Life is Short

Preview of things to come

2011-12-31T10:18:00.000-08:00

I attended our cohort's holiday party a few weeks ago. Kathy had samples of the robes. Here I am in one of the robes but probably not the one we will end up with (as this one has gold piping and the one will have will most likely have white). I'm hoping no one from the first cohort sees this picture as we are supposed to keep it on the qt. Anyway, I like having this image as a goal for the future.
I took this week off of work. It's the week between the holidays and I thought I'd catch up on my reading. I had promised to read 15 journal articles. I read one because I have four books from inner library loan came in and they are all due this week. So, does reading one journal article and four books equal reading 15 journal articles? I think so, I hope so. I'm feeling a little discouraged as the book I'm reading right now has a lot of practical advice for my area of study but it's downright boring. This author has written a lot on the topic so he appears to be somewhat of an expert. So, is it just his style? Or is it the topic? I'm hoping it's the writing style. It's not the first time I've researched this topic and I've never found it boring but whoooaaa. I guess I have to expect this from time to time.
I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with the data, research. What I mean is that I read something, take notes then go back and annotate the works used for that writing and then plan to go back and look at those works. So, how do I keep all of that straight? Lots of notes, I suppose but its mind boggling.
We are meeting a week from today. Eric is giving a presentation of zotero. He mentioned that we should bring a journal article so perhaps he has picked up a few more tips, ones that I don't know. I'm hopeful that this is true. I could use all the organizational help that I can get.
In yoga class, we were supposed to think of what went well in 2011. I thought of school. Sure, I got two a minus (which I'm not thrilled with) but as crazy as it sounds, completing school is giving me a goal that I really need. It's ironic that getting a doctorate feels crazy but it keeps me sane!

Lorie Buffum

2011-12-15T17:59:00.000-08:00

My ex-mother-in-law passed away this week. Its been more than a decade since I last saw her, maybe two, but she made a lasting and powerful impression on me and shaped the woman that I have become. It's sad that when you divorce, you are separated from the family too. It's only natural but it's part of the loss.
Our class met this past weekend and the concept of exhaustive literature review is overwhelming. The concept of doing the research and then tracking all of the data. I received a suggestion about software to track data and when I researched it I learned it is 1,800. That's a lot of money. I started reading one of the articles, there is a lot of background reading that I need to do just to fully complete this article. I am starting to feel paralyzed by the whole process, luckily it's early and I have time to figure this out (and I'm not alone).
We had a Christmas party for the cohort this week. We tried on the robes for graduation. It was so fun. I'm still waiting to see the picture, I love the idea of having it because it will help me to picture what I will look like when I graduate. Once I receive it, I'll post.

New semester

2011-12-04T13:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I started a new class with a number of people from my cohort. We're starting our work on the lit review of the dissertation. It sounds daunting but do able at the same time. Kathleen is our instructor and she's having us work on a contractual basis which makes a lot of sense. We have to say what we are going to do before the next class meets. Our next meeting is Saturday so I gave myself a fair amount of work but not a crazy amount of work. I may have to take work to work with me and work at the library during my lunch. Otherwise, I'm not sure that I'll get through everything. I should have made cleaning my desk part of my work. It's a little crazy.
I received my work back from my last class. I'm very pleased with my grade and the input that she gave me. I'm looking forward to working with Pam again.
New twist on my diet. I'm going without gluten for a month to see if it makes a difference in my migraines. So far, it's been 8 days and I haven't noticed any change. The hardest part is eating with groups of people. I have a class dinner next Sunday and I don't know what I'll do. I suspect I'll bring something. I could bring potato leek chowder. It's easy to make and everyone loves it.

Collaborative Leadership, the end

2011-11-20T14:26:00.000-08:00

I turned in my final paper for Collaborative Leadership today. I had to write a plan for a change and a reflection paper. I was editing it right up to the last minute. I hope it turns out well. I'm a little nervous. I think I hit all of the high points.
I have about two weeks off before starting my next class. I have to get my sister's Christmas present done and read 3 nchrp proposals. I also have to look at the book Karyn sent to me. We may work on this book together which is pretty exciting. It's my dream to publish a book. I've always had this thought way back in of my head.
Today we went to Kathy's house to help her with hay. There were a lot of other people and the work went pretty fast. We had a good time.

Collaborative Leadership, part 4

2011-11-08T17:49:00.000-08:00

Just turned in my second reflection paper. My final paper is due in a few short days and I have thought about it, I even have an outline but I'm starting to doubt my ability to get it done in time. Why? Because I take forever to write anything, I labor over every word. This is an issue for me. And, in the end I make stupid grammatical mistakes--which is very annoying.
Our last class is this week. I'm actually enjoying this class and wish it weren't the last class. I don't think that I have EVER said this. It's sort of fun and I like the lunches that I have with Kathy and Addy. The food is always good and we have wonderful conversations. I enjoy their company very much.
I plan to write my final paper about creating a strategic plan for the center. I think this will be a good thing to have. I would also like to include an advisory board. I think the work ready center would also benefit from this. So, I'll start to plug away at the writing (maybe) tomorrow. I have some written notes, already.
The conference in St. Louis was very good. I came away with some strong ideas. We had a new england higher education conference which helped to formulate my ideas for the future of the center even further. Both very good events.

Collaborative leadership, part 3

2011-10-22T15:29:00.000-07:00

Class today had its high and low points, we had to do a collaborative project that dragged on much longer than any of us wanted it to go. But, we did a project with muscle testing that was quite cool. It was the first time that I have ever muscle tested anyone. Very cool. The reading for the class has been pretty good. I was cursing one book but by the time I got half way through it, I realized it was pretty good--worth reading. I started thinking pretty strongly about goal for my current job and my life. I even wrote them down. Pam (professor) also brought up the study of water by Emoto and I read one last week--very good read.

We had a lovely lunch at the loaf and ladle. Exeter has wonderful places to eat. We have so many choices and such little time--only 4 classes.

I'm on my way to the NCWE conference in St. Louis. I'll miss the world series as they are in texas the days I'm in MO. I wouldn't have had anyone to go with anyway, so I'm glad that I'll miss it.

My flight is boarding.

Collaborative Leadership, part 2

2011-10-02T07:18:00.000-07:00

Had our second face to face collaborative leadership class yesterday. We only meet 4 times and although the class is interesting and interactive, I think I'm missing something. We discussed our final paper/project yesterday. She mentioned visioning and that we spoke of that last time. I don't have it in my notes. Was it the visioning exercise that we did? Was that really visioning for collaborative leadership? I'm going to have to do some extra work and check with my classmates again.
So, I'm back to the same old problem that I've had with all of my classes....choose a topic that I can fix or have impact. Seriously? I'm not given that much leeway and our resources are limited, I really don't know what to do. So, I'm back to an ESL issue again. Course, I chose ESL this summer and the professor thought it was a terrible topic and marked me down for this. If ESL is not my focus of studies, why do I keep coming back to it?

Because it's easy.
It needs help
It could use more attention
It could benefit from the help
Students could benefit.

I'll start putting my lists and thoughts together for the paper. I should start that today. I don't have a lot to do. It's raining. I'm hoping it will clear up so I can take the dogs for a walk.
Our plan for the winter/spring work on the literature review is coming along quite nicely. I think it will be helpful. Kathleen is not coming down for the Manchester classes. This strikes me as odd. Adi has made me quite aware that I shouldn't write, or say too much about my project as the idea/concept could be stolen by someone else.
I picked up a book last night on amazon about how to write a lit review. I think it will be helpful.
I've started to think that what I write is not that important. It may not change the course of my life, just completing the project will change the course of my life. Least, that's my current chain of thought.

I am a woman with a plan

2011-09-27T16:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I met with Kathleen and she helped me to determine my dissertation project and come up with a plan to get it done! It feels very good. I'm going to start my literature review this winter. She'll be my advisor. I can then create a simple study and get that published. I can then use all of this for a basis for my dissertation. Brilliant! I feel so wonderful to have a plan.
I floated this out to my cohort as maybe people want to start their lit review with me and I had about 4 people said yes, they would like to start. So, maybe we can get a few dates down on paper and start with a plan. Wouldn't that be wonderful? I could do it on my own but it would be very fun to have a group working through the process with me. Kathleen suggested that we might read for each other. I see two hurdles to this whole process, I still don't know that I understand the different types of research well. Well, I do, I just never remember the names. And, secondly, my writing style has been honed for newsletters and presentations so a longer research paper is a challenge for me. I can get through this but I have to acknowledge that it is a challenge.
In collaborative, we had to read a book and write a response paper based on leadership styles and virtues. I just turned mine in. I'm a day early but happy to have it off of my plate. We also had to post online about our response to the first set of readings. I gave up and finally posted first. Really? I can't wait forever, I have only so much time. I feel like an over achiever. The sad part is we have another huge chunk of reading to be done this week. I'm less than a third of the way through it. The reading is interesting but feels pretty slow. I am hoping that I can get through it before class this weekend.
Adi is in the class with me and we are spending a lot of time discussing the class in terms of the reading, work, and our work place. I'm really enjoying the conversations. It's a lot of fun to have someone interesting and interested participating in the class with me and someone I see (almost) everyday. It's also his first class so it's nice to be part of that too--maybe I'm mentoring him.

Collaborative Leadership

2011-09-20T04:59:00.000-07:00

Started Collaborative Leadership this weekend. Everyone told me that I'd like the instructor and I should take a class with her. She's out there, she likes the same kind of stuff that you do. So, as it turns out, she spoke of weird stuff in the class which I knew all about. I think the discussion about the magic of water and rupert sheldrake's work may have taken others by surprise but I already knew of them and found it really interesting.
The sheldrake work got me thinking about the energy I bring to work. Am I bringing positive energy or not? Sometimes I say a prayer before I enter the building but I don't always and I don't hold that space all day. Holding this would be helpful, particularly as my staff is growing. I need to be a good leader for them.
I'm thinking about my paper. I think I may do something on pathways. We'll see, as the weeks progress if this is doable but I think it is a student focused project that I could undertake that would bring value to the students, the college, and would be fulfilling for me. Our national conference occurs between now and the end of this semester so I will pick brains while I'm there. I may even get a few minutes of Darlene's time.

NCRHP in DC

2011-09-11T13:34:00.000-07:00

Last week I had the pleasure of participating in an NCHRP panel for a technology transfer primer. We met to put the RFP together for the solicitation. It was an interesting process. I enjoyed it very much. We will meet again, once or twice, to complete the support of the project.
I had some time in DC to look around. I always enjoy that. I had dinner with two very dear friends: Lisa and Cortney. I went to yoga with Cortney. I also met an LTAP'er Jason. It was all very nice.
On the last day, my flight left rather late and I witnessed a robbery at a chain department store. It seemed as though the clerk helped. I sent an email to the chain to tell them what I saw. I felt good to tell them.
The flight home was quite empty. I had three seats to myself. I cannot remember the last time I had three seats to myself on a plane. I had a nice nap.
We went camping the next night, our first time. It rained like crazy and thunder & lightening. I slept between raindrops. It was a tough drive home from NY the next day.
I start school again on Saturday. I am dreading it. I'm feeling a little burned out from taking too many classes last year. I won't do that again this year. Whew! It was a mistake in judgement but at least it's behind me. What I can say about the class I start this week is the professor has a fantastic reputation, plus I know two others in the class who will be very good to work with. I've also started the reading an it's very interesting.

