Was that a 7 month hiatus?
How did that happen? How did my good habit of 20 minutes a day die such a quick, yet painful, death?
No clue. I've been working on my dissertation proposal. But it is still unfinished. And still nebulous.
I am starting another class on Monday. Summer II, Academic Writing and Research. Comp II is hard for 18-19 year olds anyway and is even harder in our 5 week summer term. I'll be using some high school techniques (and some middle school techniques) to try to entice them to think and to write.
Friday, July 05, 2013
Monday, January 07, 2013
Last day of break
Today was the last day of break for the kids. I have two days to myself to get ready for my classes.
And of course, as I was sitting here writing this, DH had a crisis. His glasses broke. I managed to hold them together and told him to find some super glue so I could try to put them together. And I told him where to find the super glue. I had it located within 12 square inches and even had the right name brand for once.
He couldn't find the glue, so he wanted me to look. I always suspected that his perception was that everything he do is harder than everything I do, but this proves it. I did eventually get up and find the glue, but of course, the glasses came apart again. I went right to the glue. He hadn't really looked. He walked in there and because it didn't jump off the shelf at him, I was "cruel" for making him look. Anyway, the glasses are glued together, but they aren't fixed by any stretch of the imagination.
Good lord help me. When things go well, they do. But the least little thing that goes wrong and it is a huge deal. Well, let me rephrase. If the least little thing goes wrong for him, it is a big deal. When thing go wrong for me, "he knows I can solve it."
*sigh
Fortunately, these days are few and far between. This level of drama is not something that I can deal with every day.
And of course, as I was sitting here writing this, DH had a crisis. His glasses broke. I managed to hold them together and told him to find some super glue so I could try to put them together. And I told him where to find the super glue. I had it located within 12 square inches and even had the right name brand for once.
He couldn't find the glue, so he wanted me to look. I always suspected that his perception was that everything he do is harder than everything I do, but this proves it. I did eventually get up and find the glue, but of course, the glasses came apart again. I went right to the glue. He hadn't really looked. He walked in there and because it didn't jump off the shelf at him, I was "cruel" for making him look. Anyway, the glasses are glued together, but they aren't fixed by any stretch of the imagination.
Good lord help me. When things go well, they do. But the least little thing that goes wrong and it is a huge deal. Well, let me rephrase. If the least little thing goes wrong for him, it is a big deal. When thing go wrong for me, "he knows I can solve it."
*sigh
Fortunately, these days are few and far between. This level of drama is not something that I can deal with every day.
Friday, January 04, 2013
An Unproductive Day
All I really accomplished today was cooking dinner. I sat on the couch with my dh and watched home decorating shows, pretty much til he went to his doctor's appointment at 4. When he got home, I made dinner and we watched four episodes of Justified Season 3.
Justified may be my favorite series that is on the air right now. Harlen County reminds me a lot of Newton County. Not that we have that much crime, of course, but similar kinds of crime. Meth. Oxys. Stolen property. Weed. I like that the characters are nuanced. The hero is not all good; the villain is not all bad (and he speaks in beautiful King James-influenced English. Raylen has family problems. His father is involved with criminal enterprises, which causes Raylen no end of grief. Again, I can see how he must feel. I have some cousins who just can't seem to stay out of trouble with the law.
Our Liv is growing up. She's ten now, and seems to be destined to cause us grief. She is a drama queen. Where did all this drama come from? Also, she's popular. When I told her that I didn't know what to think about her being popular because I wasn't, she said, "Oh, did you like the friends you had?" Really?
In Heathers, I would have been Veronica. Shoot, I might have even been Martha (I was really pudgy in junior high). Liv might be a Heather, or at least one of the group who surrounded them. One of the group that JT wanted to eliminate. (Well, to be fair, he wanted to kill everyone, but he was a sociopath.) I guess I'll handle her the way I did the others: one crisis at a time, one joy at a time, one conversation at a time, one day at a time.
The thing about Liv is she's smart. She reads on, like, and 11th grade level, except it is a lexile level, which is slightly different from an actual reading level, except it isn't. Anyway, for a 5th grader, that is pretty good. But she doesn't always think clearly. I guess a lot of kids don't. I'm just not used to my kids not thinking. Mea over thinks everything. W thinks about how events can benefit him, or at least about how he can gain control of a situation. Like Mea, I overthink everything. Dh thinks, but sometimes his thought process is not obvious to me. But he *thinks*. But Liv? She floats. Floats and acts. This is foreign to me.
