Perfect timing!

This is a great week for me to share news! The past few weeks have been crazy, and there's LOTS to share!

It all started about a week ago, when I finally, after at least 6 weeks of waiting, got my official offer letter for the PhD program I've been thinking about. I hadn't had anything more than vague emails and verbal descriptions, so when I actually opened the scholarship portion, my jaw about hit the floor. Not only am I receiving 97% tuition remission, but I'll be getting health insurance AND a big enough stipend/fellowship to cover my living expenses! Plus, the first year is straight up fellowship, meaning I don't have to work! I was not expecting that - at most I was hoping for maybe 75% tuition remission. I was sure I'd at least be paying for my apartment. Needless to say, I accepted the offer, so I am officially working on an MLS/PhD come fall.

Then this past weekend we traveled to Southwest Virginia for my cousin, E's wedding. It was... weird. For one thing, we (aka Dad) offered to drive Grandma, and she is one of the most frustrating, obstinate and manipulative people I've ever met. She's my grandma, so I love her (most of the time) but dealing with her for 72 hours straight would be a strain for anyone. Then, of course, we have the wedding which was beautiful. I felt so happy for E, and it was very clear she was incredibly happy as well. At the same time, it was kind of depressing; two of the four cousins are now married and if my family were the betting type there'd probably be a betting pool on whether or not the third would be by the end of the next year (odds are on yes). Aaaaaaand here's me... perpetually single, and likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. On top of all that, it was kind of sad - this is the older sister of my youngest cousin who died in a car crash when I was 17, and E has had a really hard time getting over it. There were many mentions of her being with us in spirit, and even though it's been a lot of years, I still came close to tears a couple times. Oh and it was awkward, because the parents of the bride (aka my aunt and uncle) are divorced and it wasn't exactly a pleasant divorce (not that any are, but you know what I mean). With all that emotional turmoil, I'm frankly just glad that it's over.

But, on to pleasanter (or at least easier) news - I've finally made it HALFWAY through the textbook I'm using for Music History review! WOO! I'm also only 2 chapters from the end of my Tonal Theory textbook, which means only Atonal Theory - the hard stuff :-/ - left! I've also been doing fairly well with my style listening review. Most of the time I can get the era and the country, and SOMETIMES I can get within 20 years of the exact date! Since I need to give dates +/- 10 years on the test, I need to get better at this, but at least I'm always placing it in the right era and country, you know?

So that's my news for this week!
Congrats to Cassie on finishing the novel!
Hugs to Katie - I'll see you soon :-D
Tori - I agree with your statement on men. Let's blow raspberries together! ;-)
Heidi - sometimes an equilibrium is good - at least you don't have all this major upheaval the rest of us seem to be dealing with. Good luck with the job search!