Former Employer

I'm sitting in the basement of a building where I used to work. The Mister is finishing up his degree at this university (10 more weeks, hallelujah!) and so I rode along with him tonight. There were papers that needed to be graded and we're leaving for Steamboat after he gets out of class, so it made sense to use the free wi-fi and do my work. Driving around the campus made me nostalgic, a little sad, but mostly relieved. We lived the first two years of our marriage here, so it has sweet memories, but the reality is that moving on was the best decision we could have made. I took a big risk by stepping out of a career path that rarely allows re-entry in the hope that I could find a new career path that would allow us to buy a house and settle down. Moving eight times in eleven years makes a person crave for stability; I had an intense desire to get rid of our moving boxes. The Mister wanted to quit his job so that he could enter a new career. No matter what decision we made there were going to be many changes that resulted, so we decided to stay in Denver, throw caution to the wind, and hope for the best.

We're not natural risk-takers, so the decision making process was laborious and (dare I say it) slow. I am sure other couples can come to an agreement much sooner, but we process everything, multiple times. The Mister is one who doesn't like to make a decision without examining all of the alternatives, and I don't like to make a decision until he's ready. It wouldn't feel right. So we walked, and talked, I cried a little, then we rested. Then we came back to it, walked some more, talked some more, I cried some more, and then we rested. This process went on for almost a week while a potentially fabulous job offer waited for our decision. When we decided to turn it down we felt elated and more than a little bit nervous. We were exhausted from our own process and so relieved to have finally made a decision. Nervous because we were leaving a secure career path for a plan where both of us would be starting over at the bottom.

I'm pleased to report that I'm very happy in my new career path. The Mister has started interviewing and we're guessing he'll be employed in his new career path in the next month or two. You make these decisions and hope for the best, but you never know how it's going to work out.

I'd say it's worked out fine.

Teaching

I've worked in education since I graduated from my undergrad at 22. For the last three years I have worked in an adult degree-completion program for a small, private university. Degree-completion programs have a "questionable" reputation in some arenas because most people who did a traditional degree can't fathom being able to complete a course in 8 weeks or complete a degree in 13-18 months. I won't get into the differences between andragogy and pedagogy, but I will say that I have found that working in this environment has profoundly and positively changed my approach to teaching.

I don't grade to give grades anymore, I grade to provide feedback so the next paper will be better. Due dates are important, but a late paper is rarely because the student is slacking off. Most of my students work full-time, have children, spouses, etc. but they have decided this is the point in their life when it's time to do their degree. They can't put it off any longer or they have come to a place where they can't go further without it, so they sacrifice to make school work for them. When I'm teaching my focus is on providing content and activities that can be used by the students the next day. They're adults--they want to see why something is important before they will commit to learning it. There are a lot of pitfalls with that attitude, but it's the reality they're living and what I'm teaching had better be worth missing their child's soccer game or an opportunity to earn some overtime money at work. Frankly, sometimes it feels like I'm performing, but isn't there always an element of performance to good teaching? My students are motivated and they expect me to be on the top of my game.

These thoughts are on my mind because for the first time in a long time I have a student who is not committed at all. It's obvious she's here to get the piece of paper and has no intention of connecting what she learns in school with what she's doing in her life. It doesn't really bother me, but it does put her in stark contrast to her classmates, and it has repeatedly startled me. Having become so accustomed to a certain caliber of student, regardless of their abilities, this woman has reminded me of the struggles that many of my peers battle with, trying to keep their students motivated and engaged. She's become my gauge, my reality check, to what other schools and other students are like. I'm surprised to report that I'm grateful.

Things I'd Like to Learn

Here's a random list for today:

How to eat just one cookie.

How to design my own website.

• What the "phenomenological method" is. It came up in my reading for school this week and I'm not quite getting it.

How to sew in a zipper. I've done it once but I'm pretty sure it was an accident.

Where my retirement money is invested. This is embarassing, but I give my money to my retirement fund every month and I'm not sure what happens to it after that.

What eating pasta in Italy tastes like.

If the Pope ever wears jeans under those robes. Or wears jeans at all.

How child development progresses through the toddler years. Because there's got to be a rational explanation for my nephew's behavior.

Travel Abroad

The blog-o-sphere seems to be full of people moving their families to live overseas right now. The Mister and I are working toward that goal, too, but we're still a few years out. We must finish our degrees (the Mister will be done in April, theoretically I will be done in 2013) and the Mister needs to get a couple of years experience in his new career before we'll be in a position to either get transferred overseas or move and take contracts that would allow us to work from home. Our first choice destination is London, but Sydney is not too far behind. Given the cuts to higher education that both the UK and Australia are experiencing right now, my best bet might be to take online teaching contracts with US universities. Daydreaming about living in London or Sydney has given me something fun to think about on my morning commute.

