I'll bet you thought I dropped off the face of the earth, huh? I apologize for my very prolonged absence. I have tried to come here and write a few times over the last year, but my life has been crazy busy. I've been working as a doctoral chair in addition to performing my Writing Center duties and working on a second master's degree for a year. I started out with 3 students last August and now I'm up to 16 in addition to being a committee member for seven student (although two of those are graduating in October). Of my 16 students, 11 are in classes right now and 5 are pre-dissertation, which thankfully means I do not have to do much with them at this point. Last year when I started working in DBA, my boss and the program director (PD) of the DBA program worked out a deal that permits me to work on my doctoral student stuff during the day after I finish reviewing the papers assigned to me. My supervisor assigns me fewer papers to review than she gives to the others and once I finish them, I do my doctoral stuff. It is a real blessing because it would be really difficult to keep up with everything if not for that concession.
Back in February, the PD asked me if I wanted to go full-time, and I said YES. Unfortunately, it didn't work out at that time. Our student enrollments started dropping because of covid, so the university implemented a hiring freeze. It was disappointing, but I knew that I just needed to be patient because the PD promised me should would continue to fight to get me transferred. Well, long story short, after months of fenagling, I finally got word last Wednesday that the transition had been finalized and I am starting full-time in DBA the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow is my last day in the Writing Center. Although I really enjoyed my job for a long time, I can't say I'm particularly sad about leaving the WC; to be honest, I sort of started disconnecting from my job back in February when the proposition of working full-time in DBA was presented. I have been a writing specialist for nearly four years and I confess that I am a little burned out.
Interestingly the same day I got my job offer, DBA posted a job for a dedicated doctoral writing coach (which is similar to the job I am leaving). The job was actually first created back in 2020 and I really wanted to apply for it, but the way the job posting is written, I was not qualified. The person they hired was in the position for about a year and a half and she did a terrible job. She was finally let go in June and they reposted the job. I applied for it this time because I was qualified and the PD told me she would give it to me, but she asked me if I really wanted it or if I wanted to be a chair. I told her there was no doubt that I want to be a chair but that I would be willing to take the writing coach job to get transferred to DBA and then wait out the chair opening. At that point, I had no idea how long it would be before they could get approval to open a position for me. She told me she wanted what I wanted and encouraged me to wait. I told her I would continue to be patient. Well, the writing coach job ended up being placed on long-term hold and I think it was because the PD wanted me to get the chair position but didn't want to fill the writing coach position in case the chair position didn't come through because it would have closed the door to me transitioning to DBA. So, after my chair job was secured, the writing coach job was posted, but then it was almost immediately taken off the public website and posted internally, which I thought was odd. But then the PD asked me if I could recommend any of my coworkers for the job. I told her I had someone in mind, so I contacted him and he applied. I feel kind of bad about the prospect of stealing another writing specialist, but we desperately need someone who can help our doctoral students with their writing. Since our student numbers were down, we did not replace the last writing specialist who left and the director of the Success Center was very eager for me to apply for the writing coach job in DBA when it opened because even being down a specialist, there is still not enough work to keep everyone busy. However, losing two writing specialists will hurt them a bit. I think he's a shoe in, so they may end up having to hire someone after all.
So, that is my life for the past year in a nutshell. It has been crazy, frustrating, and immensely rewarding. I am excited to start my new journey with just one job, at least for awhile. I might pick up a part-time teaching job down the road a bit, but for now, I will be content to just relax and maybe get to the beach a few times. It's been far too long since I last stuck my toes in the Gulf.
Monday, August 29, 2022
Sunday, October 17, 2021
Short Update
Happy Sunday, friends. I don't have a lot to share today, but I thought I'd pop in since it's been a month. Our weather changed yesterday. A cold front must have blown through yesterday morning, because for awhile it looked like it was going to rain, and then the sun came out and a brisk north wind started blowing. We had temps in the 70s yesterday and as of 2:00pm, it is only 71 degrees. I am thinking that chili is on the menu for dinner tonight.
