Father Knows Best??

So, I'm not sure if I've ever shared my journey of how I came to be in a doctoral program. While finishing up my master's (also in Counseling), a couple of the professors I had taken many classes with were encouraging me to apply to doc programs. I decided to apply to a handful that year (since I also had to study for the comprehensive exam, and boards, and well, graduate), and thought to myself, "If you don't get in, you can apply again next year!") Lo and behold, I was accepted to 2 of the 4 programs to which I applied.

What I didn't do, during all of this, was share the news with my parents. I told my brother about applying and said, "I don't think I'll tell Mom and Dad, b/c then they'll just ask me why I'm not applying to other types of programs."

Then, when I started getting interviews, I didn't tell them I was interviewing, and said to myself "You can tell Mom and Dad after you get some offers."

Then, after getting offers, we (my brother and I) decided it would be best to just tell them after the fact. Fait accompli, if you will.

The convo went like this:

Me: Hi Mom.
Mom: Cyn-Cyn-a. What's going on?
Me: Well, I just accepted an offer to attend a doctoral program.
Mom: What? A doctoral program? Studying what?
Me: Counseling psychology.
Mom: Where?
Me: Boston College.
Mom: How long will it take for you to finish?
Me: Five years
Mom: (I hear laughing in the background).. hands off phone to my Dad.
Dad: Cyn-Cyn-a. What's this?
Me: I got into a doctoral program for counseling psychology.
Dad: where?
Me: Boston College.
Dad: How long will it take you to get the degree?
Me: Five years.
Dad: Laughing... five years? By then, you could've been a DOCTOR!!!
Me: sigh

Over on Carrie's blog, I found the "What Should You Be?" quiz.

You Should Be a Doctor

You are practical, sharp, and very intuitive. Optimistic and energetic, you are a problem solver who doesn't get discouraged easily. You are also quite compassionate and caring. You make people feel hopeful. You're highly adaptable and capable. You do well with almost any curve ball life throws at you. You do best when you: - Are always learning new subjects - Use your knowledge to solve problems You would also be a good therapist or detective.

What Should You Be When You Grow Up?

BUT PLEASE NOTICE THERE AT THE BOTTOM: OR A THERAPIST! So there!

Something out of Nothing

I know I promised a pic of some beautiful lace. I got impatient (who, me?) and started the edging already. Starting the edging means that I picked up stitches around the entire stole, and the thing looks like a big blob. Hence... no piccies.

I was told by someone that I needed to post. I said "but I've already posted this month!" That's sad. Sad sad sad. She gave me some ideas of quick and easy posts, but it looks like I won't need to start using her ideas until the next post.

Why?

Let's see.

12:05am ET (I never know if we're in standard time or daylight savings): ring ring ring. I see that it's my brother. Not worried, b/c we are a family of night owls. Still. Hmmm...

me: what's up?
Tony: Would you please call mom and dad?
me: huh?
Tony: they're freaking out because they've been calling you and they get a busy signal.
me: huh? (i've been sitting at home, knitting, watching some tennis, and catching up on my TiVo)
Tony: I know it's late, but I don't even care. Would you please call them?
me: What time did they call you?
Tony: I dunno. Maybe 10:30 or something. Just call them.
me: um. ok.

E.T. phone home.

me: Dad... were you looking for me?
Dad: YES! We called your cell phone over and over and it kept ringing busy. What's going on?
me: maybe you broke it by calling too much? (yes, i actually said that)
Dad: Nonsense. Why would your cell phone be busy? It's never done that before!
me: you're asking me, who am I supposed to ask?****
Dad: Hunh. Well... ok. You should put some money into your IRA account.
me: Okay (I knew these counselor skills would pay off... I was knitting. Best to just nod and agree)
Dad: Call A.H. and tell him how much you want to put in.
me: uh-huh (still knitting)
Dad: Because it's all before taxes, and since you make such little money, it's good to do it now (wha? this statement made no sense to me. if putting money into your IRA is pre-tax, then why does it matter what tax bracket I'm in right now? eh?)
me: Okay Dad. I'll do that (still knitting)
Dad: How are your applications? Are some of the places you are applying to hospital sites?
me: SIGH. Yes, Dad.
Dad: will they pay you?
me: probably not Dad.
Dad: well, that's ok. It's about the training, right? So pick a good hospital.
me: (eyes rolling) uh huh.
Dad: ok. bye.
me: bye Dad.