Life Without Cable

The Mister and I have been talking about getting rid of cable for a long time, but finally bit the bullet last week and ended our unhealthy relationship with the boob tube. I knew I was watching too much TV, that it was just too easy to "relax" by going downstairs and watching, but I had no idea how much time I would get back in my day by making this one phone call. It's invigorating. We've been eating dinner at the table, listening to music, and just talking more. What's interesting to me is that we've long felt like we haven't had free time, that our evenings were just too busy, but once we gave up TV we are realizing that all of our free time was being sucked up in episodes of Law and Order. It was such a gradual relinquishment of our time that we had no idea it was happening until we made a clean break.

I might actually get back to sewing.

MindLESS

I know that every magazine geared toward women in the supermarket check-out has at least one article about being more mindful, being present, and being in the moment. I am taking the opposite stance in one area of my life: my appearance. My goal is to have a wardrobe, makeup, and self care routine that is essentially mindless. I am building a wardrobe where everything matches with everything else so when the morning rush is on I don't have to think about what to wear. My makeup routine has been pared down to the bare minimum and can be done half asleep (as it is most mornings). Routine self care is going to be done on a regular schedule (toenails, hair, eyebrows, etc.) so that a minimum of effort is required to maintain it.

These things simply aren't important to me anymore. Don't get me wrong, I want to look nice and present a clean, professional appearance. But I don't want to have to think about it any longer. In a culture that is obsessed with image, my goal is to step out of that game and start thinking more about the things that are important to me. I realized a few weeks ago that I was wondering what the girls at work would think about this outfit or that outfit and I knew I had to stop. The comparison game only leads to greater dissatisfaction and competition.

Anyone else have experience with this?

Mr. Pouty Face

My nephew will be 3 in March. He'd been making this pouty face for a while but it was difficult to catch on camera. He was at our house just before Christmas and I had the perfect opportunity--he and I were arguing over whether or not he was going to eat breakfast (I won, but barely) and I just kept taking pictures. It took almost 40 shots, but I finally captured the look.

My sister's a little bit scared of what three will look like...

Whew!

Classes are done (hallelujah!) and I got an "A" in both. I would have been fine with a "B" because this degree is about getting it done, not about getting it done with a 4.0 GPA. My plan for the next few weeks involves a lot of crafting, a lot of baking, and a few naps here and there.

Another Favorite

If you haven't tried Ina's beef stew recipe you are missing out. Time consuming? Yes. Will you make a big mess of your kitchen? Yes. Will your husband fall in love with you all over again? Yes.

This is one of the Mister's favorites. Goes well with a long weekend and a snowstorm.

School

School is really gearing up--assignments are looming and deadlines are fast approaching. I have made some resolutions to get me through to the first week of December:

• Enjoy the evenings off, like next weekend, when we have tickets to the Symphony.
• Run 3 miles at least twice a week.
• Cook a nice dinner every Sunday night so that a) we have food to eat, which is really becoming an issue and b) to connect with the Mister.

I have an assignment due at midnight. Better get back to it.

The Mister Needs A Job

Me (calling home at lunch): "Whatcha doin?"

The Mister: "Funny you should ask! I was throwing apples at the squirrel."

Me: "I'll call back later."

I did receive an explanation for the bizarre behavior but his afternoon activities did leave me shaking my head and wondering what else he was doing when I'm not around.

Go-To Meal

Now that fall is here I can start making my favorite cool weather recipes. The Mister and I love the butternut squash recipe I found a few years ago in Real Simple magazine. The beauty of this recipe is that it's cheap, makes a lot of soup so you don't have to cook for a few days after you make it, and it's elegant enough to serve to company.

I'm not a big squash fan, but this recipe is one of my all-time favorites. Recipe found here.

Forgotten Valley

The Mister and I went for a hike to Forgotten Valley this summer. We'd never been to Golden Gate Canyon Park but now it's one of our favorites. Close (less than an hour from the house) but still far enough to feel like we're away.

Pictures from Summer

We went to Oregon for four days this summer. It had been three years since I'd been home, and I was literally aching to get on the plane. The Mister and I had a great time and made a solemn vow to go home every year, no matter the cost or the schedule. It's important for my mental health.

The lavender farm was amazing. The drone of the bees was unreal. That's Mt. Hood in the background.

We did the "Fruit Loop" through Hood River and stopped at the Mt. Hood Winery. Yummy, yummy!