One of my friends posted on Facebook asking for a reading list for her son. For *life*. He is a bit squirrely, like Liv. Maybe I should make her read the list: Caves of Steel and I, Robot by Asimov, Have Space Suit, Will Travel by Heinlein, Ender's Game by Card, The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander,
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Adams, Ready Player One by Cline, Hamlet, Fahrenheit 451 by Bradbury, The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter, The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho, My Side of the Mountain by George. Hmmm....
Justified may be my favorite series that is on the air right now. Harlen County reminds me a lot of Newton County. Not that we have that much crime, of course, but similar kinds of crime. Meth. Oxys. Stolen property. Weed. I like that the characters are nuanced. The hero is not all good; the villain is not all bad (and he speaks in beautiful King James-influenced English. Raylen has family problems. His father is involved with criminal enterprises, which causes Raylen no end of grief. Again, I can see how he must feel. I have some cousins who just can't seem to stay out of trouble with the law.
Our Liv is growing up. She's ten now, and seems to be destined to cause us grief. She is a drama queen. Where did all this drama come from? Also, she's popular. When I told her that I didn't know what to think about her being popular because I wasn't, she said, "Oh, did you like the friends you had?" Really?
In Heathers, I would have been Veronica. Shoot, I might have even been Martha (I was really pudgy in junior high). Liv might be a Heather, or at least one of the group who surrounded them. One of the group that JT wanted to eliminate. (Well, to be fair, he wanted to kill everyone, but he was a sociopath.) I guess I'll handle her the way I did the others: one crisis at a time, one joy at a time, one conversation at a time, one day at a time.
The thing about Liv is she's smart. She reads on, like, and 11th grade level, except it is a lexile level, which is slightly different from an actual reading level, except it isn't. Anyway, for a 5th grader, that is pretty good. But she doesn't always think clearly. I guess a lot of kids don't. I'm just not used to my kids not thinking. Mea over thinks everything. W thinks about how events can benefit him, or at least about how he can gain control of a situation. Like Mea, I overthink everything. Dh thinks, but sometimes his thought process is not obvious to me. But he *thinks*. But Liv? She floats. Floats and acts. This is foreign to me.
One of my friends posted on Facebook asking for a reading list for her son. For *life*. He is a bit squirrely, like Liv. Maybe I should make her read the list: Caves of Steel and I, Robot by Asimov, Have Space Suit, Will Travel by Heinlein, Ender's Game by Card, The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander,
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Adams, Ready Player One by Cline, Hamlet, Fahrenheit 451 by Bradbury, The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter, The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho, My Side of the Mountain by George. Hmmm....
Thursday, January 03, 2013
Another Day of Writing
I am still trying to keep up with my 20 minutes a day. So here goes...
Today, I worked on painting a dresser for my guest room. I am hoping to get that room done before my Christmas break ends. After that, I hope to clean out Mea's old room and make that into a sewing room. I am going to paint the walls aqua, most of the furniture white and just have a very feminine room to sew and do crafts.
We'll do yoga again tonight, or at least that is the plan. Yesterday, my shoulders were sore and I had a headache all day. Today, my abs are sore. But I am heading out again tonight. I am also thinking about starting Weight Watchers again. I've gained back about 10 pounds, which is frustrating. I still pretty consistently wear a size 14, (which was an 18 when I was a kid). I'd like to ultimately get down to a 10 (which a 14 when I was a kid). I feel like this is a realistic goal. Sometimes. But then I realize that it will probably be another 30 pounds. Truthfully, I should weight about 150 pounds to be healthy. And that is what I weighed when I started working at UCA. (I weighed 164 when I started my PhD).
Of course, what do I want to do? Eat a roll of chocolate chip cookie dough. I somehow feel that would not be conducive to either.
Well, boys came home, which means that my writing is over for today.
Today, I worked on painting a dresser for my guest room. I am hoping to get that room done before my Christmas break ends. After that, I hope to clean out Mea's old room and make that into a sewing room. I am going to paint the walls aqua, most of the furniture white and just have a very feminine room to sew and do crafts.