I get back onto the computer and my email, and look what I found:

Cyn-Cyn: what happened to your cell phone? We are worried. Please call or reply by e-mail. Daddy.


subject of email: How to contact you beside your cell phone?

it is moments like these that make me want to find someone to marry. I think my parents would worry less. Then they could bug my husband if they can't find me. I know that the 'worry' is actually 'love' but it can be difficult to remember that sometimes. Sometimes, I just think they're neurotic. I bet if I still lived in Michigan, and they couldn't find me, they would've just driven down to find me. Oy.

****That's the literal translation from Chinese. It actually means something along the lines of "how am I supposed to know?" or "why are you asking me?"

ps. The reason why I only have a cell phone is because of my parents. Yes, it is also more economical for me to only pay for a cell phone, esp. since my internet is no longer through a phone line. Back in Denver, I had a land line for a few years, and got annoyed b/c the parents would call it to check if I was home. Over and over and over on the same night.

pps. Post posting and editing got me to thinking about the fact that sometimes I still feel like a teenager. Maybe that's why I enjoy working with them so much... b/c I can identify with them.

Shoulds

I *should* be reading Harry Potter in anticipation of watching the new movie tomorrow afternoon, and then spending the night with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, and Snape. Probably will be spending most of Sunday in bed with them too (I love waking up, not having anywhere to go, and just reading and snuggling with the furbabies).

But I got a bit of knitting mojo back, which is probably b/c I'm under deadline. I've been working on Reid for a professor from my master's program... um. FOR HER BABY, I mean. This professor is the reason I'm in a doc program, she's been a great mentor and important in shaping me into who I am today. While I was her teaching assistant for about a year, she was going through fertility issues, trying to get and stay pregnant. She had given up, decided she couldn't keep putting her body through the drugs... when she ended up pregnant! I crocheted her a baby blanket before I left Denver, but I wanted to make her baby girl something to wear too. (I'll try to post pics of the FO when it's, well. Finished.) I'm done with the back and two fronts, and will cast on for the 2 sleeves after I'm done reading the BOOK.

It had occurred to me that I haven't written about my parents in awhile. Lest you think that they have disappeared, or somehow gotten the hint that I am a FULL GROWN ADULT...

preface: My brother (older than me by 2-3 yrs) just got a new job. Work is a little slow, so he's kinda bored. Men in my family do NOT tolerate boredom well. They become very irritating and annoying. He's been IMing me (why o why did I introduce him to the joy of google chat?) and asking questions like... so, when are you going to be done with your degree? what are you going to do afterwards? Grrr.... These online convos took place about a week or so ago.

a few days after that...

phone: ring ring ring

Me: hello?
Dad: (in Mandarin): CynCyn-a. This is your Dad. (uhh... why the identifier? Do other people's parents do this when they call them? I mean, how many men does my dad think call me and speak to me in Mandarin?)

Me: Hi Dad. What's up?
Dad: What have you been doing?
Me: Working on research for my professors...
Dad: Oh. So, is this research for your dissertation? Is that what this research is for?
Me: Uhm no Dad...
Dad: so, this work is just for them? You don't get anything out of it?
Me: well, I get published, and the experience...
Dad: Why can't it be part of your dissertation? Haven't you started writing it yet?

Background info: My dad (according to my mom) worked on a PhD while he was studying for the medical licensing board exams here in the States. He did research. Lots of it. He started writing a dissertation but didn't finish b/c (i'm guessing) he got his medical license and was accepted to a residency program. Basically, I'm saying that the process of dissertation shouldn't be THAT foreign to him.

Me: Dad... I JUST finished my first year!! We don't even start thinking about a TOPIC for our dissertation until third year.

Dad: Oh. Really? How long is this program going to take?
Me: (sigh). At least 5 years Dad. Probably six years...
Dad: SIIIGGGGH. Really? Hmph.

Boy o boy! I sure am looking forward to year 5 or year 6!

You won't believe...

