Tuesday, October 14, 2003

Like Lisa?

I can remember when The Simpsons first graduated from the Tracy Ullman Show onto their own series, taking the media and consumer markets by storm. I can remember all of the little Bart wannabes in their "Eat My Shorts" and "Don't Have A Cow" t-shirts. Being a fan of the Simpsons from watching the Tracy Ullman Show, I was equally enthralled with the "typical American family." Instead of touting rude comments and staying after school to fill the black board with what I "will not" do, I better associated with another member of the family.

Yes, while all the boys were proudly brandishing their "Underachiever" t-shirts and sweatshirts, my white tee showed Lisa sitting at her desk, the word "Overachiever" arched over her head. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am an overachiever. There, I've said it.

Big surprise, huh? Ok, not really. I made this same confession in a conversation with a friend last night. He replied, "Yeah, I figured."
I asked, "Why, because I like crossword puzzles (having just completed the NY Times') and word of the day calendars?"
He smiled and said, "Well that and you graduated with a 3.8 in your major."
To which I justified, "Yeah, but I got something like a 3.0 in my other major."
"See, you even had two majors!"
"Well, a lot of people double-majored because Madison doesn't have minors."

Right. Ok, point taken. Well, fine. Yes-I love words: poetry, prose, lyrics, crosswords, synonyms, antonyms, vocab in general. Superfluous is my favorite word because I think it epitomizes itself. I love words so much that I am applying to a Comparative Literature graduate program at Vanderbilt. I am not telling you this to boast. I am telling you this so that you can keep me accountable. In the end, the only reason I truly moved to Nashville is because I had told so many people, I really couldn't stay in Madison. My instinct is to keep this under wraps until I get in, or at least until I finish my application or take the GRE (Nov. 4th) but I know that if I keep it to myself, procrastination is bound to creep in and take over.

Kind of like my music, but now I'm in the studio and hope to have my CD ready by Christmas, if not the beginning of the year. How awesome would that be? 2004-- the year of my first personal CD release and start of my Masters.

So, there. I've said it and I've made the necessary plans. Now I have to study more for the GRE and get my transcripts. This is the first school I've ever applied to that I wasn't 100% sure I would get accepted. There was something very comforting in telling my dad and having him say, "Oh, sure you'll get in. You just have to hope you get the TA job so it'll pay for it!" Oh, yeah, paying... let's hope I get in and get to be a TA-- that's not overachieving, that's being poor. Sorry, I forgot. To quote myself, "I am not poor. I am indebted."