productivity report

talk: complete
insulin RIA: complete
data entry: complete
leptin RIA: complete
readings for class: not started/due Wednesday
experimental design - human subjects paper/presentation: not started/complete
brains left: 36.

Today I got 4 brains done, and it was a lot of work! If I can do 3/day on average, that is ~15/week, which means 2-3 weeks of solid brain cutting! UGH!

That said, that means if I work my butt off I can have the brains all fixed and ready for in situ by the very middle of may. Of course, this is unlikely b/c of the Ghrelin RIA that I have to run... plus the meal testing, etc. but we will see how it goes (maybe I can bribe an undergrad or RJ into cutting at least 1-2 for me?)

In any case, if I DO get the brains and such finished SUPER quick, AND I do the in situ SUPER quick, AND I analyze the data SUPER QUICK AND there are no problems, AND I know what I am writing about, AND nobody decides to go on an EXTRA EARLY vacation, there is a SLIM chance that I could defend my masters in time for August graduation. That would be SUPER EXCITING!

...but unlikely. I am going to shoot for it anyway. It is my goal, but if I can't get it done, then I at least want to defend as soon as Powley gets back from Colorado in early August. That is definitely doable.

Scary.

Every day, I try to keep in perspective what it is I really want out of a wedding, and what I would like to save for the rest of my life. And each day, I find myself getting sucked into this trap, where wedding vendors make me think that $2000 is totally a normal amount to spend on invitations; after all, they are beautiful letterpress, with soft, natural fiber paper, and innovative designs. And then, hopefully, I snap back into reality, where I realize that most people don't even really look at the invitations (at least not much), and that one can get something decent for a reasonable price.

I think this is particularly bad for me (and probably for Jill) given that we are doing most of our shopping on the North Shore of Chicago. I always knew it would be more expensive to get married in Chicagoland than say, Lafayette, IN. I just didn't know how bad it could be.

According to this website, the average American couple spends $15,299 and $25,498 on their wedding (this is probably excluding people who get married at a courthouse and don't have a "reception"). Here are some more statistics:

In West Lafayette [47906], the average cost of a wedding is: $19,429 and $32,382
Anderson, IN [46011]: $13,310 and $22,183
Indianapolis, IN [46201]: $16,369 and $27,282
Chicago, IL [60611]: $16,981 and $28,302

OK... about what you'd expect (actually, W. Laf. is full of some big spenders!). So imagine my surprise to see that the cost of a wedding in Wilmette, IL is: $72,362 and $120,603

HOLY SHIT!

Again, yes I expected it to be higher than pretty much all of Indiana... but more than 5x as expensive???

For some perspective, the cost of a wedding in Beverly Hills [90210] is: $57,216 and $95,361.

I'm not sure if I should feel good about myself for going *way* below average, or kick myself for agreeing to get married in such a frivolous part of the country!