667…Neighbor to the Beast/Major Life Update

667…Neighbor to the Beast/Major Life Update

Subject: 667…Neighbor to the Beast/Major Life Update

Date: Wednesday 6/7/06 3:45:00 AM

Mood: excited

Music: Blue (Da Ba Dee) – Eiffel 65

Tags: queer: clubbing, life: updates, queer: general, languages: arabic, university: grades, yaoi north: general, certifications: ce, travels: middle east, yaoi north: 2006, certifications: cpht, travels: buffalo, travels: vermont, university: graduate, univers

Look, it’s 2006-06-07, we all lived. What a shock. Anyways, HUGE LIFE UPDATE!

Apparently, I’m Graduating This Year

First and Foremost…I received an email from my Adviser who was going over my DARS Report (Degree Auditing and Record System for non UB Peeps) and then had a phone call where we had a conversation similar if not identical to the following:

Dr. J “Matt…you realize that you’re working harder to stay as an Undergrad than it would be for you to just Graduate…you do KNOW that you can Graduate this coming year…right?”

Me: “Um…I can?”

Dr. J “Yes…I mean, it’s nice to take all the language classes you want…but you can audit those as a grad student…”

Me: “ohhh…”

Dr. J “yeah…so you’re graduating”

Me: “Well that’s interesting…”

I’ll either be graduating after next year’s summer session or at the very latest, the end of the fall semester of the next academic year, immediately following the one I’m about to enter.

Of course this now means that I have to do things like:

  1. Figure out how to study for the GRE
  1. prepare my CV
  1. Do Grad School Research
  1. Complete my CE’s for my CPhT Certification (renewal date: March 31, 2008) because I’m not going to want to deal with having to get them done while I’m doing this other paperwork
  1. Sit my for my New York State Private Investigators Examination sometime before the summer session, and after the fall session
  1. Study for the CIPP certification exam over the summer and take it at the next available date
  1. Get Letters of Recommendation (Dr. Halavais has said he’d write me one, and I’m fairly certain Dr. Jaeger will as well; considering she’s known me for four years, and I’ve done one internship and one independent study under her and received an A and a B respectively)
  1. And I have to do other less stressful things like Figure out what the heck I’m doing and where I’m going to be doing it.

I’ve decided to just visit the Middle East three months out of the year instead of moving there permanently for five years, it’s just more economical and family friendly that way. I also have to figure out how and when I’m going to make my way to Lebanon after Graduation for a bit (shut up Eli, I can hear you thinking and I don’t care…I’m going to Beirut, it’s not like I’m asking you to come with me).

For grad school I have a few options; personally I want to focus my dissertation work on Translating Poly-Gender Theory into Bi-Gendered Languages as well as the project I’m currently working on to get U.S. Patent (not blogged about, at all, for obvious reasons) but I need a LOT more Arabic Instruction; I’m no where near fluent (far from it) so there’s a few ways for me to play it…

1. Stay at UB, Work with Prof. R as a mentor and tutor (which, knowing him, he would gladly do) and enter the Linguistics Department as a Grad Student…after graduating with my Ph.D. whenever that is, take the ATA Arabic Exam and then take the next steps in my life. Non Academic Draw Backs are that I’m in Buffalo with the Gay Community Here…which, I just don’t fit in with, non draw-backs are that I am known (I guess?) in the gay community here so while I can’t get a date with anyone under 50 I can at least go to the club and have a good time. I’d also really miss Alice (maleficentseyes) and the Kaymar Crew and of course Eli and Friends and the list goes on.

2. Stay at UB, Work with Prof. R as a mentor and tutor (which knowing him, he would gladly do) and enter the Anthropology Department (apparently, the Linguistics Department doesn’t like taking their undergrads as grad students…from what I’ve heard from friends who have applied, as far as official department policy I’m clueless) and this would still let me do the research I want to do on Poly-Gender into Bi-Gender Languages/Societies and then upon graduating, take the ATA Arabic Exam. Draw backs are the same as option one.

