The Dateable Dork

So here’s the rub (mmmmm… rub…): although the CA school was amazing, the school that I absolutely fell in love with is the one here in the northeast.  Hello???  What happened to my big plans to move to the west coast and bask in the sunshine while hot surfer dudes fetched me a margarita?  What happened to my awesome tan and new surfboard and closet full of bikinis?  The wind in my hair and the sand under my feet?  The mellow lifestyle of these decidedly non-New-Yorkers???

Ummm… yeah.  About that.  The fact that I might actually be willing to give that up for an opportunity here in the snowy northeast says A LOT about just how much I loved this place.  As in, I am completely in love.  I love everything about it.  Love it, love it, LOVE IT!  Seriously, I should have done this years ago.  Not to mention the fact that the campus visits this past weekend cemented the fact that I’ve been slowly wasting away in my cube for the past few years doing monkey work.  I mean, I knew this already, but WOW did I underestimate the amazing work that I could be doing in grad school.  Granted, a PhD is not all rainbows and gumdrops, but at least it’ll be challenging work, which will be a big improvement.  And the opportunities are unreal!  It’s total insanity!

And here’s another thing: Remember the five-year BF?  The one whose Facebook page recently announced that he’s getting married?  The break-up all those years ago that stemmed from the fact that we couldn’t agree on which city to live in?  I wanted to stay in New York for my career and my family, and he wanted to move elsewhere for his career and his family, and neither one of us was willing to give up our plans for the other person?  Remember this?  Well, it just so happens that this amazing school that I absolutely fell in love with is in the same damn city that I refused to move to all those years ago.  And no, the irony is not lost on me.  Funny how these things work out.

So I still have more schools to visit, but I have to admit that I’m leaning pretty heavily toward my little slice of snowy heaven here in the northeast.  To say that I’m excited about this opportunity is a massive understatement.  I’m now 100% sure that I’ll be going back to school this fall, and I’m also 100% sure that going back to school is the right move for me, both professionally and personally.  It feels so good to be able to say that.

Oh, and did I mention all the hot, nerdy guys that I came across during the two visits?????  Hello???  Where have you been all my life??????  I swear, I saw more eligible bachelors during the last seven days than I have in probably the last year.  No joke.  This bodes very well for my grad student sex life.  : ) 

Assuming I have time for a sex life, ahem.