The sunscreen my school was handing out at graduation yesterday says, "Sunscreen: The other protection in a foil wrapper." Oh public health school!

Also, over on her blog, Carrie describes fellow Case grads thusly, "Most of us have had really messy social and romantic lives, but we've fallen in love with ideas." Which, actually, seems to capture Case pretty accurately. Love it or hate it, the vast majority of Case students were the kids most likely to get picked on in high school, most likely to eat lunch alone, most likely to prefer computer interaction to the human kind. Even the most 'socially well-adjusted' among us are pretty far from 'normal.' Still, it's nice to hear that we (at least, some portion of us) found things that make us tick. (and more than just our rather unique group of friends, since the portion carrie refers to aren't people she knew very well as an undergrad) What I'm surprised and saddened by is that more nerdy types don't seem so "in love with ideas." Case hardly had the market cornered on the socially inept who turn to books and facts and ideas for comfort and company. Is it beaten out of them by the process of higher education? Maybe I'm just extra sensitive/paranoid after Shelby's excellent-but-depressing podcast about the perils of graduate school. Lord knows he's had a hell of a time over in his program, but his podcast features three (four?) others, in different fields, who likewise are only going through with their degree because at this point they've come too far to turn back. I know I'm in a different place in my education, all bright-eyed-and-bushy-tailed and just on the verge of starting to do research, but I just don't get it. And (no offense guys and gals) I hope I never do. I don't mean to imply that these folks (Shelby and his friends or any of the number of other students I know who share their sentiments) aren't "in love with ideas" in general - all of them have found other things into which to funnel their passion. But you don't end up in grad school because you're pretty good at math or you kind of like to read books. You end up studying something in a PhD program because it's the thing that you can't not do. I know that's cliche, but hell, it's why I'm here. And I know it's why Carrie is willing to be so poor she can't afford regular meals from time to time. So what happens? Maybe I'm naive, but it feels like it must be more than terrible advisors or depressing funding situations. Don't get me wrong. I am in no way trying to imply that unhappy grad students have only themselves to blame. I'm just, rather selfishly, trying to learn how to avoid their plight.