For the past few weeks, Dan has been building April a screened porch. Today we are going to hopefully finish up. He has it all framed; now he just needs to install the screen. April's kitties will be very happy to be able to go outside. Mine spend a lot of time on our screened porch. Other than that, I don't have a lot on my agenda for today. We just groomed and bathed Emma, and now she's sulking. That was the only thing I really wanted to get done this weekend besides a grocery trip, which I did yesterday. I learned a long time ago to not go to Walmart on Sunday. For some reason, Sunday mornings are insane. Most of the tourists are gone now, but the snow birds are starting to arrive. Fortunately, they are easier to deal with because there are fewer of them. This past summer was insane. We had so many people visit the beach this year. I think it's because nobody traveled last year because of the virus-that-shall-not-be-named. I'd like to make a trip to the beach next weekend, though Friday is graduation, so the CSU graduates might make the beach a bit more busy than usual.
Speaking of graduation, this will be my first graduation as a faculty member. I'm kind of excited to see things from that perspective for once. I have always viewed from the audience. It's the first time I'll get to wear doctoral garb as well. I ordered a tam and gown for my graduation, but I never wore it since my graduation was virtual. Some day I might travel to California and walk in a graduation, so I'll need that getup. I think faculty sit according to college, so I won't be able to sit next to Dan. I am also only participating in two of the ceremonies. The third one is at 5:00pm, and we have to be at the auditorium by 8:00am, so that means the animals will be home alone all day for the first time in I don't know how long. The second ceremony should be over by 3:00pm, so I'll leave after that. Dan probably won't be home until about 7:00pm.
UPDATE: here is a picture from graduation.
I revised my school plans and will now be starting classes on November 10th. I'm a little bummed that the new Pokemon games and a big update to Animal Crossing are coming out right around the same time, so I won't have a lot of time to play them. My second doctoral course (as a teacher) starts the same day, and I may have five students next term, although more than likely I'll only end up with about four. One of the students I was supposed to have last session is still not making any progres in the course he dropped last term (which prevented him from progressing to the dissertation phase) and had to retake, so I don't hold out a lot of hope that I'll end up with him this term either. The course I'm teaching now isn't officially mine. I do the grading but it is actually my mentor's class, because I was not officially hired when it started, but now I am official. I received notification last week that I will be getting at least one of my own classes next term, and I may get a second if I get a newbie (or two).
Well, that is my short update. I need to get ready to go to April's house now. I hope you all are enjoying your fall!
For the past few weeks, Dan has been building April a screened porch. Today we are going to hopefully finish up. He has it all framed; now he just needs to install the screen. April's kitties will be very happy to be able to go outside. Mine spend a lot of time on our screened porch. Other than that, I don't have a lot on my agenda for today. We just groomed and bathed Emma, and now she's sulking. That was the only thing I really wanted to get done this weekend besides a grocery trip, which I did yesterday. I learned a long time ago to not go to Walmart on Sunday. For some reason, Sunday mornings are insane. Most of the tourists are gone now, but the snow birds are starting to arrive. Fortunately, they are easier to deal with because there are fewer of them. This past summer was insane. We had so many people visit the beach this year. I think it's because nobody traveled last year because of the virus-that-shall-not-be-named. I'd like to make a trip to the beach next weekend, though Friday is graduation, so the CSU graduates might make the beach a bit more busy than usual.
Speaking of graduation, this will be my first graduation as a faculty member. I'm kind of excited to see things from that perspective for once. I have always viewed from the audience. It's the first time I'll get to wear doctoral garb as well. I ordered a tam and gown for my graduation, but I never wore it since my graduation was virtual. Some day I might travel to California and walk in a graduation, so I'll need that getup. I think faculty sit according to college, so I won't be able to sit next to Dan. I am also only participating in two of the ceremonies. The third one is at 5:00pm, and we have to be at the auditorium by 8:00am, so that means the animals will be home alone all day for the first time in I don't know how long. The second ceremony should be over by 3:00pm, so I'll leave after that. Dan probably won't be home until about 7:00pm.