August and the days are getting shorter

2011-08-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

I have had a break from school. I still have some academic pursuits that I'm working on. Addi and I are working on a project. We're hoping to get it published. It's a lit review and paper. We are meeting tomorrow to discuss. I hate to say it but I have been the slow poke here. I finished all my readings and notes tonight so I'm in good shape for tomorrow.
I have other things to do too. I've been reading papers for TRB. I assigned myself one (our committee received one paper) and then I have two others that were assigned. I've gotten through two of them.
My committee is busy putting together our workshop and session for the annual meeting. I think we in good shape for the workshop but the session. Not so good. Coming up with an idea is a challenge this year and then there is always the issue of out of state travel. What if you find fantastic speakers and they simply cannot travel? That is a problem. Stuart has a large vibrant committee and his stuff just simply falls into place which can make me a little jealous.
I'm on a NHCRP committee. We are meeting next week. One of the coordinators sent a message to me. The salutation was Dear Dr. DesRoches. Funny. One day is will be a reality.
On a personal note, I'm back on weight watchers. It seems that I don't eat enough food. WTF? And, Stuart has come off his fast and has a fascination with raw foods. So, I've been eating at least one raw meal a day. I could easily do three but for now, just one.

Procrastination, or due tomorrow

2011-08-07T07:42:00.000-07:00

My final summer paper is due tomorrow. I've had almost a month to get it done but other things have gotten in the way. Now it's due and I'm feeling like I've had too much time off, I have to reread all the materials. I hate that! I have an outline but it's not helping because I'm not focused. It's a response paper but really, it's not working for me. I need a lifeline.
Stuart has gone out of town so I have all day today to get it done and tomorrow after work. If only I could get a draft completed this morning and come back to it tonight. Then, one more look tomorrow before I turn it in.
I'm taking collaborative leadership in the fall. Addi is taking it with me (from work) and I think MB is too. I like it when I know others in the class. The instructor hasn't posted the syllabus but she did give me the name of two books to purchase. I shared the list with Addi but not with MB. Maybe I'll post on fb. It takes a very long time to get some of the books on alibris so I like to have the names very early. One is available on the kindle.
I've been thinking that it may be time to change the name of my blog. What to call it? It should reflect that the blog is mostly about my studies and struggle to achieve the eed.

Now what?

2011-07-28T17:28:00.000-07:00

Usually when I sit down to write I have some idea of what I'm going to say. Today, I have none.
I received my papers from the Diversity class this week. I received the type of response that I crave...wonderful and good job. I was so pleased. I had to create a plan to incorporate the essential spirituality book into my life.

Mediate twice a day. I have been quite successful at this.
I also said that I would think about cravings before acting upon this. I have to admit, not that much success.

I've had a challenging week at work and I've given into cravings. The challenge comes from being really far behind after taking two weeks away from work. I'm still catching up. It would be fine if I were not gearing up for the fall classes at the same time. This adds a layer of stress but I see light at the end of the tunnel as we interviewed people for my assistant yesterday. I'm hoping that after second interviews that I'll find someone I want to hire. Otherwise, we'll have to interview outside candidates.
I'm working on the reaction paper for the Ethics class. Given the instructions, it's not really a reaction paper but something a little more complicated. We have to connect the dots of the class while including our lives and our other coursework. I think I'm more than 1/2 way through. It's due in a week. I should be fine but I hate leaving things to the last minute and I know I won't have a minute of time to work on it this weekend which means that (what?), I'll have eight days to work on it when I return. Gosh, I don't know why I stress so.

The last day of summer 2011 classes

2011-07-21T17:57:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was the last day of class. I'm still recovering from the long haul but it was good and worth every second. On Tuesday, we discussed our Pakistan project at length and came to an agreement after lunch as to how to proceed. We even came up with a draft model. We met with them during lunch.
After lunch, we also did our creative presentations too. They were wonderful presentations, all very different. I wrote a play which I received a lot of positive feedback from.
We turned in our final papers. Then had a drink in the classroom. Our normal meeting spot had been taken over by another group--a group that had left a mess on Sunday night and we cleaned up on Monday. It's our space. We talked about the two weeks, after everyone had the floor they would say I'm done. Which was kind of funny. I think Michael started that.
We went to Michael F's daughter's art opening. Gary and Gail were there but Kathleen was not. I had admired one of the pieces when we were there the first night. I didn't know that she was the artist. How would I know? I only saw a price on one piece but it was more than I wanted to pay. I have to go back to Plymouth tomorrow night, perhaps I'll stop by to see how much the piece I liked the most cost.
It was bittersweet to leave everyone. I'm going to miss all of them. I can't believe there is another year. It was intense. It is impossible for words. As Pema Chodran says: ineffable.
When I got to work on Wednesday, I learned that I've been accepted for an NHCRP committee. I'm so happy to be on the committee. I feel like it is such an honor. It meets in September for the first time. That is a nice ending to such a powerful two weeks. The diversity class is completely done. I have to start the work for the response paper for the ethics class. I had an idea I'd start it tonight but we went to yoga and I'm too tired to start a project. It would be a complete waste of time.

Day seven or the dinner party

2011-07-19T04:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we were to write down a list of eight names of famous people and the attributes that we'd use to describe them. Then, place them around a dinner table and answer a lot of questions about the people we choose...men vs. women, would there be anger? etc..
We all had to speak of our guests, divulge their names. I didn't want to but I did because I simply had to. It was my turn and everyone else had shared.
I don't like having the floor like that, it makes me uncomfortable. Once it got around to my turn I had a list of attributes I could use to describe all of my guests. They are wise, mostly authors and many are educators.

Dali lama
Obama
Deepak Chopra
Carolyn Myss
Pema Chodran
Eleanor Roosevelt
That Nich Hanh
Oprah Winfrey

Not everyone knew Chodran and the people who did had really wonderful things to say about her. He recommended that people download her stuff and listen to in the car (I had listened to her that morning and she was fresh on my mind). No one knew Myss. I told my story of when she asked Stuart what he was going to do about the fact he lived in Utah and I lived in NH.
The classroom was freezing yesterday and he moved us out into the lobby for the dinner party exercise and let us leave early. Today is the last day and we've been warned that it might be a late day. We all have to do our presentations.
We spent a good part of the day yesterday talking about the diversity between men and women. It was interesting. We were all afraid to say something mean about the other and the men were particularly worried.
He wants us to be aware that even though we may look a lot like the other, that diversity isn't just about color and ethnicity. There is diversity between all of us and we need to take a moment and recognize it if we are going to be leaders. It's up to us. I think he's done a good job of conveying that. He's tried to provide us with a number of tool. We probably all need practice!
In the evening, Eric made us a nice dinner of sushi. I wish that I had taken a picture. It was lovely. He also helped me with a few tools in zotero which will be very helpful this fall when writing papers.
I'm quite relived that we will finish with this class today, no outstanding papers. We have papers to write for the ethnics class. I should put an outline together this weekend, while it's still fresh in my mind. I may find myself with time to think before starting collaborative leadership in the fall.
I'll write about the everyman project after day eight.

Day six or everyman project

2011-07-16T06:04:00.000-07:00

We were given an assignment to do something nice (a good deed) for the PELI group. We've sort of gone round and round about what is a good deed and how do we do one without insulting the group. We had lunch with the PELI group yesterday. It was very nice and we learned a lot about the culture based on the good they do for each other. I don't think we've come to a decision yet about the good deed but we did talk about creating a value lens for the country as they are often misunderstood and it seems as though it could help quite a bit. We'd have it published. The professor brought it up, people were not overwhelmingly in favor of it. I think we were surprised but I noticed the idea came up after class so I think we're going to do it.
I was surprised that everyone stayed after class yesterday for a drink. Usually the people who live nearby rush home. I actually wanted to rush home, I missed Stuart but thought I should take a few minutes to process the day and not bring all of it home.
The class yesterday went much better than the day before. There wasn't any real conflict, people weren't pissed. There was less swearing. It felt better. Maybe the first day was a just an off day.
I'm feeling exhausted by this whole marathon of school. I'm at home day and about to start my next paper assignment. I surprised myself by not doing the paper before class. I thought we'd get direction, or something, in addition to the assignment. We really haven't so I'm working through it this weekend. I'm so glad to be home. I'm working in bed and both puppies are keeping me company. Life is good!

Day five or first day of diversity class

2011-07-14T18:52:00.000-07:00

We started our diversity class. It started off on an odd note, the professor was worried about his projector, computer and overhead projector. We tried to accommodate him. Then he started with a lecture and didn't ask us to introduce ourselves.
I don't want to take a dualistic approach and judge the class by good or bad, it was neither good or bad but parts of it were interesting and parts of it were crazy.
The entire group was a little off because we didn't feel valued by the pre-assignments. We had high school appropriate books to read and we were to make lists, like children. That put us in a bad place to start the class. Last night, I sent a message to everyone with his bio thinking, ok, he seems pretty cool. I think we'll be fine. But then he came into the class with demands and didn't value us by at least having introduce ourselves. In the frame of non-dualism, we didn't feel appreciated. As you may guess, nondualism is a theme in this class.
I was rolling right along until he offered a perspective that female genital mutilation was ok. If we framed it from the context of the people who want it who are we to judge. I have to admit this knocked me on my ass but I heard his argument and I thought maybe we are looking through our lens and maybe I need to reframe this for myself. I really try to be nondaulistic. He decided to take a break and bring data that would convince us that we should consider a different point of view. His data only furthered my original point of view: not a good idea. And, made me more angry. Perhaps any reasonable human would see the validity of his argument, except, now I'm not reasonable.
As we discussed the article, I noticed that the women didn't speak, only the men. What does that say? I wanted to speak but was afraid that I would completely lose my mind, get angry, and not make sense. So I didn't speak. I wanted to speak for all women because in my mind, it just furthered the whole poor self image and hatred women have for their won bodies that is so prevalent in our society (and apparently shared in other societies). That can't be good.
Most of us left today feeling uncomfortable. I felt wounded. I can't say that the others felt but at least the first day is over and maybe the next three will be better. Maybe he wanted to us to feel uncomfortable. I don't really know but if that was the intention, it happened for me and at least a couple of my colleagues.
On the way home from dinner, we vowed to hope for a better tomorrow and maybe there is a method to the madness and tomorrow we can expect a better day.
Minor victory for today, the staff at langdon woods fixed the sink in my bathroom, it had a very slow drain. Now, please fix the running toilet.

