Graduation Day!

So, it's been a while. Sorry about that. Defending and revising my thesis, finishing my last course, and filling out a million pieces of paper in order to graduate kept me pretty busy. Anyway, on May 13, I officially received my master's degree in Asian Languages and Civilizations (Chinese). The ceremony was at 8 am and boring as usual. It did end on time and the talks were mercifully short, which was good because there was another ceremony at noon and there were so many graduates just reading the names took an hour-and-a-half. Sadly, they did not go in alphabetical order and I wound up being at the very, very end. Here are some pictures from my graduation. It was really warm and the gown is a terribly unbreathable, heavy polyester. I thought I was going to die.

Here's a nice picture of my grandparents, my mom, and I. I was really excited they could come down for the event, even if it was only for a few days. It's a really long drive from Kalispell to Tempe!

My mom also took some pictures, including a few nice ones of Paul and I, so hopefully there will be a nice, updated picture of the two of us that I can post soon.

Baby Boy Buss-Muhle

Yeah, that's how it would show up on school rolls. Think of how it will be pronounced. "Bus mule." No potential for mocking there.

We went in for the anatomy scan yesterday. It took FOREVER (~1 hr, or twice as long as scheduled) because someone refused to stop moving. There was waving and kickboxing of my innards and tap dancing on my bladder, even a couple of flips. I wonder if this level of athleticism will continue outside and if so, where it came from. It went so long the doctor later told me she and the nurses were prepared to deal with bad news. Just to be clear: there was none. Everything is A-OK. I still haven't gained any weight, but I've stopped losing and it still early to worry about that, especially since the scan showed the baby was right on target size-wise. It was literally average in every way.

Here are the best pictures:

This was the tech's favorite. "Look at those lips!" she kept saying.

Here's the money shot. No mistake there, that's definitely a boy.

Two more face pictures.

I also received my funding offer, which is good and generous and will allow us to have two incomes after the baby comes. I haven't figured out how my courses are going to shake out, but I hopefully I can only take one class twice a week.

My thesis is finished, revised, expanded, formatted, and approved for defense. Now if I can just pass my thesis defense on the 11th, all will be well.

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

So despite what my acceptance letters said back in JANUARY, it's mid-March and I still haven't heard anything about funding. To be fair, from what I understand, there's no announcement of funding because no one's received a budget yet. And the just-passed Senate budget bill cut ~$500 million from the whole public education system. While I would take student loans if that's what it took, I would like to know if I need to. It would nice if I still had a job, though. :(

I finished my thesis and now I'm waiting for my advisor to return it to me. At first I was really relieved to be done with it--even just temporarily--but now I'm starting to get nervous. What if it needs massive revisions? The final, final, final draft has to be submitted by the 28th. That's getting really close.

Ugh, the waiting really is the hardest part.

Quick Update

I have to make this brief because I'm in the middle of a thesis writing-a-thon (due by the 10th!). Thanks for all of the congratulations, you all make me feel better. I'm due in August, presumably with a human. (Haven't done the 18 wk sonogram yet, so ask in a month.) Paul leans girl, I lean boy, so I figure one of us will get what they want either way. I have no idea how I'm going to get through everything, so I mainly focus on the immediate future. This week, thesis; next week, catch up on classwork and get blood drawn. People assure me this is a good strategy. I'm mostly feeling better except for the random vomiting and terrible thirst. Still, I imagine I've gotten off pretty easy so far. Fingers crossed that it continues!

Pregnancy, What is It Good For?

Pregnancy, what is it good for, I ask? You're bone-tired (yet can't sleep for more than two or three hours at a stretch), nauseous and/or puking day after day for weeks, crazy-thirsty, and even if you haven't gained much (or any) weight, nothing fits right because you've magically changed shape somehow.

This kid better be awesome.

Mercy, Justice, and the American Way

I live in Arizona. This should not be news to any of you. Arizona has grown increasingly conservative during my three years here. It's more of a libertarian kind of conservatism, than say "no liquor sales on Sunday" kind of conservatism. One of the hottest issues (as far as number of bills presented in the legislature) is illegal immigration. This is the result of geography, economics, and the Senate President Russell Pearce (R-Mesa) having made combating illegal immigration the sole issue of his entire legislative career. His latest proposal requires hospitals to check patients' immigration status and notify federal authorities if legal status cannot be proven. Hospitals could deny admittance based on status except in emergency situations. (In emergency situations, hospitals would check status after treatment.) The hospitals are opposed to the bill, citing concerns over public health and demands on already-strained staff. Basically, nurses have better things to do with their time than check passports and everyone loses if a person with TB doesn't seek treatment or children don't receive immunizations.

Throughout all the illegal immigration bills is the cry of justice. These people knowingly break the law, a law created for very good reasons. Countries have a right to secure borders, to know who is coming and going and what is being imported and exported. I'm not stupid, I know there are some very bad people regularly crossing the border and there are some very bad things coming (drugs) and going (guns). Private property is being trespassed on. There are many who immigrate legally, despite hardship. Surely, it is just and fair to punish those who knowingly break the law.

But should justice not be tempered with mercy? Judges take mitigating factors into account at sentencing. The whole theme of Les Miserables is that the blind pursuit of justice at all costs ultimately destroys the pursuer. The 1999 Nobel Peace Prize went to Doctors Without Borders, an international organization guided by the belief that all people deserve health care, regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation. Could it not be that in the particular case of hospitals, that it is not in the interest of society to pursue justice? That--perhaps--the moral high ground, the American way, if you will, is to let doctors do their jobs and to let ICE do theirs.

Unfortunately, I fear that Sen. Pearce and like-minded politicians are utterly blind to anything but the pursuit of justice. In their world of absolutes, they would burn down the city to catch a petty thief. Whether you destroy a society in the name of upholding its values or tearing them down, the result is still the same: a pile of rubble and ashes.

All right, I'll get off my soapbox now.

Leo, the Wunderkitten

Here's a couple of videos of Leo playing fetch. In the first one, he actually catches the dart in mid-air and looks pleased with himself. The second shows off his acrobatic talents. I really do think Leo thinks he's a dog. He plays fetch, gets into the garbage, tries to drink out of the toilet, likes to sleep on you, and tries to steal food off your plate. He is curious, adventurous, and especially fearless! We're going to have to buy a garbage can with a lid because he just won't leave it alone.

Anyway, enjoy the clips.