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Originally posted by kpo:

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Originally posted by GutterBall:
Will this communique self-destruct in five seconds?

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My message self destructed the second you finished reading it. I just wish you hadn't pasted a chunk of it in your reply post!

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I don't understand why people who don't eat meat are (apparently) so interested in eating things that taste like meat. All or nothin', I say!

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Originally posted by fathounddawg:
I don't understand why people who don't eat meat are (apparently) so interested in eating things that taste like meat. All or nothin', I say!

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Originally posted by est120:

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Well, I some vegetarians I have encountered in my life do not like meat for ethical reasons (do not like the consumption of animals; feel that animals are treated badly). This does not have to do with the taste of meat, therefore, vegetarians that feel this way may like the taste of meat, they just do not like having to consume animals to do it. Another type of vegetarian simply does not like how meat tastes, so, naturally, they would probably not be a good target market for meat-flavored products.

I tried the vegetarian thing once, but it was quite difficult if you do not know how to make up the protein. Obviously, since I have been spouting off about how much I like hamburgers, I gave it up.

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Originally posted by fathounddawg:
You said you used to be in PA. Where do you call home nowadays?

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Originally posted by est120:
Yes ma'am. Used to live in PA. Now I live in North Carolina (hence, the ma'am). I have picked up a handful of phrases from this area. Are you originally from PA?

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Originally posted by fathounddawg:
I don't think I'm old enough to be a "ma'am" yet, but I appreciate the sentiment.

I'm a Jersey girl, born and raised. Just in PA for school. Don't think I'll go back to NJ afterwards, though - except to visit.

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Originally posted by est120:
I have a couple of friends that live in New Jersey. Visited there a couple of times myself. No desire to go back? Why is that, if you do not mind my asking? Aside from the full service gas stations and the "jughandles" for making turns, I thought it was a nice place.

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Originally posted by fathounddawg:
[Hey, jughandles are a beautiful, beautiful thing! :)

Well, I was born in NJ and raised in NJ and don't feel any special attachment to my hometown (outside of friend and family, who won't be there much longer anyway). I'm ready for some new scenery.

Plus, it's expensive to live there and as an English major, I've resigned myself to a life of poverty.

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Originally posted by est120:
Perhaps the jughandles take some getting used to.

I see. New scenery. I understand. Partly how I ended up down here. Always fun to go new places. Have ideas for a "dream" locale to set up shop?

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Originally posted by fathounddawg:
Where I get into grad school determines where I'll be for a little while, and that could be anywhere in the US. I've always wanted to go to Scotland, maybe live there for a bit. We shall see, we shall see...

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Originally posted by est120:
Ah graduate school. I went through that (though, not in English). I would be interested to hear how graduate school works for English majors. I would imagine that some things are the same while others are quite different. What do you plan on studying?

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Originally posted by fathounddawg:
I'm going for the MFA (Master of Fine Arts) degree, which is centered around creative writing - fiction, poetry, screenplays, etc - and critical theory. I plan to study/write fiction.

The other option, a straight Master of Arts, in English is generally literature-based, as I understand it. I definitely want the MFA first, but certainly may return for an MA or even PhD later on.

I'm in love with the written word, you could say.

What did you get your Masters in?

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Originally posted by est120:
Cool. The MFA sounds interesting. I would love to be able to write a novel someday. I used to *try* writing short stories and poems when I was in high school and college. Never was any good at it, though. Do you want to try your hand at writing as your career in the future?That would be neat-o. I would be a little jealous.

I got a PhD in toxicology. Hey! I am a science nerd. I like fictional novels. Thus, I like science fiction. Hahaha.

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Originally posted by fathounddawg:
Ooooh, a smarty pants! And what are you doing with that? Living the glamorous life of a doctor or research or what?

I'd love to someday publish a book or two or six. I don't know that I would make it my full-time career (so hard to support yourself that way!), but it's definitely something I'd like to do all my life in one way or another. Lately I've been toying with the idea of teaching creative writing at the college level, so maybe that. Or maybe go into publishing/editing, stuff like that.

It's all just speculation for now. I still have a year before I graduate and then (hopefully) grad school after that, so...there's time to make up my mind.

Then again, the Real World is scary. Maybe I'll just stay a student all my life.

