Petit pois

This morning, we had actually snow accumulation up here in the 'Heights -- the plaza outside of the department building was positively picturesque, though the sidewalks were clear. All of the plants, from hydrangeas to the boxwoods to the cherry trees, had this lovely even dusting of snow, and the effect was sort of magical, like it had only snowed perfectly in this one charmed place. I was running late for a meeting, or you'd have a photo.

So, I've been discovering new vegetables lately -- chard was the hit veggie this fall, and for some reason, I bought myself some baby peas at Fairway yesterday. I do not like peas. I do not like the texture at all, nor did I ever get onto the mushy peas bandwagon when I lived in England. But I remember my DC sis-in-law saying something once that frozen peas could be quite nice if you just cook them for a few minutes, that they stay sweet and crunchy that way. Lo and behold, they do - put frozen ones them in an inch of boiling water for 2 minutes. She knows her veggies. After dinner last night, I now like peas.

I've decided that I'm going to provide an additional incentive for myself for my orals reading. Crossing things off the list and putting the books on the shelf is epic, but wouldn't you all like to know how it's going? The suspense has been killer, hasn't it? I'll put the books I'm reading and/or finished with here every few days. This may make for some short posts, but it'll keep my sense of accomplishment high.

Thursday/Friday:
Imperial Eyes, Mary Louis Pratt (done)
The Pasteurization of France, Bruno Latour (done)
The Columbian Exchange, Alfred Crosby (done)
Ecological Imperialism, Alfred Crosby (done)
Contagion and the State in Europe, 1830-1930, Peter Baldwin (reading)

I put in for an exam date yesterday, and it's possible, though unlikely, that it could fall on my birthday. I think it'd be fine -- the day is good regardless, and what a sense of relief afterward! It'll more likely be one of the last days in February, though. After an orals planning meeting, my girlfriends in the program and I also discussed the possibility of wearing a crown/tiara to the exam, or putting on said tiara when your confidence falters. The picture of one of us getting up for a break and returning in a tiara was just...awesome. I would pay money to see the examiners' faces. The conversation comes off as a bit empty-headed, but this all came up because one of our own just got engaged, and we were discussing wedding head-wear, but hey -- tiaras all around, no?