UPDATE: here is a picture from graduation.
Well, that is my short update. I need to get ready to go to April's house now. I hope you all are enjoying your fall!
Friday, September 17, 2021
Another Rainy Anniversary
Wednesday was my and Dan's 31st wedding anniversary. Last year we had to put off celebrating our anniversary because Sally was blowing in, and she made landfall very early on the 16th. On Wednesday, Nicholas was making landfall in Texas, which is not very close to Alabama, but somehow we ended up with seven inches of rain just on Wednesday from him. It finally stopped raining around 4:00, which was perfect timing, because that is when Dan and I got off work and went to grab dinner at our favorite Mexican Restaurant. Here are a few pictures of the rain, the water-filled drainage ditches, and dinner.
I splurged a little more than I should have, lol. It's the chips and salsa that always get me, but the veggie quesadillas were pretty good too. It started raining again just as we got back home Wednesday evening and then it rained a little more yesterday. Today was dry, so Dan and I decided to go for a drive along the beach road.
We drove through Orange Beach and over to Perdido Key, FL just to see what is there. I noticed lots of shops that I'd like to visit someday, but since Dan isn't much of a shopper, I didn't suggest that we stop.
Do you all have anything fun planned this weekend? I have a student's paper to look over and give feedback on and then I may start working on the class I signed up for this week. It won't officially start until early October, but I can get a head start on the assignments. Other than that, I will probably do some cleaning and laundry. Oh, and my diploma was supposed to be ordered today. I never found out why it was not ordered after my degree was conferred, but I'm just happy it was a mistake. I had to order another copy of my transcript to be vetted for my faculty position, and it was delivered almost immediately. I remember the old days when they had to be mailed out and it would take weeks. Now with digital technology, it's almost instantaneous.
Well, it's getting late, so I am going to call it a night. I hope you all have a great weekend!
Do you all have anything fun planned this weekend? I have a student's paper to look over and give feedback on and then I may start working on the class I signed up for this week. It won't officially start until early October, but I can get a head start on the assignments. Other than that, I will probably do some cleaning and laundry. Oh, and my diploma was supposed to be ordered today. I never found out why it was not ordered after my degree was conferred, but I'm just happy it was a mistake. I had to order another copy of my transcript to be vetted for my faculty position, and it was delivered almost immediately. I remember the old days when they had to be mailed out and it would take weeks. Now with digital technology, it's almost instantaneous.
Well, it's getting late, so I am going to call it a night. I hope you all have a great weekend!
Sunday, September 12, 2021
The Jeep Has Arrived
I have a few minutes before the virtual mini doctoral residency starts at CSU, so I thought I'd pop in with some updates. I am not required to attend, but I told my mentor I'd stop by for a bit. The kids are going to come over in a couple hours and we are going to the beach. It is supposed to be a beautiful day. Humidity is low, so it feels a bit like fall.
It's been an eventful couple of weeks. The day after I published my last post, we got a call from the dealership that our Jeep had arrived! We went to pick it up on September 1st, and we have been really enjoying it so far. I would love to take the top off today, but I'm not sure Dan will feel up to messing with it. He had two teeth extracted yesterday, so he'll probably be pretty sore. He is still sleeping and I am going to let him sleep as long as he wants to. I haven't taken any closeup pictures of the Jeep yet, but I'll try to do that today and add them to this post later. After Dan's surgery, we went to the DMV and ordered a personalized license plate. It says PHDX2. The clerk told us that we could get any plate design we wanted and it would cost the same, so we elected to get Roll Tide (University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa) plates. I think they are going to look really pretty on the snazzberry red Jeep. It will take about 6 to 8 weeks for them to arrive, so we were given a temporary tag to display. I also got my official paperwork to sign for my new faculty position yesterday, and now I am officially a DBA faculty member. Yesterday was a really good day overall except for one little snaffu.
