Well, it's finally over. Last night I took what will hopefully be the last exam of my looooooooooooooong graduate school career. I say hopefully because it was an exam unlike any other I've taken in grad school - an actual final exam in the computer lab with a single sheet of quotes taken directly from the readings, rather than an end-of-quarter research paper. Leading up to the big event, I thought I was going to lose my shit. I did more sociology in the last week than I have in my entire life. Sociological theory has never been my friend. I'm not good at bullshitting like that, and I'm not good at boiling down thousands of pages of bullshit into a few coherent paragraphs. Unfortunately, my PhD is far from complete. I'll be taking my prelim exam in the fall and then writing a dissertation. Thankfully, the pressure won't be quite as bad - they're not going to be pleasure cruises, but at least the experience won't be crammed into a tight 11-week timeline.
I don't feel like I can give an honest assessment of how I did on the exam, either. I've never had this professor before, as she joined the faculty after I had stepped away from the program. I don't know how she grades, and I don't know if my essays were up to par. I do know that I forgot to include one point that I really wanted to make, but I don't think that omission will kill me. Now it's just a waiting game for the papers to be graded and the grades to show up online. I don't feel like I can really relax about it yet. I'll be happy with a B.
Either way, I'm so glad to have that over and done with. I'm looking forward to catching up with my internet friends and my In Real Life friends who have been long neglected, especially my BFF who has probably forgotten what I look like by now.
Up next:
I'm recombining my blogs. I don't have the time to worry about two separate blogs, so the running ramblings are coming back here. You can just skip those posts if you aren't interested in that kind of thing.
I'm running a half marathon on Sunday. It's the first time I'm going to repeat a race course, so I'm curious what the results will be.
My Google Reader has over 1,000 unread items in it. It makes me twitch.
The Bearcats are back in the NCAA Tournament again this year - I'm hoping for a good showing against Texas this afternoon. Go Red! Go Black! Go Bearcats!
Whee!
Friday, March 16, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
10 More Days
10 more days and my theory class will be over. I'm suffering through it and I can't wait to be finished. I'll be back soon, I promise! I'm not "forrest gumping" on you guys.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Ever Have One of Those Nights
When you just can't turn your brain off? It's not even like it's obsessing over one thing in particular, which leaves even more room for thoughts to wiggle around in my head every time I think I've cleared the slate.
I've got two more weeks left of class, and then the final exam. I'll be so glad when it's over, but then I have to start preparing for the doctoral prelim exam that I'll be taking in the fall. Then there's the dissertation process. Can I really do this? Am I just setting myself up for failure in a department that doesn't really respect the kind of work that I do? What if I don't finish? That will be my second failed go-round. I don't even have an operational dissertation topic anymore and I'm feeling uninspired.
Charlie is starting to ask tough questions, like what happens when you die. I'm not ready to deal with that, yet. Mostly because, I don't know what happens when you die. I'm torn between being honest and telling him that I don't know, or making up something like heaven just until he's old enough to really understand. Husband is on the side of making something up for now. I think I'm starting to agree.
Work is stressing me out. We have a full project list and not enough people to do the work. It's a problem, but there's nothing that can be done about it right now.
My dad very nearly died of a heart attack 6 years ago. Since then, he quit smoking, started eating right, and stepped up on the exercise. I hated (and yes, that's a strong word, but there's a history there) his now-ex-wife, but she did a good job keeping him in line with diet and lifestyle choices. His new wife - not so much. From what I understand, he's stopped exercising and I'm worried about him.
Three months later and we've made no progress on the baby-or-no-baby decision. Husband just got back from a weekend ski trip with his brother, and I'm trying to plan a sisters trip for this summer. My heart hurts when I think about Charlie growing up an only child and not having these things in his future. I just can't wrap my brain around how you can go and spend 3 days having a great time with a sibling and then not want the same for your own child. Different strokes, I guess. I'm trying to gear up to move on, selling and giving away some stuff, but it still sucks.
I'll be really happy when this theory class is over. I feel like I've been out of the loop (sociologically speaking) for too long, and I have a few years' worth of research to catch up on.
My Google Reader has over 1,000 unread items. Just opening the tab makes me feel anxious, so I'm ignoring it :p
I guess the positive is that I'm finally starting to understand the benefit of long runs as stress relief. I've never really "gotten" it before, but there really is something therapeutic about being out before dawn, just you and the road, watching the world slowly come to life as the sun comes up. I hardly even feel guilty for not being at home reading soc theory, instead.
I've got two more weeks left of class, and then the final exam. I'll be so glad when it's over, but then I have to start preparing for the doctoral prelim exam that I'll be taking in the fall. Then there's the dissertation process. Can I really do this? Am I just setting myself up for failure in a department that doesn't really respect the kind of work that I do? What if I don't finish? That will be my second failed go-round. I don't even have an operational dissertation topic anymore and I'm feeling uninspired.
