Coldspaghetti is written by Holly, a 30-something Mother of two locked in the endless pursuit of a PhD. We live in 100+ year old construction zone home in New Orleans.
I love photography, painting, drawing, design, and all things that merge with any of the above. I jumped into the world of public health because I wanted a career where I could fuel my intellectual curiosities and commitment to social justice.  And because I wanted to fuel my inner science-geek. Personal passions including exploring the realities of health and understanding the problems public health and development seek to remedy.  Commonly heard phrases include: “But can we measure it?” “Paul, can you fix this?” and “What IS that smell?”
And the people that matter…
Husband, Paul, who not only can fix anything, but can do it without throwing around 4-letter words. Except for plumbing. All bets are off when plumbing is involved. When not using power tools, Paul is a technology consultant and software architect. Commonly heard phrases include, “I just need to check my email for a second.” “Where does this go?” and “Wake me up in 15 minutes.”
Primary Child, Will, who is 5 and has a reputation for being so sweet and wonderful that it inspires the conception of other children. Commonly heard phrases include, “I have a tummy ache, that means I need chocolate milk.” “Mommy, can I build a Millennium Falcon in my room?” and “My sister is a crazy monkey.”
Backup Child, Kate, who is 2 1/2. Tomorrow Kate will take over the world. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Commonly heard phrases include, “Oligarchy.” “Where’s my Scout?” and “It’s NOT time for bed. It’s my playtime.”
About that PhD…
My dissertation involves research into the lives of Latin American immigrants who came to New Orleans after the hurricanes of 2005. Initially, my research was going to be in focused on how violence shapes community development in a shantytown on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, as our pre-Katrina plans were to move to Peru for a few years while I finished the degree. But then Katrina happened. We were fascinated with the changes to New Orleans post-Katrina and decided that it was worth putting aside a year’s worth of work to be a part of this beautiful city’s rebuilding. We have no idea what will happen when I finally graduate. I consider it more socially acceptable to ask me how much I weigh than to ask when I will finish this degree.
