On Thursday I took a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test.  The University runs a free development program for Research students in association with the Careers Service office.  You can go to these sessions called “Time Management” and “Learning to Speed Read” and “Managing the Supervisory Relationship,” things like that.  I tend to go to the careers ones (“Developing … Continue reading →

This morning I woke up so unbelievably full.  It was like the day after Thanksgiving.  Last night I took myself out for a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant in town.  I was really craving spaghetti al’Arabiatta, and there’s this Italian restaurant in an old malthouse that I hadn’t been in but always wanted to try because … Continue reading →

I had a meeting with one of my professors yesterday where we got talking about martial arts–she studies something called tae do (which isn’t the same thing as tae kwan do and I’m not sure I’m spelling it right) while I, as you may know, recently started studying jiu jitsu again.  I got talking about why I wanted … Continue reading →

So a few weeks ago I went out to look for a raincoat and accidentally came back with a full-legnth velvet opera cloak by mistake.  You may be asking yourself how this sort of thing happens.  Well, I started by looking at all the major department stores but they were all full up with cute little … Continue reading →

So I was sitting at my computer a few weeks ago and I realized that if I wasn’t careful I would end up spending every day for the rest of my natural life hunched unnaturally over my laptop, slouching in the chair and squinting at the screen from a distance of about three inches.  I was starting to get creaky … Continue reading →

Last month I went to a hafla in London run by some friends who I met in Cairo.  Normally I take a lot of photos at these kinds of events for research purposes, which all come out blurry and generally with the dancer facing the wrong way.  This time I was lucky enough to have a photographer friend come … Continue reading →

On Wednesday night some of my friends invited me to attend a monthly sining gathering in Pennymoor, a small village about a half-hour’s drive from Exeter.  I was told that it was a group-sing situation; everybody sang a song, then after a brief intermission they went round the group again and everybody sang another song.  … Continue reading →

Right, here are some photos that I took on a trip to London and Paris with my mom and a friend. http://picasaweb.google.com/mcdonald.caitlin/LondonAndParis?authkey=Gv1s… (I did try to embed the photos…that didn’t work.  So hopefully this link will take you to them!) That’s all for now, Skirtettes!  I promise more is coming…but as we all know it can … Continue reading →

This is just a brief note to tell you all how much I’ve been struggling with procrastination lately.  It’s gotten dangerous, and it’s starting to get me down.  I actually love my research and I love writing about all the fascinating things I experienced, as well as the infinitely nerdier academic conclusions I draw from those … Continue reading →

My dear Skirts, as usual you will have to excuse an extended absence on my part.  In fairness I have been away from a computer for about ten days, and I will write about my many adventures very soon.  But before that, I have another tale to tell.  So remember how, when I arrived on my houseboat in … Continue reading →