Day four of summer program and end of ethics course

2011-07-13T06:08:00.000-07:00

We completed the ethics course yesterday. I did my presentation. I did it differently than everyone else. I wanted to make it more interactive. It was so interactive that I may have lost some valuable points. I couldn't really tell with these instructors. (We all felt this way.) Hopefully it went as well as it should have. I felt less than confident when I was done but I have been involved in the course all along so I ought to get some "points" for class involvement.
We had a nice networking opportunity at the end of the day with other doctoral candidates, frankly I was so tired that I couldn't wait to get home. It felt so good to be there and I said I would stay tonight too. But, by the end of the night, I realized that I forgot one assignment and the text was at school so I just arrived back here to start working on the next class: diversity.
I stopped at staples to buy ink for the tiny printer that Stuart loaned to me. The ink was incredibly expensive so I'm going to have to go over the library tonight to print. I really just want to stay in my room and get back through this book but it's not meant to be.
When I was home today I attended a meeting for work. I learned that one of my colleagues from another campus was laid off. I'm completely stunned by it and hope it doesn't bode poorly for me. I'd like to be cocky and say no way but one really never knows.

Day three of summer camp

2011-07-12T03:42:00.001-07:00

I felt "off" all day yesterday (day three). Today I'm still feeling off. I don't know why. Is it something I ate? Is it stress? Allergies? I have no idea. I went to dinner with Ann last night and came home and immediately got sick. I didn't even know if I'd make it to my room. Luckily I did. I didn't tell Ann and maybe I wasn't that chatty and perhaps she wondered why. I hope she didn't notice.
Half of the group did their presentation yesterday. I'm doing mine today. I'm ready. Stuart loaned his portable printer to me so I was able to print my notes in big font so maybe I won't have to wear eye-glasses! They can be distracting, off and on.....I'm a little worried because my presentation isn't that earth-shattering but it does allow me to work through the process which, I believe, is the most important thing.
The internet connection here is not very reliable. I'm getting a message stating that this may not save. So I may have to complete this post more than once. The unreliability of the internet has been an issue for all of us. I don't think the IT department realizes how painful the internet situation is.
We met with the Pakistanis again yesterday. This picture is of the lady from Kashmir (me and Ann). I've been completely clueless to the situation in Kashmir. I think that many of us in the states are. She gave a brochure to me and will spend a little more time researching the situation in Kashmir.

Day two of summer camp

2011-07-10T18:01:00.001-07:00

You know how I hate those assignments where things are not clear. I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one who hates them. So, tomorrow we have to create an advocacy plan for an ethical issue. Ok, I can do that but we have to make it creative. Are you kidding me? How do you take something as boring as an advocacy plan and make it creative. I have to idea except to make the presentation interactive. I have googled this and ask my people on fb. No ideas in either of these places.
Two of the people in my class asked us to do pre-work for tomorrow. That is, they wanted us to listen to something or ready something and then be prepared to talk about. Again, I ask, are you kidding me? I'm not sure that we all have the time to do that.
So, I have the bones of my plan done. I'll go through it tonight just to see if it feels ok as a presentation and to see where my weak spots are.

Day one of summer camp

2011-07-08T03:18:00.000-07:00

I returned to Plymouth on Wednesday. I attended a portion of the orientation of the new group and then we went to lunch with the PELI group. We are scheduled to spend quite a bit of time with them and then Addy and I are spending time with them too. I think this will be good for our project.
Later, we had our own orientation where we asked questions of Kathleen. I was disappointed that only a few people attended. But we went to dinner after, as a group, it was nice. We went to a new place, Mark's speakeasy and cafe. They had veggie burrito bowls, vegan choices.
Yesterday was the first day of class. We had issues with the wireless and the instructors were good about giving us time to deal with that. We had to do an ice breaker--two truths and a lie. I had two cups of coffee as I had an impending migraine and I couldn't really think straight so I told two lies. Well, what can a person do when they are high on caffeine? After that I noticed that people wrote down their two truths and a lie. Why didn't I think of that.
The rest of the day went really well. I enjoy being with this group very much and I feel like we work together really well. There is space for everyone.
The reason for the tree...we had a project where we had to discuss ethics...what are ethical responsibilities and how does one make ethical decisions. Our group used the tree as the metaphor for this exercise. We hooked at the roots, we have to have integrity, and we protect others. There was a little more but it was a fun exercise.
For dinner, we had take-out from Thai Smile. It was very good. I drank too much, I wasn't sick but I really have to watch my calorie intake. I feel myself gaining weight just sitting here. It's bad. I ran for a few minutes yesterday and went for walk but really not enough exercise.

Working, working

2011-06-30T17:59:00.001-07:00

Still gearing up for the summer intensive for school. School starts in less than a week and I 'm probably right on track. I'd love to get my creative piece done before I go. Then it should be smooth sailing--I say that but really, smooth? I've been working pretty hard to prepare for school.

I'm making preparations at work to be away for two weeks. I think I'm in pretty good shape there too. I don't know what could possibly come up but rest assured, something always does. It's just the nature of the beast. I wish I had more time to put together the esl program for the fall. I'm not sure that this will happen. And, I wish I had more time to get the medical interpreting program on the books but this is completely out of my hands.
Stuart would like me to go to Irvine CA with him in August. I don't know how I can possibly take anymore time off. I think my boss would have a nervous breakdown even if I had everything under control. But, I just remembered, it's the week of the girls summer camp. I'll have to break the news to Stu.

Happy Birthday to me!

2011-06-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

I'm 50 today. It doesn't seem possible. Is that weird? I guess that is what most people say. Age is just a number...isn't that right but it does mark something, doesn't it? I'm not really sure.
I received a lot of notes on facebook which I really enjoyed. It was so nice to see who said happy. I took part of the day and went to the spa at the common man. It was very nice and quite relaxing. I didn't understand a few things, like being charged extra for extractions with a facial. I thought that was kind of the deal.
I got quite a bit of reading done for school and I did a lot of gardening (for me). The garden is getting really overgrown so I have to cut back quite a bit. I'll have to start separating plants.
I met with Kathleen yesterday. It was a productive meeting and she's a very interesting woman. She told me that I ought to pollinate my tomatoes. So I did. I'm hoping for more that one tomato this year. Is that asking too much? I bought a tomato cage today as the plan it already getting big. It's a pretty ugly contraption. Looks like a torture device. I had to squeeze the arms of the tomato though the wire so it could fit a little more snugly in it.

Wrapping it up and starting new

2011-06-12T11:17:00.000-07:00

Big couple of weeks...I've been working to complete the qualitative class and working to prepare for the summer classes.
I turned in the last two pieces for qualitative this weekend. I have to meet with Kathleen next weekend to go over my literature review.
I've also been preparing for the summer. I completed one paper today for summer and hope to get a good chunk of another one completed today. Then, I have one more to finish before the summer starts... So much work to be done. I'm looking forward to having some time off of classes (maybe in late August).
My new mac came this week so I've also been moving files to the computer and moving files from drop box to mobile me. I really have too much going on and am looking forward to having time off this week and spending some quality time with my husband and niece.

Research presenations due

2011-05-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

I remember reading that our presenations were due this week but frankly, there were a few mistakes in the materials and I didn't remember or really believe it. As it turns out, it was due on wednesday except, I spent all day at a conference and missed the deadline. I don't think I even looked on Monday or Tuesday as I was preparing for the conference. Imagine my surprise when I went on-line on thursday and realized that I was late. Not a happy feeling. I wasn't the last one to turn in their project and a few are still missing but still, I hate being late. Particularly since I finished it a few weeks ago and waited to learn what was next.

I took yesterday completely off of school. Stuart and I went to Cambridge for lunch and to check out a vegan shoe store. After we went to earthfest on the esplanade. We only learned about that once we were in Cambridge. It was fun, I love going into Boston. After we stopped at whole foods on the way out of town. I don't understand why people call it whole paycheck. It's cheaper than the stores in NH where we normally shop.

Kathleen posted a photo from the CAGS reception. I posted it on the facebook page. Other than that, it's been a quite week for school. I just read all of the presenations for our class (although some are not posted yet). The projects are all very interesting...even to someone who is not a k-12 person.

I'm half-way through the Stones into School. It's much better written than Three Cups of Tea although a lot of it is redundant. You cannot skim when you're listening to books which is an issue for me. I would like the option to skim. I recently listened to a good book but it had some really gruesome parts which I could not jump over.

2011-05-15T10:59:00.000-07:00

I've been listening to three cups of tea for school and have just started stones into school. The writing is terrible so reading it has been a chore. The writing of the second book is much better but there are discrepancies between the two books which doesn't add to his credibility. His story has been in question and it's easy to see why. His story is so fantastic...he's like superman. Who escapes being held prisoner, has a private viewing of mother Theresa's body, and survives a landmine filled field? It goes on and on. It's a little nuts. I would like to believe his story and I really believe in education but seriously? The whole story is a bit far fetched.

There was a reception for the CAGS graduates on Friday. We were to bring posters. The event was fun. I wish more people attended and brought posters. We had our pictures taken. One person called our group #2. Really? We're the second cohort but #2? We like to call ourselves summer camp. I think I'm the only person who has started their summer homework. Is that bad? I like to be prepared. I spoke with Monique about our trip to Austin. I told her that I felt guilty about having to read during the trip but then I realized we could hang out at the pool. She loved that idea. She is the world's be niece!

My professor from one of classes lost my paper. I've never had that happen before. I had even gone to the trouble to turn it in early since she had given me an extension, I was rather proud that I had turned it in early.

Addy, from work, told me that he had heard that qualitative analysis is the hardest class. That makes me feel a little better about the struggles that I'm having with this class. I cannot wait until I'm finished with it and I can say... I survived!

Serious Play

2011-05-03T18:11:00.000-07:00

Serious play is not for me. I attended the NAWIC regional conference this past weekend and we did a serious play exercise. I didn't like it, I couldn't believe that I was in a room full of adults building crap out of legos. Then, I couldn't believe the silly stories people came up with about their designs. Really ladies? It started to feel that it was more about the story than the design. Maybe it is more about the story because some of them felt a little far-fetched.
I did really enjoy spending the day with the NAWIC ladies, I rarely get to see them and they are pretty interesting (and nice). I made a connection with the president of the association. I'm hoping she calls me about a mentoring project.
I've been struggling to create a poster to present for a meeting with my doctoral cohort. I have made three separate posters. Finally, today I've given up and created a traditional poster. I based it on my two last papers. They are interesting topics and hopefully others will find interesting: women mentoring project & workplace bullies. Aesthetically it is pretty uninteresting. It seems as though it will cost a lot to have printed but what the heck...I'll just go for it.
I am to make a short ppt presentation for qualitative class. I've done it but I'm not sure what to do with it. May 4th is the due date but there isn't a portal to turn it in. I emailed, asking what to do with it but no answer (yet). I won't have time to deal with it tomorrow night so hopefully it's ok for now.
Yesterday I attended a meeting with a group of educators and there was talk about universal learning theory, stackable curriculum and everyday math. Ok, the first I googled and no problem. The second I know. What the heck is everyday math? It appears to be a trade mark. I'm going to have to ask someone to explain this to me. No one seemed thrilled with everyday math.
Today I attended a human resources conference. The topic of the day seemed to be beyond best practices, take what you're doing and do it differently. Break all the rules. Look at things from a different perspective. Actually, when I write it, it sounds pretty trivial but really, it was very good and interesting.