We stoppped at Multnomah Falls.

I had to visit the Duck store. Because I love my Ducks and it's hard to be a Duck fan in Colorado. BTW, I am very bitter that the CU Buffs are going to be polluting my Pac-10. Like, so bitter I'm still having a conniption fit about it. I'll get over it but it will definitely take some time.

More pictures later...

Colorado Symphony Orchestra

I love classical music but I don't know much about it. My folks always had Bach or Beethoven playing in the background when we were growing up, but there wasn't much in the way of education about classical music. I am married to a classically trained guitar player, but he is really only interested in guitar music. After much discussion and a few successful forays to CSO concerts last fall, we decided to become season ticket holders this year because we could create a package with concerts across the musical spectrum--jazz, pops, holiday, etc. Our first concert is this Friday night and I am so thrilled because it means we have seven date nights this academic year, planned and paid for, and that's something I've been looking forward to all summer.

Recommended Reading

I bought The Power of One on impulse and was completely captivated by the second page. The descriptions of life in Africa and the clever story-telling made it a book that I couldn't put down. What was intriguing was the end...it comes rather abruptly. I won't spoil it, but be forewarned.

Christmas Music

Last December Kimberly and I went to a concert that I'm still talking about 10 months later. The Colorado Symphony Orchestra did "Too Hot to Handel", a gospel interpretation of Handel's Messiah. At the end of the concert I was crying and had goosebumps because it was so powerful. The familiar sounds of the Hallelujah Chorus plus an amazing groove with drums, bass guitar, and piano filled the auditorium in a way I've never experienced. It was a given that we would go again this year.

The good people at the CSO sent me a coupon this week for 25% off all holiday concert tickets, so not only are we going to the concert, but we're also going to have better seats than last year!

Higher Education Nerdery

I'm taking a leadership class right now. I am generally opposed to leadership classes because a) they rarely present new or challenging information, b) everybody and their mother has written a leadership book, and c) quite often the people presenting on leadership completely lack leadership skills themselves. I am cynical.


However, if you are in higher education and you are interested in leadership, Steven Sample's Contrarian's Guide to Leadership is worth the investment of time. He can back up his statements with real-world experience and actually has some different perspectives. He dislikes lawyers with a passion rarely seen outside of the opinion page of the newspaper, which I find amusing.

Update

So much has happened since the last time I posted! Life in bullet points again...:

• My niece was born last week! Her big brother is very excited.
• The Mister and I celebrated our 6th anniversary at the Melting Pot.
• I got a big fat promotion at work.
• Still in school, but I have a plan to finish and I'm scheduled to graduate in May of 2013. Only 8 semesters to go!
• Our veggie garden was awesome. Next year, only 1 squash plant--I'm so tired of squash.

I have no idea if I'll be able to maintain this blog, but I'm going to try.

Committee

This weekend the Mister and I took a trip up to Laramie to visit the University of Wyoming campus. I had my orientation to my doctoral program on Saturday. When I took my first class last fall I was a non-matriculating student because I had not officially been admitted. In fact, I wasn't admitted until late February when I was half-way into my second and third classes. So, by the time orientation came around I thought I had school pretty well figured out.

The first clue that I was suffering a cranial-rectal inversion was in a phone conversation with my advisor about three weeks ago. She is going to be on sabbatical this fall and next spring so we had several semesters of classes to plan out. At the end of our phone conversation she mentioned that I need to have my dissertation committee locked in by the end of this semester and must complete my general exam this fall. Wha...? I convinced myself that I probably had more flexibility than that and decided to "believe" once I went through the orientation.

(Duh-duh-duh...sense of impending doom)

The orientation knocked me on my butt. I'm completing my third class this spring and I think I'm already behind on my dissertation! My general exam MUST be taken this fall, and why don't you have your electronic portfolio set up? Don't know who you could ask to be on your committee? Better make a phone call to your advisor ASAP and get that figured out! Oh, by the way, you'll probably need to take a week's vacation to do your general exam because it's 5-6 fully-researched 8-10 page essays that must be completed within 5 days. Oh, and did we mention that while you are working on this degree you should also be A) learning a foreign language B) publishing and C) teaching. So...I think I need to "adjust my expectations" because I was not prepared for this at all. I still want to (need to) do this degree, it's just now I have a much higher level of anxiety about it!

"So I've got that goin' for me..." (I never reference movies, but that's a good one).

I do not need to adjust my expectations for the peonies. They did their job this weekend and have poked through the surface. I did several turns around the yard yesterday while taking a break from schoolwork and am pleased to report that the flower bed is really starting to take off.