We'll do yoga again tonight, or at least that is the plan. Yesterday, my shoulders were sore and I had a headache all day. Today, my abs are sore. But I am heading out again tonight. I am also thinking about starting Weight Watchers again. I've gained back about 10 pounds, which is frustrating. I still pretty consistently wear a size 14, (which was an 18 when I was a kid). I'd like to ultimately get down to a 10 (which a 14 when I was a kid). I feel like this is a realistic goal. Sometimes. But then I realize that it will probably be another 30 pounds. Truthfully, I should weight about 150 pounds to be healthy. And that is what I weighed when I started working at UCA. (I weighed 164 when I started my PhD).
Of course, what do I want to do? Eat a roll of chocolate chip cookie dough. I somehow feel that would not be conducive to either.
Well, boys came home, which means that my writing is over for today.
Wednesday, January 02, 2013
January 2, 2013
Seems as though it is time to get started on the new year. Yesterday felt a bit like a holiday-- I didn't feel like I had to do anything. So I didn't really. I worked on painting a dresser for the guest room, did dishes, and made supper. I did try a new recipe. Well, I sort of tried a new recipe. I began with a new recipe, but then added some stuff and left out some stuff and it was super good.
Mea came over for supper, which always makes me happy. Then she dragged me to yoga, which makes me less happy. I need to just suck it up and pay for a month and go twice a week. If I go twice a week, I feel like I'll eventually quit being so sore. Last night, though, there was a lot of downward dog. So my shoulders are kind of dying.
Today, I have plans. I plan to write for 20 minutes (which I am doing right now). I plan to work on my lesson plans. I plan to finish the dresser in my guest room with polyurethane and move it into place. I should work on my dissertation, but my head hurts, so it may not happen. I plan to make something awesome for supper (maybe taco soup-- I have leftover beans and diced tomatoes). Miss O had planned to have company over today, but then she threw up, so my day just got easier.
I've been avoiding news just because I find the world depressing. I mostly rely on what my friends filter out for me and post on Facebook. That usually seems to work pretty well. Today, however, not so much. My former professor, who lives in Memphis, had his house broken into. In St. Louis, two babies (ages 1 and 3) were locked outside and found by a newspaper carrier. (He called 911; they were taken to a hospital & DHS was called.) I might go back to avoiding news completely. Of course, my husband is watching a show about the Gallic wars, and that is not any less depressing.
Mea came over for supper, which always makes me happy. Then she dragged me to yoga, which makes me less happy. I need to just suck it up and pay for a month and go twice a week. If I go twice a week, I feel like I'll eventually quit being so sore. Last night, though, there was a lot of downward dog. So my shoulders are kind of dying.
Today, I have plans. I plan to write for 20 minutes (which I am doing right now). I plan to work on my lesson plans. I plan to finish the dresser in my guest room with polyurethane and move it into place. I should work on my dissertation, but my head hurts, so it may not happen. I plan to make something awesome for supper (maybe taco soup-- I have leftover beans and diced tomatoes). Miss O had planned to have company over today, but then she threw up, so my day just got easier.
I've been avoiding news just because I find the world depressing. I mostly rely on what my friends filter out for me and post on Facebook. That usually seems to work pretty well. Today, however, not so much. My former professor, who lives in Memphis, had his house broken into. In St. Louis, two babies (ages 1 and 3) were locked outside and found by a newspaper carrier. (He called 911; they were taken to a hospital & DHS was called.) I might go back to avoiding news completely. Of course, my husband is watching a show about the Gallic wars, and that is not any less depressing.
20 minutes
Tonight I am planning to go to yoga with Mea. Yoga is the only kind of exercise that doesn't make me angry. I've tried others, of course. Fat girls always do. I tried aerobics, running, basketball, etc. Cheer, I liked okay, but really, there are so many years that you can shake your butt in front of people and shaking without an audience just feels pathetic. Yoga, though, doesn't make me nuts. It does, however, make me hurt, especially after a 2 year hiatus.
Tuesday, January 01, 2013
Writing
Stephanie Vanderslice posted this today: The Write Despite 20 minute a day challenge. Most days for the past couple of months, I have been getting up an hour early to work on my dissertation. But not every day, especially when we don't have to be at work.
So here I am. I have pages written. But not enough. So I am making the commitment. At least 20 minutes every day. Maybe every day won't be on my dissertation. But every day, I will write for 20 minutes.
Maybe. :)
So here I am. I have pages written. But not enough. So I am making the commitment. At least 20 minutes every day. Maybe every day won't be on my dissertation. But every day, I will write for 20 minutes.
Maybe. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)