It's not an insult, I just like how Tay keeps coming back with this. She seems like quite a character.

why is that an insult? I mean, she's a girl, right?

give her a call. she's probably trying to confuse you just so you don't know what to do next, and she's going to have her fun... hetero or not. go into it with an open mind. I actually have to say that I like how cautious you are with this one... there's much less "man, that bitch was hot" talk going on. if all else fails, you'll have had an interesting time, and you'll know for sure that she's not straight, but if things work out, if she was only saying what she said to get a rise out of you, maybe you can go far with this... if you're interested... I say go for it.

Is she just saying that to mess you up?

hehehehehe

So that girl who I don't know if she's a lesbian or not e-mailed me. She says I should phone her. She also said I should be aware of my girly-writing. Ouch.

After the Nintendo DS hand charger, comes IIT's mobile phone turbine charger. It generates 4 watts of electricity, and is small enough to fit in your pocket! And all for the low, low price of 200 Rs. (In Canadian terms, about $6.)

It sounds like they've already anticipated the possibility that you may not like or expect what is next.

oh shit

Thanks for the advice. I think you've helped me cement what I'm going to do: apply and talk to them, and then decide... but let them know where I'm standing right now. but oh is that difficult, especially when things are almost entirely handed to you on a silver platter:

"Depending on the project you plan on taking on, we will likely hire you for
the summer and you can get a feel for what is going on in our research group
and whether you like working with us. You would be involved in a variety of
research projects and would start to develop your own project towards the
fall when you would start with your graduate program."

i mean, come on, if that isn't a prod in the direction of "work for us! we really want you to! come join us now!" i don't know what is. but yeah, an application will be going in, and i'll be letting them know that i'm still not sure. that I think their opportunities are AMAZING, but that i'm still not sure. and they're going to look at me either in a confused or disappointed manner and ask me what it would take to be convinced. and the answer is time.

oh my. i did not think it would be this easy (the whole application/acceptance process). i really just need a break, and i need it badly.

Alison, I've described this before, and perhaps you are asking others' advice at this point, but I happen to have a couple of pennies hanging around. My general feeling on things like this is that options are good. Even though right now you don't much feel like going to grad school, things can (and often do) change. If that happens, it's easier to have that option that regret it later. Of course, if you are wary about declining later, talk to your profs beforehand. They've been where you are now, and usually know that you have a lot of decisions to make; and they understand that you may change your mind later.

Of course, given what you're describing now, I get the feeling you already know what you're doing (and not doing). Chances are, if that's the conclusion you've come to, you've done it for good reason. There's no reason to agonize over it, or worry about anything you owe to your profs for discussing grad school to this point. Frankly, when it comes to this decision, in spite of who your decision affects, the only person you owe anything is yourself.

my advice is to go with your gut. these are the lessons i've recently learned about going with your gut:

if you have an ACE/SIX OFFSUIT and your opponent has gone ALL-IN and you feel in your gut you're going to lose, DON'T call him on it.

if you like how a certain pair of shoes looks on the shelf but you're not too sure how you feel about them on your feet, don't get sucked in by the uber stylish salesperson - he may be keen on what's "IN" but ultimately you're the one that's going to have to find pants that match.

so word.