Celebration

2011-04-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

I'm done! I finished my leadership paper today. What a relief. My timeline for my papers has been thrown off as I thought the other class would require that paper to be done first. But, it didn't work out that way. So, I ditched that paper and finished the other. My fear is that once I go back to the other class, I'll forget what my plan was and will have to regroup. Luckily, I wrote a lot of it down but not everything. Sometimes I think that's good, because starting again reframes the question and may improve the project afterall.
I've learned a lot about workplace bullying and dealing with difficult people while researching the paper for instance how to stop a bad conversation and the value of documenting tools.
One of my co-workers was just admitted into Plymouth. Today, he showed me some nice tools that are free for Plymouth students. For instance, I can use visio and photoshop through a download. I love that. It's very cool.
I've been fussing for the last week with my financial aid. I rushed through my fafsa and made a mistake so now have to go back and fix the error which is more work. Next year I will take my time. I should know that by now!

I am a warrior

2011-04-24T15:13:00.001-07:00

So, what happened this week? Well, big news broke about the Three cups of tea book. Seems that 60 minutes did a story on him last Sunday. I've been listening to the audio book for school and I have to tell you that I don't find the narrator particularly appealing and wonder why anyone is surprised to learn that maybe he isn't as stellar as he sounds. I started the book last year on audiobooks and had to ditch it. I couldn't get away with ditching it this time as its required reading. Today I learn that President Obama donated to this guys school so really I think the whole question about this guys integrity really has to do with Obama and his judgment than mortenson's (the author) integrity. So far I don't see anything odd about what Mortenson is doing, he speaks, takes fees, flies first class. Really, what makes him different?
I started working on my leadership development plan for school. I'm hoping that whatever I write is not shared with anyone as there are some things that I don't want to share but important to my paper. I'm more than 1/2 way through the paper. I should finish it tonight but Stuart just poured a really yummy glass of wine and I don't think I want to go back to work. I'll get through it this week.
My research project for the qualitative class is not due for a few weeks so I'm feeling a bit of relief about that, a little of the heat is off.
I lost my recipe for seitan so tried to make it from memory. I didn't do too badly. I forgot to let it rest in water and it came out full of air (not as dense as I like it). We rented the Kings Speech, I really liked it...much better than black swan!

Catching up or falling behind?

2011-04-18T17:12:00.000-07:00

I was feeling proud of myself yesterday because my paper was due today and I turned it in early. In fact, I finished it a week early and had a week to tweak it and felt really good about it. One of my colleagues did hers virtually at the last minute which made me really jealous. I work so slowly, it drives me nuts. If only I could be so quick. I do read materials fairly quickly so at least that's something,

So what's the problem? I realized that now I need to get two more papers due in the next two weeks. What was I thinking? I should have turned the other paper in sooner. But, the reality is, I have been prepping for the other two papers while this one was ruminating around in my head. And, I really do have an extra week for the second paper. Do I just like stressing over all of this? It feels that way. If I relax into it then I'm just asking for trouble. I honestly think that's a little crazy.

I remember the last class I had in my undergraduate program. I in the middle of getting divorced and working two jobs. I got really sick with bronchitis. I barely worked on my last class and still I got an A. Do I make myself crazy or do I really have to work this hard? I'm a hard worker and it's difficult for me to do anything half-way.

A taste of spring

2011-04-09T12:43:00.001-07:00

We went to the syrup farm today so Stu could stock up on syrup. Who knew that you can collect sap in a bag? They had an amazing process for harvesting and transporting syrup. It ran from lines into the shack. The shack was very new with a sparkly cooking center. Very impressive.

I've been working on my mentoring lit review over the past week. I have so many resources and quotes. It's a lot to organize and keep straight. I don't know I do this to myself, I try to over achieve on the lit and then its torture to make the paper work with the many different voices. It's coming along. I have to finish this paper and write a research design and another paper before the months end. I'm not a rush person, more of a process paper so what sounds like not much for some is a lot for me.

It doesn't help that I still have to go to work and my dog is going crazy because there is a kid outside on a bike. Please.

I had a terrible stomach something this week. It lasted almost all night and into the next day. I heard that there is something going around. It means I missed another day of work. I think that I'm about the half-way point of my first draft.

So, I'm totally stressing about this work. I need to get it done so that I'll be ready for the two weeks of insanity in July. I'd simply love time to just read a book (for pleasure).

Vegan on Martha Stewart

2011-03-30T14:57:00.001-07:00

I'm enjoying Martha Stewart's vegan show while I type this. This weekend I went to Waterville Valley at the Silver Fox Inn for a class at Plymouth State. The class was Women in Leadership. I have to admit that they took very good care of me this time. I think she read up on protein for vegans as I was served mushrooms at every meal. The food was quite good.
The weekend went well, it snowed every day and it was quite cold. I froze almost the entire time, except when I was in my room. The Inn was quite drafty, or just plain cold.
The class has us explore our leadership style. Our exercises caused us to determine areas where we could improve and then (as our paper) we are supposed to create a reasearch based plan to improve ourselves. Since I work with a lot of difficult people, I believe I'm going to do my project on dealing with difficult people.
I didn't know anyone when I went there (except the teacher) but met some nice people. My only issue with a room full of women is that most of the casual conversations were concerned with children. If you know me, I find this to be somewhat dull.
Martha just finished the first recipe, looks delicious. A setian stew.

Drowning again

2011-03-20T20:02:00.000-07:00

Here I am (again) feeling lost in this class. I hope to never take an online class again. This has been frustrating because you don't actually have conversations with people, except classmates, offline. I love the give and take of a classroom and the one way of an on-line class is just uncomfortable. I am more of a social animal that sitting here in my house trying to navigate qualitative anaylsis alone.
I decided to take the women in leadership class. I hope I don't have an assignment for qualitative due at the same time. I don't think I do. I believe the next assignment is the literature review. My classmates are freaked about it, they post their discomfort. I haven't gotten to that point but would like to start the lit review. I will have to do that as soon as I get home from waterville. There is no time to do that before I go as I have this weeks paper to do. I have to finish the women book and put a presentation together. All while i'm working on a grant proposal for work. I don't know how I intend to do all of this.
My cohort got together this weekend for dinner. It was really fun. I miss them and it's good to talk and compare notes as to where we are in the program, what's gone well, and what hasn't. What classes are worth taking and what aren't. Also, which professors are good. That is how I finally decided to stick with the women in leaders class this term. Jen said that I should take it anyway. It sounds perfect for where I am right now as we will create some sort of plan for our lives. My current plan is constantly changing, it less of a plan and more of a work in progress (as all life is, isn't it?).

Drowning in epistemology

2011-03-14T16:44:00.000-07:00

Such a busy week, I felt like I was drowning. I got caught up on my papers this weekend but am still very far behind in my reading. We have a paper due every week. It's only one page but that actually makes it harder, not easier.

This weeks paper was about epistemology. I wanted to cover more than I could in the allotted space.

I'm still trying to decide if I can take the women in leadership class next weekend. It will be offered again at another time and if I take it, I'll be taking on more stress...even though it's a class I really want to take. If I don't take it, then I think I can enjoy the class I'm in just a little more. I don't like taking a class that causes pure stress. I want to enjoy the class and the work.

I have a lot going on at work and will be picking up at least one project, possibly 4 in the next few months. I have to be kind to myself as life is short and I don't want to be completely stressed out...so there, maybe my answer is no. Take the second class another time.

Reality, really?

2011-03-08T15:27:00.001-08:00

I am supposed to write a ontological one-page paper on reality. Seriously? How can I do that in one page? Last night I slept on verifiable reality. I finally came up with an idea and today, at the suggestion of a classmate, I look up ontological. Frig! If I relate verifiable and socially constructed reality back to qualitative analysis, this seem easy but now it's supposed to be a ontological paper and that puts me into a whole different (non-scholarly) direction. Too many choices. What do I do with it? I'm really feeling elated and pressure about this paper (at the same time).
I downloaded all of my books that I had stored on the Kindle site and I thought I had the tolle a new earth, but I don't. I've been listening to it on the ipod and he had a really wonderful point I wanted to use. Now, should I buy it? I thought I had at least two copies in the house but I cannot find a single one. I should go to the library and borrow it. I have purchased this book more times than I care to admit and I don't want to purchase it again.
I'm thinking I might rewatch the movie what the bleep? That had a lot of good information. The world is my oyster and I just don't know where to go. My thoughts are this:
1. we all live a different reality,
2. there is one reality, god or spirit, or
3. there is no reality, this is all a dream.

these are vastly different options. I'm not sure which option works the best for me given the topic is on verifiable reality and socially constructed multiple realities. I guess I'm still unsure what verifiable reality means, if only I knew.

On-line course, my first

2011-03-06T11:28:00.000-08:00

I just started my first on-line course this week. The first topic is about reality, the first post someone wrote about they used Charlie Sheen as a reference. Really? In a post-graduate level course? Charlie Sheen has been on the news all week and frankly, I thought this would be a sacred space. But no. The posts have the possibility of becoming pretensious. I think so, I could go there so easily but luckily, no one really has. People are mature enough to keep their egos out of it...which is nice.
I've been trying very hard to get through all of my reading this weekend. I have less than 100 pages to go and then have to write a one page paper (I have over 50 pages of other writings to support this paper). What am I thinking? It's a one page paper. I hate one page papers. They are probably the hardest to write and no doubt, why this assignment was given to us. So I will slog through it.
Luckily the reading is pretty easily, although boring. I felt a little overwhelmed by it a few days ago but am starting to feel ok. I'm worried about the weekend class that I have scheduled in 3 weeks. How the heck will I do that too? I just don't know. I think I have a week to cancel so will have to reconsider by this time next week. I should, I hope, have a handle on what my expectations/goals are for this semester. I really want to take the class and it looks like a very good one but I'm sure it will be offered again next year and maybe next year will be a little more sane for me. Work has been very busy, worse than normal.

Another one down

2011-02-23T17:49:00.000-08:00

Finished the collaborative inquiry class last night. I really enjoyed this class and will miss it. We had a really great group and really interesting discussions. I found myself leaving the class and buzzing with thoughts of the discussion for days. Amazing! I rarely have these kinds of exhillatering discussions. stuart and I have wonderful political discussions but provocative discussions about education are rare. I am developing a wider network though which is quite helpful. Maybe by the time I've completed the program, my network will be even wider,
Kathleen is putting together our work and we will hopefully publish. My first scholarly publish. How exciting! She suggested that we may want to do more with mentoring in her next class. I can see myself doing that, I see mentoring as a missed opportunity for women. We need to support one another, there are not enough women role models and mentors. In my college, I'm pretty lucky because women hold most of the top roles. In my last job, there were very few wome role models,
Learned about prizi last night, a new presentation tool. I also learned more two organizational tools for my college work and dissertation tools. I forgot the names, they are in my notes.

