The Last Epic Library Trip

In two weeks, the school year will begin.  For the second year, I am amazed by how quickly the summer, which always appears to stretch out endlessly when classes end in May, slips by.  There's no question that this was a very good summer in a number of ways.  I criticize myself for taking vacation …

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Here It Starts: books, exams, and, of course, cats

And so it begins. Last week, it finally had to happen.  I spent hours looking up call numbers on the university library website.  I dragged out the rollerboard luggage (and my partner, Stephen).  And, together, we went to pick up the first batch of comprehensive exam books. I think I underestimated the amount of time …

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A Grad Student’s Plea for Standard-Sized Books

As a PhD student, reading is a daily activity.  And not just reading, but reading as much as you can as quickly as you can.  Training to speed-read is like training for a marathon--each book is a new opportunity to improve upon the overall time it takes you to understand: the author's argument, the sources …

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