I have a bottle of wine, some Grafton cheddar, and a tub of olives

because I got a call from the advisor of the linguistics department at Wayne State.

I'm in! She told me the paperwork is just a formality at this point. Go me!

She called, in fact, because my academic record was so good that she wanted to know why I didn't apply directly to a PhD program at another (better) school. I told her about my situation with Dan in school, and that I want to meet and work with as many people in the field as I can. It's a networking opportunity, really. She said it was a wise decision, and it was hard not to emit a squee over the phone. I am going to give her a call in the next couple weeks and see if I can't go down to the office and meet some folks and learn more about the program. Apparently, there have been quite a few grads from the program that have gone on to some of the best schools in the country.

Sadly, she doesn't control my scholarship, but if her enthusiasm was any indication, I should be getting something from the school.