I called my brother a couple times this weekend to gloat about my 'find' in Boston this past weekend. An authentic Taiwanese brunch place! He didn't answer when I called him, but he called me back tonight. Not to ask what I had called HIM about... his opening line was

"you won't believe what Dad did..."

wanna bet? Remember this? I guess my dad has perfected his "my children are really busy RIGHT NOW and it would be the PERFECT time to call repeatedly" timing, because that's exactly what he did. He called my brother seven or eight times on Saturday while my brother was trying to finish his take home final for his... um. Some class in his MBA program.

Anyway, I've been MEANING to blog. I really have. I can't even think up all the reasons why I haven't been blogging. Feeling blue, feeling exhausted/overwhelmed, traveling, visiting friends... those are all some of the reasons. Let's play catch up, shall we?

1) I went out to CO to spend time with Stacey, her family, some other friends, and of course, my little red headed monster (LRHM).





The pic on top is the view from the balcony of the house I stayed at in Edwards, CO. The bottom pic is the LRHM... he's obviously quite unhappy with me, b/c I forced him to model the Robin Hood Jacket for me. Too big, but I love the color on him. It'll look great next Fall.

2) Knitting project update: I have some FO's! How unfortunate that the pair of socks that I finished don't match.




That's one finished clessidra from Knitty (love love love the pattern still), so I'll have to order another ball of the sock yarn from Webs. The second sock I started... a long time ago. I've finished the first, and have cast on for the second. I'm almost ready to turn the heel. Decided it was time to let the sock yarn do the work and it's a plain stockinette.

I've also got some mitered squares, using Harry Potter colors, but I'm running out of my allotted blogging time. School is over in about 2.5 weeks, and I'm really excited/dreading it. Dreading all the work I know I'll have to do in the next few weeks, the sleepless nights... but so looking forward to being FREE.

Give a small inch, Take a MILE.

So, I was punished for my indiscretion. Everyone knows that I need no more yarn. Especially at the rate I'm knitting? (about 5 stitches per week), I have no business even going into the hallowed ground of WEBS, much less walk out with a huge bag stuffed full of yarn.

what? what was that? you want to see what I bought?




What we see is the big ass pile of yarn. I just couldn't make myself branch


out from my favorite color -blue/green-. I tried!! I really did! The cash iroha, I almost bought the purple color instead, b/c I also like purple and I can easily see how much blue/green I have in my stash by turning my neck about 5 degrees to the left. But the Boston bloggers convinced me that this color was better (they had to twist my arm, i swear!). The silky tweed was almost brown or midnight blue instead, b/c there were only 6 skeins of this lovely color... until someone (can't remember who in the broo ha ha) pointed out that there was more of this stuff in the front room.

I think hour glass with the cash iroha, and I found an elsepeth lavold pattern for the silky tweed. (the one in orange, bottom right, and on the cover).

I also bought a few skeins of silk garden, but that was shipped off to Celia posthaste. She wants to make her baby a lizard ridge blanky, and who am I to deny her access to clearanced Silk Garden?

I also enjoyed some SheepMail! I had coerced a few friends (Michelle, Jeni, Stacey...) to join the Grey's Anatomy KAL. Stacey, being such a good friend and all, sent me



I also got my Socks That Rock club yarn a week or so ago. and I LOVE IT. The first two shipments were a little bit disappointing, to tell the truth. I see that it's lovely yarn, but the colorways were... so PINK. Wanda took one skein off my hands, and I'm trying to convince myself that I like the other skein. But this skein? It was luuuuv at first sight.


After all that goodness, I was due a downfall. I was not disappointed.
Just as I was sitting here at home, gloating over my yarn purchases on Sunday, feeling oh so satisfied with my life... ring ring ring!!! The special ring tone that I have assigned to my parents (um. ok. I'll admit that my parents are the ONLY ones with a special ring tone. The one that says "if you're tired, you don't have to bother trying to find the phone because it's just your parents." I know. You don't have to say it. Bad bad daughter. It was 11am, and I decided I was too comfy on my couch (never you mind that the phone was also on the couch).

* the following "amusing to you all, but not amusing to me" parent story is dedicated to Maryse. Everyone go give that girl some encouragement (the french version of my parents, aka HER parents, are visiting her for 2 weeks).

1pm. RING RING RING RING. (sigh!)