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Originally posted by fathounddawg:

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Originally posted by est120:
I have a couple of friends that live in New Jersey. Visited there a couple of times myself. No desire to go back? Why is that, if you do not mind my asking? Aside from the full service gas stations and the "jughandles" for making turns, I thought it was a nice place.

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Hey, jughandles are a beautiful, beautiful thing! :)

Well, I was born in NJ and raised in NJ and don't feel any special attachment to my hometown (outside of friend and family, who won't be there much longer anyway). I'm ready for some new scenery.

Plus, it's expensive to live there and as an English major, I've resigned myself to a life of poverty.

--------------------
Zoe: "I don't think she'd harm anyone."
Jayne: "Butcher knife!"
Zoe: "Anyone we can't spare."

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Originally posted by est120:
No smarty pants here. Just a working stiff. I think persistence is a big part of being successful in graduate school. the desire to keep going even when things are not going as well as you had hoped or like. It is not the only thing, nor the biggest thing, but it is a part of it.

Teaching would be good. There is always a shortage of good and willing teachers in this world. I would love to publish a novel. That would be so cool. I hope you succeed.

The real world is not so scary. More things to think about (insurance for various things, retirement, savings etc) but it is not so bad. I was glad to leave the student world behind when I finally finished graduate school.

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Originally posted by fathounddawg:
Aw, geez...you make grad school sound scary.

I'm scared about "growing up," but excited too. I want to have adventures and see the world and do the things I want to do, intrepid Beagle in tow. I still feel woefully unprepared, though, like I have twenty years of knowledge to cram into my head and only two years to do it.

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Originally posted by est120:
Graduate school is not scary, it does require work, though. Of course, your path through graduate school will probably be quite different compared to mine. Taking the GRE is not really fun but at least you only have to do it once. It is like the SAT.

I would imagine many people are intimidated by starting out in the world when they are finishing school.

I love beagles. They are adorable. I have wanted to get a dog, but with my work schedule, there is not really any way to take care of one. Maybe someday....

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Originally posted by fathounddawg:
I'm hoping that I'll be able to skip the GRE entirely and only apply to schools that don't require it for admission. Doesn't look like it will happen that way, but it's a nice fantasy to have.

Beagles are the greatest, especially mine. I may be slightly biased, though. I finally get to go home on Saturday for spring break and see him again. I want to take him with me when I head off to parts unknown for grad school, but, like you said, it's a lot of work and add a job on top of that and there's precious little time for him.

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Originally posted by est120:
That would be neat-o if you could skip the GRE. It would save you whatever the registration fee is as well as the aggravation of taking the test and waiting for the results.

I got sucked into watching some of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on TV a little while ago. It was neat to see all the different types of dogs. The beagle they had there was very cool. What is your dog's name?

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Originally posted by fathounddawg:
Ignoring for the moment what it's going to cost to pay for the actual program, it looks like just applying to grad school is going to be an expensive process - test fees, application fees, postage, etc, etc, on and on. Sheesh! Girl can't get a break!

His official snooty name is Little Pocket Rocket - which, I know, sounds like a euphamism for something dirty, but that didn't occur to us at the time. *sigh* We just call him Rocky (or Lovey or Porky or any other variation). He's my fat hound dog.

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Originally posted by est120:
True, there are "hidden" expenses like you mentioned. Like I have said before, I do not know how graduate programs in English work, but perhaps you can be paid a stipend by the department and in exchange you end up teaching classes. The English department where I went to graduate school had money to fund a certain number of graduate students, though, how many, I am uncertain.

Interesting name for your dog. He sounds like a fun dog, though. May I ask where that name came from? I understand where your screen name came from now, though. I was kind of wondering about that.

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Originally posted by fathounddawg:
Some of the programs offer fellowships tha include 100% tuition waiver and a stipend. Others do like you mentioned, stipends and waivers of a certain amount for teaching. And others offer absolutely nothing at all. I'm planning to apply to a lot of schools that have a history of being generous with their money. No doubt the competition is more intense, but it's worth a shot at least.

His daddy's name was Rock and his mom's name was Little Pocket Smile, so we kind of combined the two. He's supposedly got good blood lines, so we could have done AKC showing and such with him (hence the big name), but in the end he just became a pet. I think he's happier that way, he's a really mellow, low-key guy. He doesn't have the diva attitude a lot of show dogs do. (On a side note, a variant of fathounddawg is the name of my site, too [ www.fathounddog.com].)

