Lately there has been so little time to write anything not work or dissertation related. But today, dear readers, I give you . . . good, random, odd, and bad things. (OK, just one bad thing.)
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Good Things:
- Soccer started this morning, and the weather was terrific. Warm and sunny. Not too hot. Fun kids, and after a good "talking to" before the game, very nice coaches. (OK, the one exception is the coach who called the police on a grandparent from the opposing team, but that's another story.)
- I did not have to eject anyone from the complex.
- My dog, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, is the best dog ever. Evah! Dogs of this breed are bred as lap dogs . . . loving and gentle. I got a good one.
- I have some just awesome students this semester. The two composition classes are about 50% repeats. . . . I love it when that happens.
- My cat is a little afraid of the cat tower I bought her yesterday. (Maybe this isn't a "good" thing?)
- One of the best things I have heard in a very long time happened this morning on the soccer field. A little boy-- 5 years old-- asked me why I had raindrops on my forehead. (sweat)
- I spent time with the Bundle last weekend when her university's soccer team (she is their athletic trainer) was in this area to play soccer matches against two other area universities. I have missed her so very much, but it was so wonderful to see her being the professional she is. She takes her work very seriously. I'm so proud.
- My soccer referee friend said this morning that I should not feel bad about the dissertation / Ph.D. taking so long to complete as (1) I have worked full time the entire time I've been in this program and (2) I SUCCESSFULLY raised a child by myself.
Random Things:
- Some of my students this semester are using Twitter (and a whole host of other social networking tools), and while they like what we are doing, they don't quite know WHY we are doing what we are doing. They don't get it. To "follow" someone on Twitter seems creepy to some of them, like they are stalking someone or something.
- Interestingly, some of them brought up the idea of the "creepy treehouse" (an idea discussed on a discipline-specific listserv a few months ago). They want to maintain the boundaries that separate students and faculty from accessing each other's social networking sites. I will have a much longer post about this tomorrow.
- Since school started, it's been hard to get back into the mindset / groove of writing. I'm working on the diss as I can, writing job-search materials (and freaking out), and then prepping for classes (too many classes, to be sure), but that's another story.
- I bought a GPS -- you know, for that long 4-mile commute between my house and campus. But once the diss is finished, I do plan to take some road trips. It'll be handy then.
- I miss taking photographs for Project 365 . . . maybe I can get back to it once the diss is finished. I don't need any other distractions right now. But I do miss it.
Things I Don't Quite Understand:
- I don't get how Charter Communications can be so difficult to work with . . . every month . . . for as long as I have been a customer. I only want to pay my bill. One would think they'd get better after a while . . . or at least make the payment option less complicated.
- Suddenly I feel as if I'm in a race against someone-- to see who will finish the dissertation first. This, my friends, is creeping me out to no end. I don't know this person well, and I'd be certain that we won't be applying for the same types of positions come December. So why the rush to be first?
And One Really Awful Thing:
- Even though I was successful in rearing my daughter -- successful by almost anyone's standards -- I think I have failed in one very crucial element. She says she's voting for McCain and Palin. (Oh, God, what did I do wrong? Where did I fail? Help her see the error of her ways....)
