goddamn first world problems (annoyed)

[Thermofusion]

I had a friend in high school who had to take benedryl every time he came over because we had 3 cats so he's passed out in most of the pictures and memories

I used to do that but it got to a point where pregaming with antihistamines didn't work anymore. Basically, if you have a cat, I can't be in your house.

[peacocks]

[Antero]

Ugh, that sucks man. On the spectrum of cat allergy intensity, I'm on the "they pretty much kill me" end and it's weird how much that one little thing has affected my life over the years (mostly in terms of missed or stunted social opportunities)

Yeah, I'm definitely on the *headsplode* end of things.

On the plus side, it looks like further opportunities are arising.  And I'm totally going to hang out with the awesome people that I am not going to live with.

[Bernard]

What annoys me is when you tell people, look, if you get three cats and never let them out of the house, I am never going to be able to come over, and they get the cats, and then they get all angry that I don't come over. I told you well in advance that I couldn't! I have no reason to fake a cat allergy!

[DCDave]

Steve Jobs died of pancreatic cancer and one of my friends might have pancreatic cancer.

[peacocks]

I'm sorry about your friend and hope they don't have cancer! Everyone is different. Things may turn around! I've known two people who had lymphoma, one of them died and one didn't. The one who survived (my gramma) is much older than our family friend who died in his late 30's.

[Bernard]

Jesus, Dave, I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. I hope it's something else, not so tough. I wouldn't hashtag that #1wp, that's a real problem.

[DCDave]

Yeah. I couldn't find the right thread dump. Just waiting to hear back about the biopsy, basically. Much older (age-wise) friend from SF. Blargh blargh.

On the #1wp tip, Barclay's is the worst bank ever.

[jess]

Isn't this supposed to be the regular annoyed thread, just named "goddamn first world problems"? I assumed that's what "(annoyed)" meant.

And yeah, really sorry to hear about your friend. Fingers crossed that it's not cancer.

[RavingLunatic]

Isn't this supposed to be the regular annoyed thread, just named "goddamn first world problems"? I assumed that's what "(annoyed)" meant.

Yeah, but I think Bernard was indicating that something that serious is worse than annoying and worthy of the sad thread.

[peacocks]

But it's also annoying to have to wait to find out whether or not people you love have cancer. Been there more than a few times. So he may have been thinking about it in that sense. It would suck just as much if it were in the other thread

[RavingLunatic]

Oh, totally, I don't think anyone thinks it's a big deal which thread its in. I was just trying to clarify Bernard's comment.

[elpollodiablo]

My first world problem of the day is this big stack of Renaissance devotional poetry I have to read before Monday. Certainly a strong point in favor of not continuing my graduate studies past the MA is that I for the most part detest reading poetry.

[alex]

Shouldn't there come a point where you get to choose your own readings and the percentage of poetry contained in them, though? Would you still have to do (much / any) coursework after the MA?

[elpollodiablo]

Oh no, not much. But I mean generally if you are an aspiring literature professional, you should probably have an appreciation for poetry that exceeds mine. I wouldn't be expected to read much more poetry for class, but I would definitely be expected to have a working knowledge of all of the major poets in my field and their work.

[C of heartbreak]

Related question, Pollo:

How broad is the coursework for a master's in literature? And would a doctorate involve any additional broadening, or only a narrow focus? I'm curious because in the sciences a master's (most often attained en route to doctorate) generally consists of a rigorous and in-depth treatment of all the major areas of the subject, and the curriculum everywhere is basically the same. It seems that dividing literature into "all the major areas" would be impossible for a two or three year degree, so I'm wondering if you get to specialize to some extent or if each institution has a different idea about what the essentials are, and that's what you have to study.

[elpollodiablo]

As I understand it, there are generally distribution requirements for an MA in Lit, and those requirements cover periods, mostly: Early Modern, 19th c. British, 20th c. American, etc. The requirements are different for every program, but you typically have your period requirements plus a theory course, a couple of electives, and possibly a cognate allowance (history, philosophy, etc.). The MA (or the first couple of years of your PhD if you're not getting a terminal MA) are generally spent reading broadly, getting a sense of your critical/theoretical philosophy, developing methodologies, learning the ropes of the fuckwitted academy bureaucracy and, so far as I can tell, generally being treated like an undergrad that faculty are required to be somewhat more mindful of. The extent to which you're going to be engaging with your chosen field or area of specialization is going to vary by program and what seminars are available--I'll only end up with one course in 20th c. American lit, and I'll be lucky to get it. You spend more time with your area of focus when writing your thesis/preparing for your exams, as you get to put together your own reading list and rationale for it. It's been my experience that most MAs don't really know precisely what they want to do, even if they've got a general area picked out, and that faculty consider your stated area of specialization a mere preference, if they consider it at all. The PhD is when you're more likely to figure out *exactly* what you want to focus on and get into deep, granular detail with it.

[elpollodiablo]

Jesus, I get exhausted just thinking about it.

[C of heartbreak]

I believe we've discovered the real reason you want to leave after an MA

[Bernard]

Oh, yes, RL is right. I would add that the point of my comment was not that he should have posted elsewhere, but rather that I wanted to acknowledge the severity of the situation by noting that it was more than merely annoying. Not fussed about where the comment goes, just feel bad for the dude.

[G.C.R]

Snap. I hope your friend is ok, Dave.

[FreddyKnuckles]

not having pancreatic cancer is a good thing.
maybe having pancreatic cancer is a very scary bad thing.
having pancreatic cancer means you are very likely to die within the year.

Here's to hoping your friend's situation is up and not down. 

[coldforge]

Thanks for the PSA, knucks.

[FreddyKnuckles]

hey man cancer scares the fuck outta me! like 40k people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a year and slightly less than that die from it. Few other cancers have those numbers.  It is a miracle of modern science that Steve Jobs didn't die a year ago

[peacocks]

Shit, I did not know that.