Chi-city

Being home has never been so entertaining.  My mother is officially going bonkers.  For example, this is a verbatim conversation between my mother and I while talking about the sizes of my feet: 

"Your right foot is a WHOLE SIZE bigger than your left foot?!  You know what they say, the right side of your brain controls the right side of the body, so obviously you've been doing too much physics...cuz that's like left brain stuff." 

Then she handed me a book on Zen Christianity. 

"Here, read this.  It will stimulate the right side of your brain, so then your feet with e-qui-lib-riate."  

I stood there in wonder and worry that I'm half her genetic code, and replied: 

"So you're saying if I read a Zen book, my feet will change size?"  

Sorry I've been so out of touch lately, life on the home front hasn't exactly been peaches 'n cream.  A year ago my dad has a ventricular heart attack while I was abroad, from which he has recovered well.  But sadly, a few weeks ago he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.  Good news is it's in the very early stages, so treatment is feasible.  But being 65 years old, he's no vigorous youth prone to fast recovery from treatment.  I've been secretly sneaking home to spend time with the family, and subsequently got very behind in my work/social life at the end of the semester.  For having gone "missing", I apologize. 

Well, it just became official - I have an apartment in Evanston, and I'll move in on June 1st.  I'll start my PhD work in the fall, but in the mean time I'll be bouncing back and forth between Northwestern and Fermilab (apparently I have to train to become 2nd in the command in the control room?...yikes).  I just got my grad text books yesterday, and I'm giddier than a 1930's school girl in a candy store with a 50 cent piece she got from a Mexican immigrant she helped smuggle drugs into the country.  

Also, did you know that Lady Gaga's song, "Poke Face" was inspired by the fact that she would think about women while having sex with her ex boyfriend?  Puts a whole new meaning to "bluffin with my muffin".

Of course, you are all welcome, if you're in Chicago, to crash at my place in Evanston (it's only a short L ride away from downtown Chicago).  

Off to mow the lawn...effing child labor.