Mentoring

2011-02-13T18:40:00.000-08:00

My class decided to do our collaborate inquiry on mentoring. We devised a few questions and then met with people to discuss mentoring. I had two meetings last saturday. The other two interviews I did over the phone. It was really a wonderful experience as I felt a closeness to the people I was discussing mentoring with. I've had mentoring relationships with two of the four people.
We had class this week and Kathleen doled out the work for the paper. I was given the annotated bibliography, which was probably the easiest part that I could do but then asked for writing the methodology as I feel like I could use the most work on this part. So, I organized by interviews and sent my bibliography. I wrote the first draft of the methodology. I'm not feeling very confident.
One of our cohort members lives in Egypt and he's been providing us with updates about the situation there. We've all been worried and excited for him, both at the same time. If anyone could survive that situation, it would be him as he's very mellow and gets along with everyone. I'm relieved, and I'm sure my colleagues are too to have the whole thing govern. Course, we have no idea what will happen from here but we can hope that it goes well.
I found a nice yarn shop in Plymouth and I shared the information with my cohort members. I can imagine us all making a trip out there this summer and stocking up on yarn. That would be a lot of un.

TRB

2011-01-26T16:26:00.000-08:00

Last night I skyped into class. It went pretty well. I mostly didn't feel as though I was part of the conversation because it's a chatty group and I didn't know if I'd be noticed. After a long while, like 3 hours, I got comfortable with it. I think next time I'd do better.
We are going to do our collaborative inquiry on mentoring so I need to get my interviews lined up. I need to interview someone who mentored me. Dave seems the natural choice so I need to see if he is available for a phone conversation. Stuart thinks it would be worth a drive to Maine. I think it would too but really, I don't know how far away he lives. So, maybe an email and then figure it out from there. I also need a plan B, just incase he doesn't check his email.
After hanging around for a few days, I'm thinking that knowledge management might be a good option for a disseration topic. I need to send a few emails and get myself organized. I also need to talk to Kathleen. When I mentioned knowledge management to my class mates last night, they seemed pretty excited. Is it a leadership issue or a librarian issue? I think it could go either way. Development, leadership. Day to day, librarian. So, will chat with Kathleen. I really see a need for it across all institutions.
It's snowing like crazy right now. I hope we can get home on time tomorrow. As wonderful and interesting as this trip has been (it always is), I'm always thankful to get home. Especially since it seems like there have been a fair share of work challenges and I've been trying to stay on top of them while I've been away.
I also miss my puppies like crazy. Frankly, I sleep much better without them and haven't had a single migraine all week but I miss my babies.

ESL and more ESL

2011-01-22T07:21:00.000-08:00

I'm hoping that my classmates decide to do our collaborative inquiry on an ESL topic. We are meeting this week but I have to skype in because I'll be out if town. I'm a little nervous about Skyping, only because I havent done it before. Well, Stu and I Skyped last week during the blizzard when he was in Vt and it went pretty well after a few issues.
At work, I had a consultant turn in a review of my ESL curriculum. It has been a struggle, for the most part its pretty good but there are a few parts that give me pause. I also hired a new ESL instructor. I'm pretty excited about this new instructor and the class she's taking on, its one that was just developed.
It snowed again this week, a few times. We had a big storm on Tuesday (12 in) and a few smaller ones later in the week, around 9 inches.
Will post again when the collaborative inquiry class is done. In the meantime, I have to work on manufacturing curriculum for school. That ought to keep me out of trouble!

Blizzard

2011-01-15T08:33:00.001-08:00

We had another blizzard this week, 22 inches of snow. Stuart drove home from Vermont in the middle of it. Once he got home we snuggled in for the duration of the storm.
I attended class this week. We had a wonderful discussion about instruction, learning, and what we consider cultural norms in education. Even though research points out that some states of practice are no as effective as others, however, our current methods pursuit. Kathleen points out that as future educational leaders, it's our role to work towards change.
We are to do a collaborative research project. Kathy and I are both supporting an ESL project. I'm interested to see how the others weigh in on this. We've been using the moodle forum. I haven't been receiving emails when items are posted on moodle. What am I doing wrong?
I'm thinking that I should get my act together and complete the summer question. At this point, I've been procrastinating so long that I'm almost afraid to do anything. I brought home a lot of work (work, work) and hope that once I get through this, I'm going to start on the summer question. We have a long weekend so I hope to at least get a start on this.

Sick :(

2011-01-11T07:41:00.001-08:00

Home sick today with a virus. We're supposed to have a big snow storm tomorrow--this feels like a one-day virus. Hopefully we don't, so I can go back to work. It's very hard to sit around the house for two days. I should be doing homework but instead, I'm on email...mostly working from home. There is a lot going on there.
The other reason that I hope we don't get slammed with snow (as predicted) is that if we do have work, I plan to go to Claremont for a presentation on the workplace readiness credential. I don't want to drive to Claremont in crazy weather--I don't have to go but I think it will assist with my presentation which is next week.
I have less than one book to read before my next class meeting. Seriously, we were only assigned one book to read but I'm trying to get through all of them since I don't have any real teaching experience and the reading is heavily geared towards teaching k-12. This is surprising as the course title is research based teaching but I do see a correlation between the reading and the class.
Additionally, I should be working on the question for my group. I have intense guilt about not finishing that so I'm channeling perfectionist and it's keeping me from finishing. I know the work will never be perfect. Why do I do this to myself?
Tomorrow is the day that we can register for spring classes. I'm planning to a research class on-line (a new scary experience for me) and a women's leadership class. The leadership class is a weekend class in March (I think). This will put me 1/2 way through the 10 extra classes that I need to take outside of my cohort. I am very pleased that I'm making this progress. I want to be able to seriously work on my dissertation in two years. It's so important for me to complete and complete on-time.

Happy Holidays

2010-12-28T16:40:00.000-08:00

I've had a book to read for class that was very hard to slog through. We were supposed to incorporate whatever deficits we personally have into our studies so, for instance, I'm not really physical so I should exercise during studying or else during study breaks. Another option is to listen to music. It was difficult for me to incorporate reading and physical activities while reading this dreadfully boring book. Over the Christmas holiday I actually started to like the book and find ways to study being mindful of the deficits...I was on a roll. It felt really good.

My strategies were peaceful music, yoga breaks, reading on the bike, and baths...I feel that baths are really "in the body." We were supposed to keep a log for 21 days--the amount of time it takes to start a new habit. So, I think I've done pretty well with this and now need to start reading another book. I can't decide which one I should tackle next. Our next class doesn't meet until January 11th and we haven't started on the on-line portion yet.

I've decided when I attend TRB that I might shop for an advisor for my dissertation committee. I don't know how that will go. I need to make a decision about whether to focus on something transportation related versus not transportation related. Dave said that he'd be happy to share his lit review work re blue collar vs white collar workers.

I also am considering submitting a call for papers for the newn conference in the spring. I asked the president for advice and she mentioned the prison work. I emailed Danny and he said that he'd help me with the process-I'm sure he'd help present as he's working on his PhD. So, it seems like this is another option for dissertation for me. However, getting long-term data on the prison population when it comes to recidivism might be tricky.

I found a website that provides support to dissertation and thesis students. I facebooked it to my friends. I started a facebook group last week. I hope to get everyone on it because for me, it's the easiest way stay in touch.

Completed fall 2010

2010-12-19T04:26:00.001-08:00

I finished my fall classes and am pleased with my grades. I started winter classes. Decided to take only 1 class this winter. I wanted to take two but with TRB it's really not possible. There are a couple of weekend intensives during TRB and the ethics class starts that week but really, did I want to spend all day Saturday every week in class? Not this winter. Stuart pretty much asked me not to do that to myself so I have to respect that.
We had our Holiday party at Kathleen's on December 5th. It was a lot of fun. I had invited Stuart but once the trivial pursuit game came out, I knew it was a good thing that he didn't come along. We had a yankee swap. It was pretty kind and Kathleen gave away a boat trip for a small group but later offered it to all of us next summer.
I started collaborative learning this week. It's been a terrible week overall. One of those weeks where everything feels really difficult but I don't know why. So I was late for class and must have looked rough because everyone was worried that something was wrong. No, just a bad week. The class went long, we were assigned to keep a journal to improve our active learning strategies. I going to attempt to keep a journal about what I'm learning. It's supposed to help with my lack of bodily kinesthetic intellegence and my intrapersonal. We have to do this for 21 days, the thought...to create a habit.
I just updated the events forum that I started on Mahara. I think I'm doing it wrong, the whole thing comes up. I have to review this to see if there is a better way. Maybe I should start a blog and allow us all to post.

Almost done!

2010-12-01T16:44:00.000-08:00

I turned in my papers last week for the research design class. I got them in just in time to leave for Utah for a family funeral. I turned them in on Tuesday and we left on Thursday (thanksgiving), leaving me enough time to pack and get everything organized for the trip.
The trip went well. We actually had some time to relax which we both sorely needed. We tend to be go-go-go, working really hard.
I brought my ipad to work on the papers (again, papers) for the AI class. I decided that I didn't need one of my books and I did. So I couldn't complete everything but really, everything is almost done. I hope to get the packet into the mail on Saturday. Yes, packet and yes, mail. She wants it all snail mailed.
I thought I had all of the books I need for the class that I start in two weeks (I want to start reading on Saturday) but received the syllabus today and I don't have all of the books. So placed an order and will start reading by Saturday. Honestly, I can start tomorrow night if I make it to the gym and I finish Nancy's papers.
So, that's that. I decided to take only one class this winter. I had planned to take two classes, the second was an ethics class. I'm sure I would have enjoyed it but seriously, I think it would have been too much. I'm sure it will be offered again.
I spoke with one of my co-workers last week who told me to expect others at work to be jealous that I'm working on my doctorate. Infact, they might be mean. I haven't been too vocal about it. Stu and I talked a while about it this weekend. I don't tell people because I think they will believe that I'm showing off or trying to prove I'm better than them. In reality, it's not about them, it's about me. I am a life-long learner and I need to make myself happy. I'm learning a lot and have applied a lot of what I've learned already at work and in my life. People should be happy about that and not jealous.

Appreciative Inquiry Weekend

2010-11-14T08:14:00.000-08:00

I'm at a weekend intensive at Waterville Valley NH. We're staying at the Silver Fox. I called ahead to tell them that I'm a vegan. I asked if they could accommodate me. Yes. Do you know what that is? Yes. Why did I believe them? Silly me.
The program was a lot of work and a lot of fun. We were broken into two groups, our PSU group were together and the FPU group also worked together. Our group was cohesive and we worked through the project very well although it was a lot of work and sometimes a tad bit grueling.
When I spoke to a few people about the program before enrolling, some complained about the fact the teacher didn't teach...she didn't constantly hover. It was a good thing we worked independently as adults ought to be able to do. I would recommend the class to anyone.
Thank to the group for working with me this weekend. It was awesome.