3. Apply to NYU for their Translation Program having no idea how well prepared the other students are and how fluent they are in the language even though I will, at the date off admittance have had every Arabic Language Class at UB with a B+ average in the language and face the potential of having to rapid-learn a boat load of information and then attempt to figure out exactly how to pay for an NYU Education and a higher cost of living…non academic benefits are having a much larger Gay Community to live in…perhaps one that’s less…shall we say, volatile (?) than the one here in Buffalo. This is of course assuming that being in the Washington Post, Time Magazine, Having a full spread about me in the Buffalo News with my picture in the center saying I’m smart, a close to 4.0 in my department (for now, there’s still many more courses to take but I’m not too worried) and an okay-ish UB overall average would actually get me into NYU (which I’m not sure it would…I think highly of myself because I have excellent self esteem…but I do know that there are many bright students and anyone who would think that they are the brightest is clearly a fool, because no matter what there’s always going to be someone above you and someone under you). Drawbacks include knowing many, many, many people in the NYC Political World and having them all want a piece of my time…something that I’m not really willing to give until after I graduate Grad School. Other bonuses are having my parents 30 minutes away on the LIRR and my Cousins (who I talk to daily in Queens, a quick F train ride away) and my Grandparents are right over in Ft. Lee, NJ.

4. Apply to a billion safety schools so that if option 1, 2, 3 doesn’t work out I can still do what I want to do, though perhaps not in the location that I want to do it. Also apply to the language schools in Vermont (playing my cards right, I might actually be able to claim residency). Benefits to Vermont are that it’s Ski Season, my Aunt and Uncle have a house up there and I know that I’d get to see my parents often (especially in the Winter).

I will NOT apply to the Defense Language Institute or it’s neighbor school for those who are DLI Drop Outs…one, I’m not a fan of the military and two I’m not going to California (don’t get me wrong…I’d LOVE to go there on a vacation I have a long list of people who I want to see there, Greg, Tigger, Sockie, The Gaggle of Matthews,…but I’m an East Coast kind of guy and all my family is here)

All have draw backs, all have bonuses. But as Rev. Linda says sometimes you have to let things happen; and I think that’s what I’m going to do…just do my best, send everything out there…dot all my i’s and cross all my t’s and let my academic work and my past speak for itself…I’ve done a lot in 21 years…I’ve organized major political demonstrations, I’ve read a lot, I’ve been printed in a lot of places, I’ve gotten quite a few certifications and certificates and soon a diploma and I’ve met countless people in countless bizarre and awesome circumstances and I feel like i have a lot to offer a lot of schools…but it doesn’t mean that the other person applying for the same spot hasn’t done exactly the same thing that I’ve done…and then read one more book, organized one more event, was published in one more place.

Well, as the saying goes “Make it work.”

Anime North/Yaoi North

Anime North/Yaoi North this year was amazing; I met a ton of new people who I really hope to get to know better over the next few months and indeed years (if I met you at Anime North/Yaoi North and you’re on my LJ you’re more than welcome to introduce yourself in the comments of this post). I made out with Josh (parox) quite a bit…and let’s just say that naytomorrow taught me some new tricks…he’s good…he’s very good.

I really can’t wait to go back next year. This con was different, I really got some kind of spark back. It made me happy; and of course it really couldn’t have been done without gryvon who should get a round of applause for all the organizing efforts she put into it.

Gay Pride 2006

Buffalo Gay Pride 2006 was this past weekend and it was BEAUTIFUL. It was so wonderful to see everyone marching (I almost cried when I saw the 80 year old man walking with PFLAG carrying a sign that says ‘I’m proud of my Gay son’ but I held the tears back because I really didn’t want to be labeled as a drama queen…though it was very moving); the weather was awesome it was a weekend of partying, celebrating the community and of course remembering and honoring those who fought at the Stonewall Rebellion on that June Night in 1969.

The Rest of this Week

The rest of this week is pretty much for academics, relaxing and organizing my book shelves. Tomorrow Today I have class at 6:30PM and the only thing we had to do was the readings which I completed before Monday’s Session and then after I’m taking Alice downtown to look at bars that she can apply to, to get training and become a Bartender and Thursday Nadia and I are going to catch up and I have about 1,000 calls to make this week to figure out when I can hang out with folks. Josh (Buffalo Josh) we’re doing coffee real soon =)

Anyways, signing off

מתן אריה שוורץ

Who’s operating in the year 5766

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