one more miracle

*flails hands*

TRYING to do homework, because tomorrow is PANIC DAY and thus will be unavailable for homework endeavors! But failing to focus, because 1) ZOMG ELECTION IN THREE DAYS! *REFRESHES POLITICAL BLOGS LIKE FIEND* and 2) I had Colin text Dara to ask him to go online, and Dara was on a bus but said he'd be online in 40 minutes... 2 hours ago. This does not stop me from obsessively checking Gchat to see if he's on /o\

My Halloween was pretty faily. The frats at my school collectively threw the "biggest party in F&M history" in the school gym. They succeeded in beating 1000 people, or whatever they were aiming for, but the party itself was pretty lame. Sucky music, drunk idiots running around in stupid clothes, and pretty much no one I knew. I hung out with the same four people all night (four people I adore, don't get me wrong! But four people does not a party make) and ended up just running away to play Guitar Hero into the wee hours of the morning. Because my decision to attend said dumb party was last minute, I simply dressed as an emo kid - translation, wore my own clothes and piled on a shitload of eyeliner, with gratuitous tear track down my cheek. Yeah. The eyeliner actually looked awesome, let's not lie :D

Then I went to bed at 4 AM, and woke up around noon with a pounding headache and eyes displeased with this notion of staying open. However, I had had nothing to drink, and thus this was most confusing. Roommates both woke up with headaches too, with bonus sore throats. Uh oh? I'm hoping it's a false alarm!

What if Trinity doesn't work out? What if i actually don't like studying there? WHAT IF ALL MY FRIENDS FORGET ABOUT ME OMG? These are just some of my (semi-serious) worries that have been swirling through my head recently. If the funding doesn't work out, that means I'm stuck here looking for a job, which...... yeah. I'm also sad that I'll be missing out on most of Obama's first term :(

Tell me something to cheer me up, kids!

OH BTW, the new Supernatural was OMG AWESOME. &CASTIELLLL; I really love him lots and lots, you guys. Also &DEAN; and &SAM; of course. I love me some angst, fo REAL, and this week's satisfied me so hardcore in that department :D Can't wait for moar!

OMG PANIC BABIES TOMORROW.

OMG THREE DAYS.

Ok I'll stop spamming you and get back to my homework, rar.

I hate lab reports.

I do not, however, hate spending the day in New York City with PADDY!!!!!!! I love Paddy. I love him wholeheartedly. He is one of the most genuine, sweet, smart, funny, lovely guys I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and more than that, he's a wonderful friend. I am so glad I got this chance to see him. Even though it took 6 hours of driving, a lot of gas, and the sacrifice of pretty badly-needed homework time, it was more than worth it. An emotional breath of fresh air, shall we say. I love living with Michelle and Rob, but after Dublin, with my constantly rotating door of social activities and friends, I feel rather suffocated. Paddy made me feel light and free and glad to be me.

Hmmm, I wonder if I should go back to Ireland? :P (Side note: I'm in the process of very seriously examining that decision. It's extremely complicated, weighing what's most important to me - the fact that it's DUBLIN and I KNOW I will be happy there, or the fact that I could probably get a much more prestigious and personally-tailored PhD project over here in the states. My head hurts.)

As for our day in New York, we mostly just wandered about randomly, hopping on subways when the whim struck. We ambled through Chinatown, grazed Little Italy, went to 5th Ave and hung out in the Apple Store and FAO Schwartz, got a delicious lunch of NYC brick oven pizza, and walked through Central Park for an hour, watching all the "yoggers" (apparently it's from Anchorman? I don't know!). I really had a lovely lovely day. He told me that everyone back in Dubs was really jealous that he got to see me! I thought that was soooo sweet. I told him that I may be coming back to Trinity, and he said that he would love that, but that I should really consider the academic ramifications seriously and make the decision that's best for me. Sigh, Paddy! You're supposed to whisk me across the ocean, damn the consequences!

On top of that awesomeness, I got to hang out with the super duper lovely figletofvenice, and her very awesome friends! Thank you again sweetie for letting me crash <3 I met up with them in the city after Paddy left for his flight, and we had a delicious Japanese dinner, then went back home and watched Supernatural and were bums in our PJs. Awesomesauce. It was a gooood day.

Back to this stupid lab report argh!

Okay, it's time for a cheerful and optimistic post about my future prospects!

Get this: I might get my Ph.D. at Trinity College Dublin.

....

I mean, EEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Okay, it all started when I emailed one of my favorite profs from Ireland asking her if she knew about any job opportunities in Dublin for a person with a BA in Chemistry. She replied with this:

"Have you consider doing postgraduate studies here in Dublin?? I remember you were a brilliant student and I am certain that you could find funding here. I do not have a grant available just now but if you would like to work with me I could try to get some money here and there and we could prepare some proposal for you to apply here."

(Some of the odd grammar is because she's from Spain. She's such a lovely woman!) So basically she's saying, I would love you to work for me and I will MAKE IT HAPPEN. That email quite literally blew my mind. I hadn't let myself consider the possibility of going back to Dublin for a Ph.D., considering it prohibitive in a financial sense, but the more research I do into the matter, the more convinced I am that I could do it! For one thing, they ALSO pay their chemistry PhD students a stipend and waive the fees, just like here in America. (I didn't know that!) For another, the application process is so much simpler - no GRE, no personal statement. I just work with a professor at Trinity to develop a proposal along the lines of their current research, send in my CV and a couple recommendations, and bam. It happens. (I'm pretty damn sure I'd get in too. A BA in chemistry from a prestigious American school, very high grades here, and VERY high grades in the year I SPENT at Trinity. Plus this personal support, which I'm confident would be backed up by other members of the Chemistry department.)

My mind is blown.

And it's not like I'd be SETTLING for anything. Trinity is a damn fine school - ranked 53rd in the WORLD, and frequently mentioned in the same breath as Oxford and Cambridge. I'd be back in DUBLIN, the home of my heart. When I told Louise I was considering it, she was like YOU MUST DO THIS. I would be back with Louise and Niall and Paddy and Dara and Barry and Conor and Paul and Ronan and Niall C and EVERYONE and the thought just makes me want to explode for joy.

Another great thing is that I think I could really love working for this woman. Her name is Isabel Rozas and she's a medicinal chemist working on drug design. I absolutely loved the three classes I took with her, and I'm quite fascinated by the details of drug design. How cool would that be??? It combines organic chemistry and biochemistry in such a brilliant way. I don't think I'd want to do it for my life, since pharmaceuticals scare me, but as a Ph.D. project? Hells yes!

I think... I think this might actually happen! I have a meeting with the international studies dean here at my college tomorrow. I'm trying not to get my heart too set on this (I haven't even spoken to my parents, and this essentially amounts to MOVING OUT OF THE COUNTRY for four years) but oh. Oh I want to go.

&DUBLIN;