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Originally posted by est120:
Sounds like a good plan. I hope you find something that works for you. Never know till you try, right?

Interesting story behind this dog's name. Kind of like those race horses. I like mellow types of dogs, not the hyper, jump all over you, chase after everything types. I like dogs more like me; sitting around, relaxing.

I checked out your website. Very nice photos. You have a very nice eye.

Happy Birthday! Now go do something special!

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Originally posted by fathounddawg:
Rocky is definitely not a jump all around hyper sort of dog. He's a napper. He doesn't even howl, which is really rare for Beagles. We think the breeder might have tricked us, because he looks like he's got Basset in him (we call him a Bagle instead of a Beagle. ) But he's just the biggest love ever. Geez, talking about him makes me miss him so much! lol

Thank you for the compliment. I love it, my camera is my baby. Rocky thanks you too, since he's my muse a lot of the time.

Happy birthday back atcha!!! Although I still have 49 minutes here.

Got any big plans for the day?

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Originally posted by est120:
Sounds like my kind of dog. Someone I knew in college had a really sweet dog. I do not know what kind of dog he was but he was rather old. He moved very slowly and occassionally would bump into things but he was so sweet. He would move out of your way and nuzzle your leg or the palm of your hand. He has probably passed on by now. But, I know he was well loved.

No big plans. I have to go out of town this weekend for work, so no plans there either. I am not incredibly big on celebrating my birthday. How about you?

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Originally posted by BlackEyedGirl:
SWF, 26 Northern WI (but travels to Milwaukee area often and with a curiosity of Minneapolis)), Zoe's strength, Inara's wiles, River's untampered brains and Kaylee's skillz, seeks Mal with Wash's humor and a little bit of Jayne's insanity, with Simon's brain and a bit of Book's mystery. Likes Sci-Fi, science actual, TV, is very liberal and funny.

BTW: This is how the Hidey Place started... ahh good times

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
http://pluralofapocalypse.blogspot.com
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Inara: "Do aliens live among us?"
Kaylee: "Yes. One of them's a doctor."

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Originally posted by fathounddawg:
We had a second Beagle for a while, Cocoa. He was an old man when we had him (11 or 12, I think) and that was three or four years ago now. He was a doll. I hope he's still running around somewhere, but you're right - even if he's not, he was loved and I'm glad for that.

Tonight I have tickets for Wicked which is in town for a few weeks on its Broadway tour, so that should be a lot of fun. Then Saturday I get to go home for spring break, which is a gift in itself.

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Originally posted by est120:
Why did your family part with Cocoa? I never really had any pets growing up. I think my parents had their hands full with me! Someday I would love to get a dog, though. I love dogs.

Sounds like a plan. I hope you have a good time at the show. I have never heard of that one before, but then again, I do not really keep up with Broadway shows. I assume you are driving back to New Jersey. When I lived in PA, I was always amazed at just how WIDE the state really is. Generally people talk about how big Texas is and it is a big state but driving across PA is underrated as far as long drives go.

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Originally posted by fathounddawg:
Rocky never really warmed up to him, either. They didn't fight or anything and they'd play a lot, but I always had the feeling the Rocky was waiting for him to leave. Silly dogs.

PA is a ridiculously wide state, I agree. I live as far west as you can be and still be in NJ and it still takes about 6 hours to get home, with good traffic and weather and all. We drive to Michigan every year, too, and it seriously feels like as soon as you get through PA, the trip might as well be over.

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Originally posted by est120:
Hm. Sounds like Cocoa had a little problem with incontinence in his later years. :\

No kidding. Where in Michigan do you go? Do you have family there? I grew up in Michigan.

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Originally posted by fathounddawg:
Geez, the similarities continue! I have a lot of family in Michigan. My mom grew up in Detroit and her sister still lives in the area and my dad grew up in Kalamazoo and his mom and sister still like there and his brother is nearby. Plus we have a cottage on a lake up north that we go to every summer. So, yeah...I'm very attached to the state of Michigan.

And...happy conclusion to your birthday. I hope it was wonderful! Try to have some fun this weekend, don't work too hard!

