Circumspecte

We danced. For months on end. The tango, the waltz, even salsa'd it up Amidst the swirling shadows, intoxicated by tune Daylight? T'was always the dark we craved Grinding against each other - wanting, denying, no sleeping tonight Heavy breaths in sync, bass tempo till light Staring. Breathing the other in.  Intimate, strange. Enveloped, conspiring; tearing the other apart. Remedy to the madness, but poisonous at touch Pure and utter insanity, the reasons to exile. Yet come night fall, we dance it up again. Deeper into the dungeon, velvety curtains drawn apart. Deadly passion, intoxicating yearning. Scratch marks the evidence of struggle. Copulate, then dilacerate. Copulate, then dilacerate. Pure and utter insanity, deeper into the dungeon we go. Nooks and crannies, monsters under the bed. The questions. The shadows. Therein all dwell. The darkness hath come and conspire with it we shall We dance. Over and over again. A mis...

Dear Prospective Graduate Student, After "officially" completing my first semester at JHU SAIS in Bologna, Italy, I figured it might be helpful to share some of my insights with you, especially since quite a number of your counterparts have already approached me in that regard. So, what are the bolts and nuts of opting for graduate school? Well, I don't have all the answers, and I'm certain responses differ with each person but here are some of the main things I have to say. 1. Know Your Status By your status I'm not talking "HIV/AIDS". I'm talking know your legal status in the country you'll be studying in and the corresponding do's and don'ts. Knowing your status should also make it easier to figure out what financial options you have, whether you qualify for certain scholarships, if you can undertake an internship or do some work while studying, all of that. The ideal case would be to know your status before you apply to a gi...

The thing about embarking on a new experience - travel, project, idea, decision, dream, opportunity - is that you always uncover yourself anew. -- "Why don't you write anymore?" That's the question that sent me running back here. The number of false-start posts I've had in the last two months are shameful to say the least You either go all in or it's nothing at all. So what keeps stopping me? Sense of duty Of what I should be doing (studying, reading, problem solving), and when I should be doing it (NOW!). Ironically, that's also what keeps me from starting. Anything. When did the notion of putting thoughts out there seem so scary? The moment certainty walked out the door Of who I am/should be and exactly what I am/should be up to. We all - or I do - like to put things out there that We are - I am - sure about Nobody wants to be accused of plagiarizing, heresay or concocting pure nonsense Unless you're just in the business of plagiariz...