Presentation Time

2010-11-06T05:38:00.000-07:00

We had to do a presentation this week of our research design proposal and we were to use voicethread. I understand why, it's good to try new stuff but felt resistance. I wasn't into the idea of having to prerecord my presentation. Mostly because I'm uncomfortable with the sound of my voice but luckily, I've been sick so my voice doesn't sound like my voice. It sounds congested and sick.

Most people had problems with the service. One of the students is married to an IT guy at work and he couldn't figure it out. I feel a little satisfaction that I could although I had to upload the slides more than once because voicethread kept doing funky things to it.

I worked all weekend on the design, which is good because it prepared me to write my paper and gave me feedback on my design. I'm completely at ease with what I've chosen for data collection, analysis, and the types of research. That's a great feeling.

So this week I started writing my research design. I hope to get through most of it today so I can start my lit review tomorrow. I'm a little uncomfortable with the lit review because I've never written one before. I'm uncomfortable with the whole process because my papers tend to have funky things in them, my keyboard jumps around. Today I'm trying an external keyboard. I don't like the feeling of it (the keys are hard) or the size...it's huge. So will have to go out and buy one (I think).

I spoke to my president yesterday who kept looking at the appreciative inquiry book that I had just returned to work with (from lunch). She said she really likes the method. I told her that I have an intensive next week. I'm a little worried about squeezing in this intensive next weekend. I think it will be very interesting for me though.

I've decided to take two classes over winterim. I think that's a little nuts. I really want to get as much coursework done as I can so when I'm ready to write my dissertation, it's ready for me.

Change of Heart

2010-10-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

I have been so incredibly negative about this class as it is completely outside of my comfort zone. I finally had the realization this weekend that if I don't shape up, I'll surely fail (or do very poorly). This doesn't come easy to me but I don't think statistics and research design come easy to many. After giving it careful thought, I've realized that it probably isn't that hard as long as I figure out what the rules are and stick to them. Today I have been working on the rules. I've spent the better part of today trying to negotiate through the rules. I think I'll be working on the rules for most of this week.

We've had a change in focus. For the past few weeks, my focus has been on the literature review. Now, for next week have have to do a presentation that summarizes our entire research proposal. She wants us to do it on voice thread so will have to learn that this week too. Anyway, switch gears and try to get the outline for my project down so I can do my proposal for Tuesday (I have more than a week to get through this).

The first cohort all passed their comprehensive exams. HooRay. They made me really nervous when they were talking about how hard it was and not what they expected. I know I was not the only one in the room thinking "oh no." So, is this what getting doctoral degree all about? Being full of self-doubt for the next 5 years? I keep thinking what have I gotten myself into?

The bright side is that I already see a payoff in my normal day to day life. This did not occur when I was working on my undergraduate or graduate degree. Maybe because they were not work related but I can really apply what I learn almost every day to my work. That's a benefit for my, as it almost becomes applied research and to my workplace.

October

2010-10-15T09:57:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling frantic. I'm working like a crazy person on my literature review for my school project. I don't even feel like I know what I'm doing. This is not a good feeling. Is it possible that I have too much information? I feel as though I do and need to start weeding it out.

In the meantime, I have to be away for a few days. Do I take both my laptop & my ipad. That seems a bit over the top but if I find myself with a huge chunk of time I'm going to wish that I had both and it seems as though I might have some free time tomorrow afternoon and Sunday evening. Oh, what to do?

I'm quite happy to be getting away for a few days. I could use a change of pace.

Wait, What am I doing?

2010-09-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

I started to think this past week what am I doing? I think that I'll probably face this a few times by the time I'm finished but I do wonder, why? Why am I putting myself through this?

I'm reading the most boring book on research design. Do I really have to to research design? Also, I have to do a sample design for this class and I have no idea what I'll do. The bright side is that I'm talking with my professor tomorrow and also have the option of speaking with a faculty member at work tomorrow. Hopefully something will resonate for me. I started a list today of ideas.

I also feel like I bombed on a a paper. I didn't have it read but someone at the reading center before I turned it in. It was a messy paper and I'm embarrassed by it. I'll use the writing center next time I have something due.

Finally, fall

2010-09-11T06:12:00.000-07:00

I started class this past week. There are three of us from my cohort in the class and then another 5 (I think). The cohort students are all plugged in with our computers, the CAGS students are writing notes, long-hand. It's comical that our styles are so different. Do we take ourselves too seriously? I brought my new ipad into class. Really, what a wonderful invention. I can't say enough about it. Its a wonderful investment. I use it all of the time.

We had this long discussion thread yesterday about our grades. No one could find them. I found my gpa so I knew my grades but no one could find the grades that were posted for each class. Finally, someone found them and you could feel a collective sigh of relief. It's sort of funny.

I think I'm starting to gel an idea for my dissertation. Stay tuned.

This week I have 5 chapters to read, 5 worksheets and 1 short paper. I think I should be fine but first have to get started on the reading. I've been slacking all week. We will have to do a design for a research study as a final project, which includes a literature review. So, I may do the project on webinars. I find an amazing amount of people who rely on them for training and I wonder about the effectivenss of them especially since many people are sitting at their desks while tuned in. How effective can that be?

We have class every other week so, no class this week but I do have an annual meeting for NAWIC to attend on Tuesday. Plus, rumour has it that Dad will be in town this week so that will put a cramp in my studying, although I'll be glad to see him.

Monique and I had a nice dinner at Thai Smile after my class. We got out of class early so I felt like we had a little time to linger. She's settingly into school really well. She hasn't seemed to feel the need to get out of Plymouth yet. It's such a small town, it makes me a little stir crazy but given the town that she's from, it probably feels like the big city!

Excellent News all around.

2010-08-29T04:47:00.000-07:00

I completed my last course for the summer. This makes me very happy. I'm excited about starting new classes. I only wish I had reading assignments but, I guess, I could just start reading anyway. I have this fantasy that I will work in the garden today. I have plants that really need to be moved. And, I have potted plants that really need to be repotted.

Monique heads off to college today. I'm thrilled about that. We went to breakfast and did a little school shopping for her yesterday. I had a wonderful time.

And, I bought an ipad this week. I like it so much more than I thought I would. Obviously, I had to know that I'd like it otherwise I would not have spent a small fortune on it. I envision that I'll take it to school rather than my laptop. I can also see myself using it at work. It's really fun and has a lot of great tools. I've been fussing with apps and I the keyboard works really slick. I tried to update this blog yesterday using safari on the ipad but just couldn't get it to work.

I had dinner with Lauren & Marissa at Zampa's this week. I haven't seen them in forever. It was great to see them.

I went to the new crepe place in Manchester for lunch with Lynn the other day. It was so yummy.

I have some other potentially wonderful news. Stay tuned for it!

Another crazy week!

2010-08-08T10:11:00.000-07:00

I came down with food poisoning Thursday morning and basically lost two days of work and two days of working on my papers for school. I think I'll be OK but I am unhappy about the whole food poisoning event. The bright side is that I lost a lot of weight. The hope is that I can keep it off.

Thursday was a nightmare, poor Fideaux was so worried about me, every time I'm make a dash for the bathroom, he'd was right behind me. And, he stayed in bed with me on Friday and Saturday. He's still on my lap today.

I had to go to the urgent care center and they sent me to the hospital. The waits, in both cases, were unbareable. Sitting made my stomach cry out in pain. However, it was hard to feel too badly about waiting at the hosptial when people came in who looked more pained that I.

The people at the hospital were so nice. I asked everyone where the went to school. I wanted to see where they got their medical training. I felt very safe and cared for and Stuart was there with me. Very sweet.

Today I realized that I couldn't find my notes from the summer's class. I eventually found them in the recycle bin, I named the the course number and still couldn't find them? Maybe I still a little under the weather. I wonder how I recycled them anyway. The point, I that I loved being ablet to retrieve the file from the recycle bin. Nothing lost except a little time and maybe a few more gray hairs added.

After retrieving my notes, I started looking to look at them write the second (no third, no seventh) paper of the summer and realized that I had no idea what my notes truely meant so I sent an sos to the group. I'm pretty sure that I know what I should be doing but just want to check in.

I recieved my paper back from the first class and totally missed the apa point so spent a huge amount of time researching page numbers. I have to work on some transitions but I think the paper will securely bring me an A in that course since I'm at and A- before the rewrites. The questions I ask myself is why would I spend all of this time bringing my grade up really just a couple of tenths of a point? I can and I should get this apa thing under control.

Help

2010-07-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

I'm writing my research paper for the my doctoral program and am feeling the pressure. Part of me thinks everyone in my program must be feeling pressure and it's not only me but I can't help but wonder if I'll be voted off the island. Stuart thinks that if worst comes to worst, that they will ask me to write it again.

So the reality of the situation is this... I'm about 1/2 way through writing it. It's due on Sunday. I'm feeling pretty good about the whole thing, finally except the new lingering doubt is that I have way too much information and I'm going to have to weed my research and hone my topic down a bit. I really wanted to write about adult on-line learning communities but really, by the time I get to that part of the paper I will have run out of space. I'd love to cut a whole section on the zone of proximal development but that's really the key to the research so really it is not possible.

I need to write a response to the research but am also lost on that so have to hope that by the time I get to that part, I'll know what to do.

Back to work

2010-07-21T17:48:00.000-07:00

I wish that I had taken one more day for vacation. I went back today. A few of us from the cohort did so it's probably not that bad. But, I would have liked a day to work on my paper. I'm feeling the stress.

The bright side is that the day went pretty smoothly. Had a little drama with an instructor but nothing that couldn't be handled pretty easily.

Stuart and I went to dinner at Uno's and I've been working for the past couple of hours going through research papers in preparation for my own research paper. I'm learning a lot. Who'd a thought that people don't really learn in training. I'm wondering what their definetion of learning really is.

Ah, I learned something today, our library at school has a lot of education books and NHTI has even more so have put in an order for inner library loan! Yeah!

I love puppies

2010-07-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

Even though I've spent most of the day at the computer so far, it hasn't been that bad because I've had my puppies to keep me company and Stuart is working on his computer too-I think he's working on his excel class that is later this week.

We went to yoga this morning at Om. It was good and quite hot. I almost got into a side crow pose. I'm afraid to lift off, I just need an assist. I'm sure if I had asked the instructor, he would have helped. I don't know his name. He taught on Wednesday too, he does a very nice job and is quite kind.

After we ran a few errands and came home to do work. I've been working on this one page paper for a good chunk of the day. It's always the shorter pieces that cause the most pain as it forces you to be concise, which is not bad.

What a week!

2010-07-16T17:21:00.000-07:00

We started our second class yesterday. We've had two very long days. We had to do a presentation today and we didn't receive the assignment until late yesterday. We worked until late last night and then again early this morning. All in all, I was happy with the way our presentation went, I think Emily and I did a good job.