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Originally posted by est120:
Kalamazoo. When I was in high school, a guy in my chemistry class had a button on his backpack that said "Yes, there really is a Kalamazoo". It is am amusing name for a town. Hell, Michigan is another one. So funny. I grew up in East Lansing. Go State! Please tell me you are not a U of M fan. :\

I hope you had a good time at the show and whatnot yesterday. How does it feel to be a year older? I hope you have a fun Spring Break too. Enjoy them now. When you finish school, there is no such thing anymore.

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Originally posted by fathounddawg:
No, not a U of M fan. I suppose I haven't taken sides, my family is pretty clearly divided. I am, however, considering U of M for grad school. Forgive me!

The show was AMAZING. I laughed, I cried, I clapped, I sang. Just extraordinary. It was a really wonderful night. Nice to celebrate my 21st without the obligatory vomiting and hangover.

My age is catching up with me, though. This morning I got up and my old bones creaked. Not long now and they'll have to put me in a home!

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Originally posted by est120:
Well, I cannot tell you where to go to school (U of M is evil...) Of course, I grew up near MSU and my father used to teach there (retired now), so I have been a fan for as long as I can remember.

I am glad the show was good. Always a plus when something lives up to expectations. And I am glad you did not partake in those silly "rites of passage" that cause the unecessary deaths of so many 21 year olds.

Hm. No complaining about your age since I am older than you. You can only complain about your age to people younger than you. It is kind of funny, though, how there are some things that I just cannot physically do anymore that I could easily so just a few years ago.

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Originally posted by fathounddawg:
Hey, there's another one - my grandfather used to teach at Western Michigan U.

Chin up...I'm sure there's lots of other neat stuff that comes with growing older. Like wisdom - or at least a better understanding of how much you don't know. Plus getting to use words like "whippersnapper."

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Originally posted by est120:
Want to get even stranger? My father did part of his graduate studies at Western Michigan. Freaky!

Well, I am not that old yet. Heck, I am only in my 20's. I just like to complain like I just turned 40. What am I going to do when I actually do turn 40?!

Have a nice holiday.

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Originally posted by fathounddawg:
It's like the line from When Harry Met Sally:
"I'm going to be 40!"
"...in 8 years."


Now that I've passed the halfway-to-40 point, do I get special complaining rights? Can I wax poetic to younger people about the good ol' days? And how I had to trudge six miles through the snow to get to class every day...with wild dogs chasing me...

I definitely will have a nice holiday. Get to see my family and my dog and my friends and bust out of the "desperately poor college student" lifestyle for a little while. Good stuff!

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Originally posted by est120:
I love that movie. It is one of my favorites. In fact, I think I have it on DVD as well.

"I love you."
"How do you expect me to respond to this?"

Not yet. I think to obtain the special complaining rights, you have to pass 30.

Yes, I remember visiting my family when I was in college and taking the opportunity to stuff myself silly. Hard to pass up large amounts of food.

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Originally posted by fathounddawg:
Sadly, we're (still) in the middle of re-doing our kitchen. (My dad is a he-man and doing it himself.) Which means I won't get many home-cooked meals. There's plenty of good restaurants around, and since I don't have to pay for any of it I can actually go to some. Honestly, as long as I get my mom's special better-than-sex chocolate birthday cake, I'm set.

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Originally posted by est120:
Cool. I bet the kitchen will be very nice when it is completed. I love to cook so a nice kitchen is always a welcome thing. Chocolate cake, eh? I have a pretty good recipe for chocolate cake that I have not made in a long time. I hope it is everything you are hoping for it to be.

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Originally posted by fathounddawg:
I love to cook, too. I miss doing it when I'm out here - no kitchen in my dorm suite. I miss it at home, too, nowadays. lol

What's your favorite thing to make?

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Originally posted by est120:
I do not know. I like making lots of things. I particularly like to bake. I have this white chocolate cookie recipe I really like. I have a pretty good brownie recipe too.

How about you?

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Originally posted by fathounddawg:
I like to bake, too. My family has sugar cookie and snickerdoodle recipes that have been passed down for generations and are delicious, plus my mom's killer chocolate cake recipe, and a lot of others.

My favorite is pancakes, though. At risk of sounding overly corny, making pancakes make me feel at home. I guess I have a lot of fond memories associated with pancake mornings.

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Originally posted by est120:
Pancakes are good, though I rarely get them. I have a pretty good recipe for them, but nothing special. I signed up to take some cooking classes so hopefully I can improve upon some of my skills.

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