I called Trident because I still haven't received my diploma, even though it's been nearly 10 weeks since I officially graduted, and I found out there is some sort of hold on my account. I am not sure why, because I have no balance and my degree was officially conferred on July 4th. The registrar's office is looking into it, so hopefully I will have it soon. I'm really glad I called, but I am annoyed that I had to. I really hope it was a mistake. I ordered transcripts and they were released, so I cannot imaging what the problem could be. In reality, transcripts are more valuable than the diploma, but I want to frame it and hang it behind my desk. I should frame my bachelor and masters diplomas too. My master's degree disploma is huge. I might have to special order a frame for it.
The only other piece of news is that I took the kitties to get spayed a couple of weeks ago. I hated to do it, but they are 5 1/2 months old now, so they could go into heat anytime. I had the vet give them their immunizations and microchip them, so they are good to go for a year. They are really good cats. They are very good natured, confident, sweet, and cute. I am really happy to have them in my life. They make me smile the way Jasper did, and they make it easier for me to think about him now.
I think that is about all that has happened since my last post. Oh, I just remembered--we also finally got our fence replaced. It fell down almost exactly a year ago when Sally blew through. Hopefully it will stand for at least 10 years. The guy who installed it did a great job! Well, I am going to leave you with a few pictures. I didn't finish this post yesterday, so I managed to take a picture of the Jeep, and I have to leave some kitties pics too. :) Whenever I bend over, Bella jumps on my back and lays down. She is a character!
It's been an eventful couple of weeks. The day after I published my last post, we got a call from the dealership that our Jeep had arrived! We went to pick it up on September 1st, and we have been really enjoying it so far. I would love to take the top off today, but I'm not sure Dan will feel up to messing with it. He had two teeth extracted yesterday, so he'll probably be pretty sore. He is still sleeping and I am going to let him sleep as long as he wants to. I haven't taken any closeup pictures of the Jeep yet, but I'll try to do that today and add them to this post later. After Dan's surgery, we went to the DMV and ordered a personalized license plate. It says PHDX2. The clerk told us that we could get any plate design we wanted and it would cost the same, so we elected to get Roll Tide (University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa) plates. I think they are going to look really pretty on the snazzberry red Jeep. It will take about 6 to 8 weeks for them to arrive, so we were given a temporary tag to display. I also got my official paperwork to sign for my new faculty position yesterday, and now I am officially a DBA faculty member. Yesterday was a really good day overall except for one little snaffu.
I called Trident because I still haven't received my diploma, even though it's been nearly 10 weeks since I officially graduted, and I found out there is some sort of hold on my account. I am not sure why, because I have no balance and my degree was officially conferred on July 4th. The registrar's office is looking into it, so hopefully I will have it soon. I'm really glad I called, but I am annoyed that I had to. I really hope it was a mistake. I ordered transcripts and they were released, so I cannot imaging what the problem could be. In reality, transcripts are more valuable than the diploma, but I want to frame it and hang it behind my desk. I should frame my bachelor and masters diplomas too. My master's degree disploma is huge. I might have to special order a frame for it.
The only other piece of news is that I took the kitties to get spayed a couple of weeks ago. I hated to do it, but they are 5 1/2 months old now, so they could go into heat anytime. I had the vet give them their immunizations and microchip them, so they are good to go for a year. They are really good cats. They are very good natured, confident, sweet, and cute. I am really happy to have them in my life. They make me smile the way Jasper did, and they make it easier for me to think about him now.
I think that is about all that has happened since my last post. Oh, I just remembered--we also finally got our fence replaced. It fell down almost exactly a year ago when Sally blew through. Hopefully it will stand for at least 10 years. The guy who installed it did a great job! Well, I am going to leave you with a few pictures. I didn't finish this post yesterday, so I managed to take a picture of the Jeep, and I have to leave some kitties pics too. :) Whenever I bend over, Bella jumps on my back and lays down. She is a character!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)