Charlie is starting to ask tough questions, like what happens when you die. I'm not ready to deal with that, yet. Mostly because, I don't know what happens when you die. I'm torn between being honest and telling him that I don't know, or making up something like heaven just until he's old enough to really understand. Husband is on the side of making something up for now. I think I'm starting to agree.
Work is stressing me out. We have a full project list and not enough people to do the work. It's a problem, but there's nothing that can be done about it right now.
My dad very nearly died of a heart attack 6 years ago. Since then, he quit smoking, started eating right, and stepped up on the exercise. I hated (and yes, that's a strong word, but there's a history there) his now-ex-wife, but she did a good job keeping him in line with diet and lifestyle choices. His new wife - not so much. From what I understand, he's stopped exercising and I'm worried about him.
Three months later and we've made no progress on the baby-or-no-baby decision. Husband just got back from a weekend ski trip with his brother, and I'm trying to plan a sisters trip for this summer. My heart hurts when I think about Charlie growing up an only child and not having these things in his future. I just can't wrap my brain around how you can go and spend 3 days having a great time with a sibling and then not want the same for your own child. Different strokes, I guess. I'm trying to gear up to move on, selling and giving away some stuff, but it still sucks.
I'll be really happy when this theory class is over. I feel like I've been out of the loop (sociologically speaking) for too long, and I have a few years' worth of research to catch up on.
My Google Reader has over 1,000 unread items. Just opening the tab makes me feel anxious, so I'm ignoring it :p
I guess the positive is that I'm finally starting to understand the benefit of long runs as stress relief. I've never really "gotten" it before, but there really is something therapeutic about being out before dawn, just you and the road, watching the world slowly come to life as the sun comes up. I hardly even feel guilty for not being at home reading soc theory, instead.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Happy Valentine's Day!
Got a nice surprise this morning - apparently some random guy decided to treat all of the women in Rookwood to coffee. He bought a gigantic giftcard and told the Starbucks peeps that women were to get free coffee all day. What a great surprise, especially after being up before the ass-crack of dawn to get my run in.
I also got a lovely homemade flower from Charlie.
Also, there's this.
Happy Valentine's Day!
I also got a lovely homemade flower from Charlie.
Also, there's this.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Cupid's Undie Run
Well, we survived! We ran a mile and change through the frigid Mt. Adams streets. Once you got going it really wasn't so bad, at all, as long as the wind wasn't directly blowing on you. (The vodka and cranberry didn't hurt, either!) We took a turn down one street and were hit full on by a gust of the coldest air my stomach has ever felt.
There were plenty of pictures, and I did my best to end up in as few as possible. Here's a great one of my Running Buddy and I, just from the chest up.
As she pointed out, being in undies and a sports bra really isn't any different than being in a bathing suit. In some cases, it might actually be LESS revealing! Still, the fact that the bottoms are called "undies" and not "bathing suit" makes me not want to plaster it everywhere.
Of course, it wasn't all just for fun and games, it was to raise money for The Children's Tumor Foundation. The race originated in DC, and this year it branched out to six cities total, Cincinnati being one of them. The guy who organized our local (and lots of the participants) was the leader of a Cincinnati Crossfit gym, and those peeps are freaking BUILT! Those programs are supposed to be pretty intense, but it obviously works.
Here he is (fully clothed) explaining why we're all running in our skivvies.
And here is a link to the video from the actual event. You can see me in one shot, but I'm not going to tell you where or when. I had to watch and re-watch in order to pick me out in the crowd, so I feel safe posting it because I know I'm well hidden!
Run In Undies Helps Sick Children - Cincinnati News Story - WLWT Cincinnati
I'm already looking forward to assembling an actual team for next year. It was a ton of fun, and I can't wait to do it again.
(*Note to Self: Do NOT go cheap on the undies again next year, lest you have a repeat of the 1.something miles spent trying to keep the $3 Target pair from riding up your ass)
Friday, February 10, 2012
If This Isn't Crazy...
Tomorrow:
See that? Feels like 12* at 3:00PM. Guess what I'll be doing at 2:00?
You read that right. An Undie Run. It's exactly what it sounds like.
Big thanks to my Running Buddy for finding the craziest winter activity in the area (well, aside from Polar Plunges, which I'd really like to try sometime). At least it's only a mile!
Don't worry, there will NOT be any photographic evidence on the blog.
(interestingly, the capcha on tinypic for this was "cold feet" - makes you wonder...)
See that? Feels like 12* at 3:00PM. Guess what I'll be doing at 2:00?
You read that right. An Undie Run. It's exactly what it sounds like.
Big thanks to my Running Buddy for finding the craziest winter activity in the area (well, aside from Polar Plunges, which I'd really like to try sometime). At least it's only a mile!
Don't worry, there will NOT be any photographic evidence on the blog.
(interestingly, the capcha on tinypic for this was "cold feet" - makes you wonder...)
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