Graduate School or Life?

I have a list of things to do a mile long this weekend. Some of which are for school some of which are for fun.

School Things     Write New Section of Writing Project Grade Students' Correspondence Portfolios Read for Indian Children's Lit Read for Technical Communication Read 1 Source and Write 1 Annotation for Indian Children's Lit

Life Things     Apply for Dream Job & Others Cook Fancy Dinner with/for Friends Attend Nerdy Harry Potter Fan-based Wizard Rock Concert Make Scones for Chris (He washed my car because I was having a bad day--love him!)

Today, I am prioritizing "Life Things," even though there is no way that I can get all the "School Things" done tomorrow. Oh well. Some of them can be done during the week, and I did spend half my morning preparing resources for the group project my students are currently working on.

On another note, what a cooking weekend!

I feel like I haven't spent time with Mariya and Lacey in a thousand years, so we're gathering to make a bulgur risotto with corn, shrimp, and red bell pepper for dinner. Nic, Christy, and Ryane are gonna be there, too! It's gonna be like old times when Nic and I were single--a couple of straight cats surrounded by lesbiens. Chris and Ashley won't be there, but we'll live since we'll be surrounded by awesome friends.

Tomorrow, I will bake the scones while I read for Indian Children's Literature. I have a lot of stuff I want to use up, so I'm going to make some white cheddar and dill scones, some banana walnut scone, and perhaps some chocolate & coconut scones. I'm excited, but kind of sad. Chris leaves for Omaha at the end of the month. When will I next get to butter him up with baked goods? :(

Okay...it's job application time!

Playing it Upbeat

My last post displays a certain degree of whininess, so let's throw that out the window, and reflect on what's been accomplished.

1. I found a line of research inquiry for Indian Children's Literature that is not only resulting in a source list, but I'm excited about my paper. What poor English graduate student wouldn't love to be perusing articles on ecology and paleogeography, escaping the world of literary criticism? Well most, but I'm excited because I tend to be more sciencey than a lot of my peers. Last spring I looked at linguistic research, last semester I worked with articles from sociology, this time I get to talk about the environment. Win, win, win.

2. My major professor cornered me in the copy room to ask about my project (which I have been working on). While I am embarrassed that she needed to do so, it's the scary motivation I needed. Today is officially project day. She will have a draft tomorrow. I like having a motivating deadline. This was a great kick in the rear.

3. I organized all my teaching materials and class materials the other day and am operating at full efficiency.

4. The first major assignment for technical communications is done.

5. I am a third of the way through my book review book, and the book review isn't due for weeks. Take that usual habits of procrastination. Take note, while I am kicking my own procrastination in the rear right now, I still produce very good work at the last minute. This is more a question of sanity and flexibility.

6. My sister called to share with me a posting she thought "sounded like me." Boy was she right. It's the job of my dreams--tech writing nerdism at its best, and the company has totally charmed me with the About section on their website. I'm preparing materials to submit.

7. My other sister emailed me a post this morning that is also quite good. It's not as perfect, but I think it sounds like fun too. Her miraculous find post-undergrad is what got me my first real job where I had no connection to the company. I have awesome siblings.

Well, I would love to keep chatting, but I've been wordy enough. Also, I'm supposed to follow Chris to a mechanic so that he can drop off his car for some brake work. He'll be here in 35 minutes, and I haven't showered. Never fear, if I can get home and prep for our anniversary dinner in 10 minutes. This is cake.

Being a Blog Failure/General Updates

So, I'm somewhat of a blog failure. I always write too much, but I know as a reader I would appreciate concise and efficient posts from a blogger. I need to channel my inner tech writer when I blog.

So here's what I've been up to:

I'm working out again. I've been running Tuesdays and Thursdays with Adriane. We've decided to run a 2 mile race in a couple weeks. After several weeks with the crud, I'm not sure my lungs are up for it, but I'll try. Lindsey and I have done a few living room workouts with the help of Netflix, too. Take that grad school! You cannot keep me soft and squishy.

My master's project is still behind. I need to get over my fear of my major professor. She's awesome, and it makes me strive for an impossible perfection before I give her drafts. She's supposed to help me polish my drafts. I don't need to do it on my own, but I keep trying.

My cat, Tonks, is getting fat because in the chaos of my final semester, I've put her on an automatic feeder in case I stay in the office too late to give her dinner. Poor cat.

I'm working with a non-profit for my Technical Communication class. I'm doing two feasability studies for them, evaluating new publishing software and a website upgrade. I'm excited. This is going to be fun. My client is wonderful.

Indian Children's literature is an interesting class, but I still feel like I don't know enough to even begin research for a paper.

I'm still wordy. Whoops. If you've read this far, you deserve a cookie. Hopefully you have some in a jar on your counter.