So I have learned that completing a degree that you have been working on and poured your heart and soul into and spent literally years of your life creating a project for might make you a little paranoid.
I have already emailed and stopped by and checked to make sure that everything is in place for me to actually graduate.
Everything is turned in. All surveys and paperwork is done. The dissertation has been completely accepted with no further edits necessary. I have my robe, tassel, tam, and hood (though they say not to bring your own hood to the ceremony) for the ceremony. I think I am ready....I just need to make sure to show up on time, have everything with me, bring ID (I have to have it to get the degree paper since doctorates are the only ones who can pick it up at the ceremony instead of having it mailed), and it says not to bring a purse or bag.
I have had a couple of interviews. I am just trying to figure out what the next step is and where God wants us to go.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
I didn't bribe them...
Last night we had a Cub scout pack meeting. This is where the boys receive anything they have earned since the last pack meeting.
Due to Christmas activities, pine car derby, and various other events we were long overdue for my boys to receive what they have been working on.
There is a tradition in the pack we are in that when a badge is earned that represents a promotion in rank, the boys get to "paint" (read...color with water soluble markers) on someone's face. Each boy may choose who he wants to paint. Most paint one of their parents.
I have twins of course, and when they earned their bobcat badges Andy did my face and Doug chose someone out of the audience.
Last night one boy in my den got his bobcat badge, and the other four received their tiger cub badges. Of course, two of those boys were my Andy and Doug...and without me even encouraging it they found other people to paint. Andy was bound and determined to paint the den leader who likes to kid, joke, and pretend to do devious things. Doug found a boy scout who is the son of one of the other den leaders that he decided to paint. I am not quite sure how I managed to escape, but my face remained clear.
Due to Christmas activities, pine car derby, and various other events we were long overdue for my boys to receive what they have been working on.
There is a tradition in the pack we are in that when a badge is earned that represents a promotion in rank, the boys get to "paint" (read...color with water soluble markers) on someone's face. Each boy may choose who he wants to paint. Most paint one of their parents.
I have twins of course, and when they earned their bobcat badges Andy did my face and Doug chose someone out of the audience.
Last night one boy in my den got his bobcat badge, and the other four received their tiger cub badges. Of course, two of those boys were my Andy and Doug...and without me even encouraging it they found other people to paint. Andy was bound and determined to paint the den leader who likes to kid, joke, and pretend to do devious things. Doug found a boy scout who is the son of one of the other den leaders that he decided to paint. I am not quite sure how I managed to escape, but my face remained clear.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
It's been awhile...I've been busy
Well, I got everything turned in so I think I should be on track to graduate. Now there's just the
- Applying for jobs
- Catching up on the grading for the course I am teaching
- Catching up on my other GA responsibilities
- Getting the house ready to sell (painting, finishing projects, packing and arranging for show, etc.)
I am hoping that all children are again well and healthy for awhile since we had some viruses run through the family.
Oh, and Jim has a senior homeroom class so he has to chaperon Prom. I've never been to Prom (he was out to sea with the Navy when I was a senior). So we have a date.
My mother-in-law said it just felt wrong to write on her calendar "Baby-sit for Prom."
Monday, March 26, 2012
Addicted to staying up?
I had an intense week or two of working on edits and getting it all "just so."
I got everything submitted on time (I'm sooooo thankful for electronic submissions) so now I am just waiting to see if the grad school found anything that needed to be addressed.
Oh yeah, and I am working on finding a job. A real job. A job where I get paid in money that covers bills. Knowledge is a good thing. But now it is time to move on.
Oh, and I need to get my body adjusted back. I got way too used to staying up late to work.
I got everything submitted on time (I'm sooooo thankful for electronic submissions) so now I am just waiting to see if the grad school found anything that needed to be addressed.
Oh yeah, and I am working on finding a job. A real job. A job where I get paid in money that covers bills. Knowledge is a good thing. But now it is time to move on.
Oh, and I need to get my body adjusted back. I got way too used to staying up late to work.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
I passed!
I have some edits and a bit more writing to do on Chapter 5, but they were pleased enough to say that I passed!
Monday, March 5, 2012
Crazy two weeks!
It's been a crazy two weeks. So here's an update...
1. The usual thing at my university is that faculty get two weeks to deal with things...so that means that my committee got my dissertation two weeks ago and this coming Thursday I defend it. I feel like I am in a holding pattern because they already have my document. I created my presentation but am waiting to hear from my committee chair about whether I need to make any changes (she was out of town until Sunday). I figure if it had totally stunk then they would not bother with holding the defense so it comes down to a matter of how much editing and such needs to happen before it is done. I'm a little nervous but since they have the big document already it is not like I can do anything to change it at this point.
2. I have had sick children. Doug was sick right after I had to turn in my dissertation (in fact he came with me to get it copied for my committee member who wanted a hard copy instead of electronic). Then the next week Josie was sick. I am just hoping we are all well for a little bit. I have to admit that I was not a candidate for mother of the year after a few weeks of late nights due to dissertation and then some interrupted nights due to sick children. However, I think the kids seem to understand.
3. I feel like I am in a transition stage. I usually do well with a school schedule and I can do fine with a really open schedule like during the summer. However, there is usually a short period of adjustment between those two types of schedules where I really flounder. The Monday after turning in my dissertation I really struggled to stay focused on anything and it really felt like a period of adjustment. Now I keep feeling like I have so much to get caught up on since I was so focused for awhile, and I just keep swapping from one important thing to the next and not necessarily knowing what my highest priority is.
