentation to the faculty convincing them that it's a feasible, "good" project. I have a decent start on that as well, from a grant proposal I did last year.

Bottom line, after a bunch of (intellectually useful but time-consuming and panic-inducing) crap, I get to do what I enrolled in grad school to do- marine ecology! Yay seaweed! Woot woot for snails!

I CANNOT wait for the VP debate tonight! Biden is going to PWN Palin. It's going to be pure comedy gold for The Daily Show and Colbert Report.

Kitties are still cute. School is still okay, I still only have a couple hours a day where my brain is firing on all cylinders, though. Slickdealing has slowed down somewhat now that I'm more busy, but I'm still getting deals here and there. I expect the grocery budget to be more in the $200-$250 range instead of $150ish, though, especially with the dearth of home-grown vegetables *tear*.

Going to Ithaca this weekend for Jamie's wedding! We're staying at my mother-in-law's (ack! (<--staying there won't be that bad, I'm more referring to the fact that I have a MIL)).