Re: Grad School

Dear Molly,

I have the opportunity to finish grad school by next May. The catch is that I'd have to take five classes this fall and three classes in the spring along with student teaching. Then I'd get to have an actual graduation ceremony (which I missed out on when I got my B.A.), and I'd have my Master's next spring and be certified to teach for the following fall.

What do you think? Should I cram it all in in one year and possibly sacrifice my sanity for the sake of getting it over with? Or should I just do it over the normal two year period most graduate students do? It all costs the same, by the way. And I could still get a job teaching without my certification.

Thanks,

Kate

Breaks Are Good

Dear Molly,

I haven't been here in three weeks. So, for the sake of continuity, here is my explanation for the break in Dear Molly (and All the Way Over Here).

You already know I've been sick. I'm not sick anymore, but I still don't feel much like writing. I also haven't talked much to you in general, but that has more to do with not really wanting to talk than it does not wanting to talk to you. Don't take it personally. (You probably don't anyway.)

Also... grad school is getting kind of crazy with midterms and papers and professors who annoy the hell out of me. It's been keeping me kind of busy. Oh, and I got this new part-time job as a research assistant/project coordinator at a radio show on NPR. It's turning into more work than I thought it would be, but I suppose it's good because A) it keeps me busy so I don't go nuts out of boredom in my downtime from school, and B) I can stop living off of student loans. (Woo-hoo.)

Maybe a couple more weeks?

Best,

Kate

Ka-nock Ka-nock!

Dear Eager,

It just so happens, at one point in my life, I happen to have been faced with the very same problem as you are now. Can you believe somebody close to me failed to realize just how funny I actually am?

Here's what I did to combat it: every time I saw or spoke to this person I would tell them a new joke. I'll give you a few to start off with.

This is my favorite joke:

Three statisticians go hunting and they spot a deer. The first statistician takes a shot and misses a foot to the right. The second takes a shot and misses a foot to the left. The third guy starts jumping up and down yelling "I got it! I got it!"

HA! Still gets me every time.

Or how bout this for a little foreign humour:

Q:Why do the french only have one egg for breakfast?
A: Because, in France, one egg is an oeuf! (pronounced like enough)

If I could write in a French laugh here, I would, trust me.

These are just to help you get the ball rolling, if you need more just ask me or use the reference site for A Prairie Home Companion: Pretty Good Jokes (they're being modest). But remember its important to really drive home the point, don't lighten up on the jokes until you're sure that your sister gets just how funny you are. Its good to catch her off guard, too. Might I suggest calling her at six in the morning and starting the conversation with:

A guy walks into a bar with a set of jumper cables. The bartender takes one look at him, sighs, and says, "Alright, I'll serve ya', but don't try an start anything".

Cue the obligatory cymbal crash!
-Molly

Reader Question #1

Dear Molly:

I just learned that my sister thinks that I am not funny. Not funny like a boring old college professor who recycles knock-knock jokes not funny. I think she may be referencing my third grade paper where I informed my teacher that among the genetic traits I inherited was my mother’s lack of sense of humor. However, I would like to point out that years of practice and education have overcome what the genes dealt me.

How can I make her realize how wrong she is?

Eager to set the record straight,

Megan