4. I also felt like I had the kids a bit extra this last week. With the severe weather that swept across the mid-west and south the kids got out early one day. We were not hit (although I did find out that a tornado passed near the school where I used to work and was not that far from our old house). Jim also had a math competition on the weekend so I ended up dragging Doug and Andy to two birthday parties for Josie's friends. Fortunately, the parents at the two parties were of the "more the merrier" attitude so it worked out.
So Thursday is the big day when I get to find out what my committee has to say. Prayers are welcome!
1. The usual thing at my university is that faculty get two weeks to deal with things...so that means that my committee got my dissertation two weeks ago and this coming Thursday I defend it. I feel like I am in a holding pattern because they already have my document. I created my presentation but am waiting to hear from my committee chair about whether I need to make any changes (she was out of town until Sunday). I figure if it had totally stunk then they would not bother with holding the defense so it comes down to a matter of how much editing and such needs to happen before it is done. I'm a little nervous but since they have the big document already it is not like I can do anything to change it at this point.
2. I have had sick children. Doug was sick right after I had to turn in my dissertation (in fact he came with me to get it copied for my committee member who wanted a hard copy instead of electronic). Then the next week Josie was sick. I am just hoping we are all well for a little bit. I have to admit that I was not a candidate for mother of the year after a few weeks of late nights due to dissertation and then some interrupted nights due to sick children. However, I think the kids seem to understand.
3. I feel like I am in a transition stage. I usually do well with a school schedule and I can do fine with a really open schedule like during the summer. However, there is usually a short period of adjustment between those two types of schedules where I really flounder. The Monday after turning in my dissertation I really struggled to stay focused on anything and it really felt like a period of adjustment. Now I keep feeling like I have so much to get caught up on since I was so focused for awhile, and I just keep swapping from one important thing to the next and not necessarily knowing what my highest priority is.
4. I also felt like I had the kids a bit extra this last week. With the severe weather that swept across the mid-west and south the kids got out early one day. We were not hit (although I did find out that a tornado passed near the school where I used to work and was not that far from our old house). Jim also had a math competition on the weekend so I ended up dragging Doug and Andy to two birthday parties for Josie's friends. Fortunately, the parents at the two parties were of the "more the merrier" attitude so it worked out.
So Thursday is the big day when I get to find out what my committee has to say. Prayers are welcome!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Chapter 5
Chapter 5, which I just emailed an initial draft of to my adviser...was 18 pages. I don't know if I am done or just can't think anymore. Hopefully she will email me back soon. The deadline for getting it to my committee is rapidly approaching. I just can't forget that I have lots of little nit picky things left....like make the table of contents have all the right page numbers, wrestling with the computer to get it to spit out a reasonable reference list, and making the visual of my concepts readable (I thought it was...but apparently having some words horizontal and some vertical so you can squeeze them all in was not readable for everyone).
The reward for tonight...I get to go to be before midnight!
The reward for tonight...I get to go to be before midnight!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Very brief update...
I sent my adviser chapter 4 last night...all 105 pages of it. Now I wait for her edits and comments on it while I work on chapter 5.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Help! My dissertation is eating me....
So I have not posted a lot lately because I am deep in writing my dissertation.
For those not familiar with dissertation format the tradition is 5 chapters. Newer formats may vary some, but traditionally it is 5 chapters. Chapters 1-3 usually are part of the proposal. They may change some after collection of data, but the bones of them happen prior to the proposal.
Right now I am deep in chapter 4. It is the results section. Since my research was descriptive, I have lots of describing to do.
I'm making progress, but I have a deadline. I've set a date for my defense so it has to be done 2 weeks prior to the defense so that my committee has time to read it.
My poor children miss me even though I am home. Mommy and the computer are spending lots of time together.
For those not familiar with dissertation format the tradition is 5 chapters. Newer formats may vary some, but traditionally it is 5 chapters. Chapters 1-3 usually are part of the proposal. They may change some after collection of data, but the bones of them happen prior to the proposal.
Right now I am deep in chapter 4. It is the results section. Since my research was descriptive, I have lots of describing to do.
I'm making progress, but I have a deadline. I've set a date for my defense so it has to be done 2 weeks prior to the defense so that my committee has time to read it.
My poor children miss me even though I am home. Mommy and the computer are spending lots of time together.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
App Happy
My old cell phone was occasionally having problems and was causing me some frustration. We had an available upgrade so that I could cheaply pick up a new phone. So I went and checked into it and ended up with a smart phone....so I have discovered the world of apps.
So far all of the apps I have have been free. I'm happy to have finally linked my Google Calendar, and to have my Remember the Milk to-do-list a bit more accessible. Perhaps I can make a dent in my email with gmail mail easily coming to my phone. Fortunately for me the two places I spend the most time (home and campus) have Wi-fi so that I am not really concerned about going over my data allotment.
The kids are excited about mommy's phone having cooler games than it had before.
The funniest thing that the kids seem to like is an app called "WS Violin." I had to explain it to them...you remember when someone would whine and you would rub your thumb and pointer finger together and tell the person that it was the world's smallest violin playing just for them...well they have an app for that.
So far all of the apps I have have been free. I'm happy to have finally linked my Google Calendar, and to have my Remember the Milk to-do-list a bit more accessible. Perhaps I can make a dent in my email with gmail mail easily coming to my phone. Fortunately for me the two places I spend the most time (home and campus) have Wi-fi so that I am not really concerned about going over my data allotment.
The kids are excited about mommy's phone having cooler games than it had before.
The funniest thing that the kids seem to like is an app called "WS Violin." I had to explain it to them...you remember when someone would whine and you would rub your thumb and pointer finger together and tell the person that it was the world's smallest violin playing just for them...well they have an app for that.
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