The presentation was on a chapter in our text book. The authors writing style is hard to read, very passive voice. We labored over what they were trying to convey and how to present this to our class. I'm sure everyone else had the same issues too.

The presentations literally took all day. We stayed late today and then received our presentation for next week. Ann and I are going to work together. We thought it would be a good idea since we live fairly close to each other, but it sounds like maybe we don't need to meet at all.

I'm getting paranoid about file backup so even though I thought I wouldn't do any work tonight, I've been doing file back-ups. It seems that every instructor tells us horror stories about file losses and how they back-up their back-ups.

I'm at home now, Fideaux is going crazy because there is a really large buck having a little snack on the hill. It's really beautiful.

The cohort

2010-07-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

I met with the program advisor, Kathleen Norris, today and was completely energized by our discussion. I feel like I have free reign to do almost anything I want to. Stuart suggested that I try to get that in writing because his father finished his dissertation and the advisor left and he never graduated. Point taken, thanks Stu, I love that you're always looking out for me.

I don't know how I'll get it in writing but will attempt to figure that one out. She suggested classes in all areas of graduate studies so that I can explore what I'm really interested in and cautioned that I don't hem myself in to a plan too much. I like that advice.

I met Stu for lunch at Cafe Indigo and later I'm meeting him for yoga at OM. This is unusual for me, attending OM midweek. Sunday is my OM day. So, I may now have myself signed up for Sunday and Wednesday. Yikes.

Otherwise, today I'm still trying to get caught up on my reading and I have to devise a plan to get my paper written. I have dozens .pdfs saved to one note but I can't edit them so I don't know what do to with them. Kathy suggested a reverse pdf writer. I'm going to see if I can't figure that one out without spending a bundle.

One down, 19 to go

2010-07-13T12:38:00.000-07:00

I finished my first class today. Well, finished the meetings but have to finish the coursework. We have two papers due at the end of the month. One will be fairly easy, the other I only have a clue about. It's on Vygotsky, the role of the zone of proximal development, and scaffolding. I want to write it about adult learners. I have a few adult learning reference that I can use. It's just a matter of pulling it all together and then coming up with a point of view.

The other paper is about our plan of action. We have to write a response paper. It's sort of interesting. My plan is very detailed. Perhaps more detailed than it needs to be. My big goal is to get through this with a happy marriage and a good job. It sounds like it could be doable but it's a lot of stress and time.

We read a book today, a childs book called something like the mystery hotel. It was fun. It's a things aren't as they seem sort of book. She showed us a powerpoint the other day with the same theme. She's a good teacher, I would highly recommend her. She knows what she's doing and knows how to respond to adults. That's a great thing.

We also worked on our group values: honesty, respect, balance & scholarship. We talked a lot about technology, this has been a difficult piece to get over. I had an email from the library that suggested zotoro for the biblography. And, a couple of guys are trying to figure out what we should be using for a sharing site. We just got google groups set up but now they are thinking about a social networking group for education. I forgot the name and I have to get started on a homework assignment for tomorrow so hope to write the name of the social networking software tomorrow, if we/they decide we should go with that. It's a question of sharing information, files, and ideas. It's turned into a much bigger deal then I really think it should be.

Day 3 of doctoral program

2010-07-12T13:51:00.000-07:00

I made it through another day! Hooray.

It felt a little crazy. I came up to school last night and I really didn't want to. I should have stayed at home and drove up in the morning. But, I didn't. I did get some work done last night, seriously, there is nothing to do here but to work. That's a good thing. So I am not complaining about that. It feels like a school retreat.

I came up last night and finished one of the readings that I needed to finish and started on another, which I've almost finished. I organized my notes and realized I'm missing some information about my dissertation planning. I asked Kathy about it this morning, I have it all down and we shared it with my classmates.

We finished our class work early today. I'm working on an action plan for my doctoral work and then need to share it with a classmate tomorrow, then write a reaction paper for August 1st.

I also have to do a paper on Vygstosky for August 1st. I'm feeling a little lost. There is a lot of research to do and I'm feeling like my head will explode if I spend too much time on it right now. At some point, I have to stop working on this class and shift to the next class which starts on Thursday.

The bright side of the next class is the daily classes start at 9. This actually allows me time to drive up from home or to attend a yoga class. So, I'm not sure which one I will do. Being at home and going to yoga and both good for me.

Microsoft updates

2010-07-10T14:01:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm in this new program, I need to get myself organized so the first thing, upgrade word, etc to 2010. Who even knew that 2010 was out? I was able to update from the plymouth website for cheap.

Part two, learn how to use one note. This looks a little scary but I think it will be o.k. over the long run. There might be a little experimentation but I can definitely see the benefits of it.

Part three, is find a tool that will help me to organize my bibliography. We're being advised that the sooner we get it organized and annotated, the easier our life will be when we write our dissertation. So, I'm down with following the advice of the been there done that crowd. I have asked the librarian at the college. She said that she'd get back to us but I will send her an email.

Part four, find a reliable method and easy to implement to back up my files. It's only been three days but I have already heard way too many horror stories of work in process-or even work completed being completely lost. I cannot bare to have that happen to me.

This is my technology plan of action. I also need to get a big notebook to put hard copies of articles into. I may scan them as well but ones that are hard copies originally, it might be nice to have a binder of these. Just so I can stay organized.

Day 2 of doctoral program

2010-07-09T04:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our first day of the program. Today will be our second, then we have the weekend off and back to finish day 3 and 4. Then we'll be done with the first course....well we have a paper due at the end of the month. Langdon Woods is my home away from home during these 2 weeks. It's nice to have this little dorm room as a get away. It's strange that no one comes in here but me so when I leave, it's exactly the same as when I left. It reminds me of living alone--Stuart rarely moves my stuff so I really cannot complain but it has that living alone feel. I am going home tonight. I cannot wait to see Stu and the puppies.

We did a lot of group work yesterday which was really nice. Kathleen McCabe, our professor, seems to really want us to be a strong cohort so she's breaking us into groups, always different groups so we get to interact with a other people. Also, we talked yesterday about what our group values are. We had to post our take on post it notes, put them on the wall, and will process them today. She said she'd pass our values along to our next professor--Kathleen Norris. I keep thinking about the forming, storming and norming parts of group work. Will we hit the storming part this month? There are a few people that are sometimes annoying someone called me a party pooper yesterday because I didn't go on the boat. Obviously they do not know my history with boats! Another women said that used to park in a parking space at work because she knew it pissed another guy off. Hmmm.... so she's like that.

I have to say that yesterday was not hard. I thought it would be. One of the guys in one of my groups was speculating about how tough it must have been to get into this program. He thinks there must have been at least 150 applicants (one year they had 500). And, then they interviewed 25. And, finally there are 14 of us here--around 9%. Yikes. And, Kathleen keeps saying don't be nervous about the course work, we were chosen because they thought (knew) that we could do this. So, I think we are all getting ovef the dear in headlights feeling.

So, I did something new yesterday. I took all my notes on my laptop. It was ok. I'm a right-brain person so I thought it wouldn't work because I usually write little things off to the side and draw arrows but I can use different text, fonts, sizes, and draw boxes....oh, and I still have arrows. So I think it will work. Stu reminded me that taking notes in word is good because it is searchable. That's a good thing.

They strongly encourage us to use one note so I will start working on that. I could get a free download from work but it seems like they want me to create a disk and then install from the disk. Stu says that there is a way around this and will help me this weekend.

This place is not vegan friendly. The closest place is in concord. We went to Kathleen's house last night on the lake and they ordered pizza for us to share--it was vile. So, have been trying to each vegan as often as I can but I have to admit I had a greek salad yesterday and the pizza last night. It's sort of terrible.

Day one, first class in doctoral program

2010-07-08T03:43:00.001-07:00

I arrived yesterday at Plymouth State University for the orientation of my doctoral program. I had one of those days when I just couldn't get into my groove. I didn't realize I was out of gas so had to stop. I could not find a place to park. I arrived late. I was nervous as hell when I had to do introduction--very unlike me. I locked myself out of my room. I had to have my password reset. There were problems with my id. It went on. It was kind of crazy.

We were all like deer in headlights, a little unsure and a little scared. There are 14 of us in the group. I didn't count but I'm guessing 9 women and five men. It seems that I'm the only person who works with adults. The rest work with children and college students. It's sort of interesting. However, there are a couple who I cannot remember what they do.

We did have a lovely lunch with a group of people who are here for an educational leadership program from Pakistan. They were very interesting, it was the highlight of my day. We will have tea with them tomorrow. Well the other highlight was I went to dinner, it was byob and I had a nice dinner with mango sticky rice for dessert but way too many carbs yesterday. I have to watch it this week.

I could have gone home last night, but I didn't. I miss Stu and the puppies. I got up early today and mediated, went for a walk and did yoga. I need to take care of myself because in the few minutes we had with the instructor yesterday she gave me the feeling that it is going to be a very bumpy ride over the next few days.

We met with some of the ladies from another cohort. They advised us to back up files continuously. If I can ever get my mobile me to work that might be a good option. And, they advised us to set up a mailing list of just us and to "use each other" for help. I can see myself doing that. I hope that the others can too.

I still haven't gotten the whole CAGS thing figured out. Do I need to do it at the same time, or not.

Class starts in an hour. I have to go out for tea and coffee.

Kripalu Weekend

2010-06-03T11:57:00.000-07:00

Stuart and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary last week by going to Kripalu. We attended a couple's workshop which was interesting but there were only maybe 3 couples who weren't in trouble--luckily, we were one of them. So many people were complaining. I wanted to bail a few times.

We did have a nice time, we slept a lot. We ate really wonderful food. Did yoga. Saw this pileated woodpecker on a walk one morning. It was so good to get out of town and be taken care of.

A few other events have taken place. I was accepted into Plymouth for a Doctorate in Education and I put in a few plants.

Stuart's project with towards zero fatalities is going very well. I'm quite proud of him. I feel like he's really making a difference.

Blogging

2010-05-02T15:06:00.001-07:00

I started a post and lost it. After I've been feeling guilty about not blogging. Why haven't I blogged? I always wonder about what bloggers write and why. So, that means I have to consider what I write and why.

My big news this week is that I have an interview at Plymouth State this week on Tuesday. It's for the PhD program. Wish me luck. I have taken a long time to decide if I want this but have definitely come to the conclusion that I do.

Health

2010-03-13T17:33:00.000-08:00

I went for my yearly physical this year. My health has improved since last year. I've lost weight, my heart rate is super low, and my cholesterol is very good...for me. I'm very happy about this.nd

I've been on weight watchers, I've lost 8 pounds. I'm 1/2 way to my goal. My doctor should be good right now but will stick with my plan to lose 15 pounds.

I bought myself a new ipod to celebrate losing 5 pounds. I am so happy to have my pod casts again. I've been listening to Buddhist geeks. I learned something interesting, the Buddha suffered from migraines. The podcast I'm listening to right now has to do with enlightenment. The person being interviewed thinks that many more people are enlightened than we think but it's hard to think they are in our crazy society. Also, if we have this unrealistic idea of what enlightened people are like so we have a hard time believing that some people are enlightened.