230pm. RING RING RING RING. (sigh! eye roll. SIGH! eye roll. SIGH.)

4pm. RING RING RING RING. (Cyn's blood pressure goes up about 20 pts).

5pm. RING RING RING...
At this point, I wanted to just throw the phone out the window. But, I don't live on the 11th floor of the building anymore. I live in the basement. Throwing the phone out the window won't solve my problem, unless I happen to throw it hard enough that it ends up under the tracks of the subway. I snatched the freaking fricking fracking phone up and pushed the green button so hard, i'm not sure why my phone didn't bust right then and there. I"m sure that the grip I had on my phone wasn't anything to sneeze at either.

me: "HELLO" (with a very pissed off tone)

dad: "CynCyn-ah... where have you been all day?"

me: "I'm studying Dad."

dad: "oh, you're at the library?"

me: "no, i'm at home, but i've been studying. Which, by the way? when you call and call and call? don't do that. If I don't answer, leave a message, and I'll call you back when I have TIME. Don't keep calling and calling and calling. It's kind of... annoying."

dad: "....."

me: "I'll call you back if you leave a message. But if you call and I don't answer it means that I AM BUSY."

dad: "oh, you're busy?"

me: "um. yeah dad. the PhD program kind of keeps me busy."

dad: "oh, is it a lot of work?"

me: (grrrrrrr, what does he think? that the PhD program is a piece of cake? shits and giggles all the time?) "um, yeah dad. there's a lot of work involved."

The rest of the convo was me telling him what I needed (my immunization records). Which they denied that they had (but I knew they had).

530pm. RING RING RING RING!!! (grrrr)

Dad: So, we found your immunization records. Why do you need them?

Me: (notice that there's no mention that I was right?) My school needs them as proof that I'm not carrying some disease around like vermin dad.

Dad: well, that's ridiculous. You were born and raised in the USA. How do they expect that you got schooled in the US if you didn't get your immunizations?

Me: Sigh. Dad, I don't know. They just need them ok? I don't make the rules. Can you just send them to me please?

Dad: Well, I see that you got the blah blah blah in 1976, and then again in..

Me: Dad? I dont' need to know the dates of every vaccine I got. I just NEED THE RECORDS.

Dad: Oh. Well, it looks like your last immunization was in 1993.

Me: Yes Dad, I know. But I don't need to know all that, I JUST NEED YOU TO SEND ME THE FORM.

Dad: Oh. Ok.


6pm. RING RING RING RING (are you fucking KIDDING ME?????)

Me: YES???

Dad: We made a copy. We'll send you the copy. We'll keep the original form here so you don't lose it.

Me: (thinking, jesus and mary. I'm 30 yrs old. If I can't be trusted to keep track of my own shit, maybe someone should call my school and tell them I'm WAY too stupid to get a PhD. what the EFF were THEY thinking accepting me?) Dad. I have my own birth certificate, my passport, quite a few important papers that I've managed not to lose. You can send me the original forms. But if it makes YOU feel better to have the original, then fine. send me the copy.

Dad: Ok. We'll send you the copy.

Is it just me? or did the point of what I said just completely fly over his head? My Dad and I got in a rip roaring fight a couple weeks before I moved to Boston (because every girl who's picking up all her shit and leaving all her friends needs MORE stress. Didn't you know?) During THAT fun conversation, I told my dad that he doesn't listen to me. He doesn't hear what I'm saying. To which he got offended and said, what? when don't i listen to you? you're being silly.

sigh.

630pm. RING RING RING RING (holy mary. someone just kill me. I might go throw MYSELF in front of the subway)

Me: "YES?"
Dad: "we sent you some stuff from CA."
Me: "ok"
Dad: "we'll send the immunization records"
Me: "yes. ok"
Dad: "ok... so, have you talked to your brother?"

now. didn't you all notice that I said I was busy and that the PhD program had a lot of work to go with it? Does he really think I have time for him to call and call and call and call and call? Ok. My bad that I didn't answer the phone the first four times he called. But really.

Thank God, or whoever the powers that be, that he is back to work today. I think that my father, is the MOST annoying man alive when he's on vacation.

I know. You don't have to say it. bad bad ungrateful daughter.