Start your engines!

Every now and then, our family allows itself the occasional "calculated extravagance" to help enjoy life's long journey.

For 2009, we busted open our penny jars and got ourselves a Nintendo Wii. It's great fun. No regrets.

Anyhow, one of the games we acquired (at my insistence) was Mario Kart. As an original Nintendo junkie, I had played this game all through the years since its inception with the Super NES. And in every incarnation, this game has always hit it out of the park. Yeah, it's that damn good.

But I digress. I had originally bought this game to play by myself and hopefully hook Lisa in the process. However, I had no idea how addicted my Muse would get when the bug finally bit. As it turns out, Lisa's got very little to do at home once Vince is at school and her lofty list of chores are done. So when these precious periods of free time pop up, Lis fires up the Wii and tears around the many racetracks of Marioworld making her mark on the kart racing scene.

(Woah, there. Before you concerned moms start crying in anguish about Amy's neglect, let me just say that baby-girl love's to watch Mommy race. She can't get enough of it. It's an activity they enjoy doing together as she'll sit on her lap and cheer the whole time. So cut my Mrs some slack, check?)

So now it has come to my attention that our sleepy little quasi-family housing area is holding a Mario Kart tournament with prizes for the best drivers. Naturally, I want Lis to test her skills against all the single student wannabe "Tony Stewarts" to hopefully crack 'em in half and score herself some keen prizes! It'd be a great ego boost for her, I'm sure!

Now comes the tricky part of convincing her to compete....

I can't have anything nice. :-(

It's a sad, sad time.
The mug you see on the left was a keepsake of the time Lisa and I went to the Sterling Renaissance Festival in upstate New York.

The year was 1997. A newly acquainted Lisa and I traveled to her old stomping grounds of Ithaca, NY to partake of the beauty of Lake Cayuga and the Finger Lakes region.

It was a giddy and carefree time. Lis and I had been dating for a couple of months, I had just been hired with the fire dept and neither of us knew anything about children, debt or autism.

Once there, Lis convinced me to shuck my machismo and rent a ren costume along with her. It was a little awkward at first, but by the end of the day I had been swept up in the spirit of faire; I was singing old sea shanties and parlaying with the locals in the Queen's English. (Something tells me the four hard ciders and two shots of mead had something to do with it, too.)

Lis and I gelled like never before. By the day's end, I knew that this was the eccentric little dreamer that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. As we walked towards the exit, I had the sudden impulse purchase a momento to help me remember one of the greatest days of my existence. The cup in the image above was that momento.

Sadly, Old Cuppy met its match while being chilled in a freezer.
(Yes, yes. NOW I know it was a big mistake. Gimme a break. I'm not a ceramics guy.)

But when I expressed my forlorn lament to my Mrs, she took the whole thing in stride.
For her, the most important keepsakes were the memories we made that day and all the other days we went to faire after that. (8 different faires, over two dozen visits.)

As usual, I felt better after talking to her. She's pretty smart about this kind of stuff.

Still, I am a little bummed about Cuppy's demise.
HA! I know what to do!
I'll just glue it back together and use it for a pencil/pen jar at my TA desk next semester.

Hoo-ha! Everything old is new again!
(Until it breaks.) ^_^;;;

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Some Videos of the Kids...

Flickr won't let me upload more than 2 videos per month. (Grumble, grumble.)

In that case, I'll just upload the vids on Blogger and link Flickr for the pics.

Ta-da!

And then there was one...(Grad School Update)

ALEA IACTA EST.

I've accepted a graduate position with the University of Utah's Geography Department as a Masters Student.

Why? The answer is pretty simple.

Here are the results for all the grad apps I sent out:

Princeton: Gave me the "nah."

UNC: Also gave me the "nah."

Texas A&M: Has placed me on a wait-list. (No $)

Geogretown: Accepted me, but did not offer any $. Not one single dime. :-(

Utah Poli-Sci: (My home department) Accepted, but without financial aid. C'mon guys. :-(

Utah Geography: Accepted...with a tuition waiver...and a TA job...and a $5500 scholarship to boot. (That they recommended me for! Is that love or what?)

It's easy to say that I sided with the money.
But the fact is, the vibe that I get from the staff and faculty in that department is one of faith, belonging and encouragement. From the Admin Staff all the way to the Department Head, there is one message that resonates throughout the office:

"Tom, we want you to stay."

I didn't choose Geography at first, but it looks like Geography chose me.

Somewhere, Paul Torrens is laughing.

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New place for pics...

Howdy Readers!

I got a little tired of Blogger's maple-syrup speed image uploading.

To remedy this, I've set up a Flickr account for all my family pictures!

Check it out and enjoy the memories!!!

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/simplythomasblog/)


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HO-LEE CRAP!!!! (Grad School Update)

March 20, 2009

Dear Mr. Zumbado:

I hope this message finds you well.

The Admissions Committee for the Security Studies Program (SSP) has completed its review of your application. The committee has recommended your admission to the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. You will soon receive a letter pending a final review of general admissions requirements. This is a routine step preceding full or conditional admission to the SSP.

Decisions on SSP merit-based aid will be communicated in the next two weeks. In the meantime, information on student loans, grants, and other Georgetown funding opportunities is available from the Office of Student Financial Services:

http://finaid.georgetown.edu/grmenu.htm

The SSP website is also an excellent tool for more information on our events, faculty, students, and careers. The site is located here:

http://ssp.georgetown.edu/

Finally, I would like to invite you to attend the SSP’s Visiting Day on Wednesday, April 8, 2009, from 12 noon to 4 p.m. You will have the opportunity to learn more about the program by meeting faculty and students, taking a campus tour, and attending an SSP class. Additional information will be emailed as the event approaches.

While I cannot offer my congratulations until Dean Barbari formally approves your admission, I am pleased you are considering the SSP for your graduate degree. The SSP is a dynamic and exciting environment for students from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds. I look forward to welcoming you to this exceptional community in the fall.

Best regards.

Daniel L. Byman

Director, Security Studies Program

Director, Center for Peace and Security Studies

Good Ol' Utah...(Grad School Update)

You know, there is something to be said about being loyal to your students.

Man, I love the U.

March 4, 2007

Thomas C. Zumbado
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Dear Thomas:

The faculty of the Department of Geography is pleased to recommend your admission to the Graduate School as a student in our Master’s program commencing fall semester 2009. The Graduate School will review our recommendation and inform you of the final decision. You should receive this information shortly.

We are unable to make an offer of financial aid at this time. However, the graduate committee has named you as an alternate for financial aid. We will notify you if aid becomes available.

Please keep in mind that all graduate students should have acceptable courses or proficiencies in Geographical Analysis (GEOG 3020), Principles of Cartography (GEOG 3040) and basic introductory-level calculus. It is in your best interest to either take these courses before you arrive or study the appropriate material on your own. Completing our undergraduate courses to acquire these proficiencies is optional and do not count toward graduate credit. If you are planning on taking the GIS series of courses you must have an acceptable course or proficiency in Principles of GIS (GEOG 3140).

Please notify me in writing by mail or fax by April 15, 2009, if you intend to accept or reject our offer of admission. If you do accept, you will receive additional information on the program and registration for fall semester.

We hope that you will find your academic experience next year a rewarding one. Please let us know if we can assist you in any way.

Sincerely,

Thomas M. Kontuly

Director of Graduate Studies

OK, so no funding for now.
But at least I've got a safety net set up in case none of my other prospects pan out.
Thanks to all the faculty and friends who believe in me.
It merits being said again.
Man, I love the U.