Speaking of crazy, another crazy time at work but also, dealing with housebreaking Jean Paul. What a pain. Hopefully we will ahve resolved soon.

Getting what you want.

2010-02-08T15:45:00.000-08:00

I read a piece on Carolyn Myss website this week about settling. Why do we settle for things that we do not want? I spent years settling, living in relationships that really didn't suit me but deciding it was easier to stick with what I knew than to make a change. It took a lot for me to make the change and move out, once I did, I didn't look back. You know, it wasn't fair for him that I stay either, but he'll probably never believe this.

Carolyn says, "It's better to want what you don't have than to have what you don't want." I think that she's right but it's scarey to hold out for what you want. Many times we think what we want is unobtainable. So, this is what I did, when I finally left that toxic relationship, I made a list of what I wanted. A few months later, I was dating Stuart and a few months later, I found my list and read it. Guess what? It exactly matched. So, the key was on focusing what I wanted in a relationship versus writing down what I didn't want. It's a miracle, I tell people about this experience. I don't know if any of them have followed my advice but it worked for me.

Plzzzz...just trying to maintain perspective.

2010-02-01T11:44:00.000-08:00

Did you ever have one of those days when you just want to complain but wonder if anyone cares? When you really wonder what is the point of trying to do a good job and act professionally and it seems like the you are one of a handful of people who believe that's important? Ahhh... today I'm having one of those.

Maybe it's because I'm not feeling well (still). Maybe it's for other reasons, like I had to go to the dentist this morning. I am really annoyed at the way people treat other people. I'm annoyed at the way that I am treated. I'm annoyed when people call me unprofessional but then go on to write "what the f*C%?" in the same (seemily) professional email. I annoyed with people who act like princesses when they are well above princess age.

So, life is short, let's not lose track of that. It's not about people who lose perspective. I'm trying not to lose perspective, just blowing off some steam.

Starve a Cold?

2010-01-28T15:10:00.001-08:00

I'm not feeling well today, I'm feeling like this poor pooch. Pretty sick. I even took the day off of work. I've worked there for almost a year and a half it's the first sick day that I've taken. That's pretty amazing for me. But I needed it. I worry that I'll need another day tomorrow. I thought vegans didn't have to deal with the runny nose, geez, I was wrong and my eyes are even running. It's disgusting! It really is.

I've spent the day with the dogs, boy they don't do much during the day except sleep. I actually thought I'd get through a whole day without a potty problem with SeanPaul, another thing I'm wrong about. He actually peed on the couch. Wait until I tell Stuart. I've had him on a leash all day and have had him teathered to me...either carry him or put him down during to make sure he didn't get too out of sight. Once, I actually left him on the couch to grab something from the kitchen and he peed. Darn! So, he's back in the kennel. I know the kennel shouldn't be a place to punish but I needed a time out--I'm sick. I forgot to write that he peed in his kennel this morning. The poor dog, I really don't know what to do or what I'm doing wrong. So, am trying to keep him on schedule and within my sight but still, not entirely working. Help! I'm also rewarding him with treats when he pees or poops outside. I'm trying to pull out all of the stops.

Sad days ahead

2010-01-22T03:44:00.000-08:00

I went to the doctor this week for GERD. I've been suffering for a while with it, waking up in the middle of the night to vomit. Having to leave spinning class because it was so painful. Avoiding certain exercises or shoveling just to save myself pain. I couldn't believe that the doctor told me. Lose weight. I've gained 30 pounds since I was 20 and now I have to lose 15 pounds.

So, I've told a few people that I've had that talk with my doctor that one never wants to have, "lose weight." Most people can't believe it. They are more overweight than I am. I think I've motivated a few to look at their weight.

I've been at this since Tuesday. It's painful. I joined weight watchers on-line. I'm going pretty well. I've been working out like a crazy person but the doctor reminded me that working out is only part of it, I have to watch my diet. I know he's right. Working out is easy, watching the diet is not--at least for me. I can't believe I'm at a point in my life where I consider working out the easy part and watching what I eat the hard part! Ironic.

Happy New Year

2010-01-17T13:54:00.001-08:00

We added another puppy to our pack: Jean Paul. He was born on 11/15. He's Fideaux's younger brother. Fideaux turned 2 yesterday. Jean Paul is so funny, I forgot how funny puppies are. He loves to play and jump and attack. He's also very sweet and snuggly. Right now he's getting used to his collar so he often stops whatever he's doing to scratch. He also loves to go out into the snow, which is lucky because we're getting another snow storm right now.

We had a busy week in DC attending the TRB meeting. We attendede a lot of meetings, had dinners with friends and networked, like crazy.

We're having a quiet relaxing weekend. I feel like we have earned it!

Vegan Community Kitchen

2009-12-20T14:24:00.000-08:00

The vegan community kitchen in Concord held a holiday feast last night. The food was amazing, the event was interesting. They would like people to join and volunteer. I don't know if we will. They danced around a holy basil tree. It was amusing and a little freaky. It was nice to see some people that we know and to meet a few new people.

December

2009-12-13T05:21:00.000-08:00

Grammie died on November 1st. Her funeral was Dec 4th, the anniversary of the death of my grandfather. I got a tatoo to commerate her life. I'm still getting used to it because I have it covered almost all of the time, it's on my right forearm. I wonder how I'll cover it this summer at work.

The service was very nice. Sadly, my Mother didn't attend. Nor did one of my aunts. It was tough listening to their lame excuses.

Christmas is in less than two weeks. Am I ready? I guess I'm pretty close but really, not into it this year. Stuart did buy a new iphone for me. It's been very nice a lot more things than my old I phone.

Rocky and I started puppy classes. I'm seeing improvement. We still have a long way to go and it's constant work but maybe we'll be fine afterall.

Work is going gangbusters for me and Stuart. I have so many projects going, I wonder how I'll get to all of them. I have to work on one or two of them today, even though it is Sunday.

Grammie Foss

2009-10-31T11:48:00.000-07:00

I missed astrology class last week because I had a migraine but more importantly, missed seeing my grandmother. It was my plan to visit her after class as I hadn't seen her in about three weeks. Darn migraines.

As it turned out, Gram collapsed the next day and I didn't get to see her until Tuesday in the hospital. She has septectima and was taken off life support on Wednesday. She improved since coming off life support but will surely die from the infection.

It's hard to think about losing my grandmother, granted she's 92 but she's such a force of nature and has been a very important person in my life. I don't know if any of us thought she'd actually die.

Last night I called my mother, an aunt and an uncle while at the hospital and let them talk to Gram on the phone. She can't talk back but I could tell that she loved it. It was such a treat to be able to give her this simple gift. I tried to call another aunt but couldn't google her phone number.

So, I imagine that sometime this week she'll pass. I say a prayer for her and for all of us left without her.

Seattle

2009-10-26T17:26:00.000-07:00

I attended the NEWN conference last week in Seattle. It was perfect, I felt energied after leaving. It's exactly what I needed. Stuart went with me. I met his sister and her family. And, one of his nephews. They were so nice to us. I really enjoyed it. I left Seattle with lots of ideas. Hoping that I can get them through.

Stuart stayed a few extra days, he drove to slc. I missed him horribly. I'm so glad he's home and the puppies are happy to have us taking care of them. Even though Robyn took very good care of them.

Crazy....

2009-10-04T14:20:00.000-07:00

We had a crazy trip to DC this week. Actually, we only drove through DC. Our trip was to virgina to work on a project and then right back home again. It was a whirlwind of a trip but good. We both felt positive about the results. We also got to visit with someone from a LTAP Center that I've never had the chance to really sit down and chat with. It was so nice. I had hoped we'd have time to visit some of our friends but it was too crazy.

Started my astrology class today, intermediate. It's a lot of fun, there is so much to learn. I wonder if I'll ever get it and then I realize that I am learning something.

Bradley visits

2009-09-26T08:49:00.000-07:00

Bradley came to visit last weekend. It was great to see him.

Stuart and Bradley built an insulated door for our basement. They did great job.

We went to wells beach and to pawtuckaway state park. Stuart and Bradley went to Rumney to look at rocks.

We had a nice visit but it went so quickly. It was sad to see him leave. We hope he comes back soon. We still haven't taken him to the mountains yet and Cathedral Ledge is something to see!

Bringing one's life to Meditation

2009-09-01T06:15:00.001-07:00

One often hears that they should bring meditiation to their life but what does it mean to bring my life to my meditation? I've been listening to the podcast buddhist qeeks lately and this concept came up in a recent broadcast. I've been thinking about this and observing regularly.

I started to notice that when I sit, I have to watch my neck. So, I bring my life to the meditation by making adjustments to honor my body. Often, the dog gets upset about something and needs to be comforted. So, I move over, lift an arm to let him him, and give him a snuggle. He's an important part of my life and I need to be mindful of his needs, as well as my own. Stuart and I have started morning yoga which means adjusting the start time of my meditation to allow for yoga.

When I started to observe, I noticed these examples of bringing my life to meditation. I'm sure there are many more. It's an interesting concept.

Skunk

2009-08-05T07:03:00.000-07:00

Fideaux had a run in with a skunk this past weekend. Forget the tomato juice, the cure is peroxide, baking soda, & dish shop. The cure for the house is cinnamon.

It's been a week of changes. We bought a new sofa and coffee table. I've gotten rid of some furniture (my red couch) and still have more to get rid of. And, I bought a red maple this weekend for our front yard, we need shade. Hopefully we don't have to live there for 15 years to reap the benefits of the shade. I'm told that maples grow fast but how fast? Fast enough?

Alegria

2009-07-12T05:11:00.000-07:00

Last night we attended Alegria at the Verizon Wireless Center. It was the first Cirque Du Soleil show that I've attended. I attended a french circus once which was very good. It didn't have the style that this show had but the athletics were much better.

It's been the rainest period. The sun is finally out, it's been out for a few days. I was starting to feel depressed.

Also, my Kindle broke. Amazon sent a new one to me right away. Which was just wonderful and I was able to download all my old books to the new kindle pretty easily. Bravo.

We joined Gold's gym and I feel like we've become gym rats. We found a hip hop class last week that is loads of fun.

Happy Summer

2009-06-21T06:03:00.001-07:00

I keep meaning to write but then, something always comes up or I don't have an image. I scavanged this one from the web.

It's been a busy few weeks. I've been taking BPI Building Anaylst training. I passed the written test, still waiting to hear on the field exam. It was much harder than I thought it would be. I hired a wonderful teacher from Rockport Maine. I highly recommend him, Evergreen.

Stuart and I went to DC this week to attend a TRB meeting. It was fun but exhausting--a quick trip down and back. We had dinner with Cortney and Kevin.

I had dinner with Linda on Friday. She's back from AZ for a week. It was so good to see her.

Yesterday was my birthday. Stuart and I attended a meet up at Life Alive in Lowell. We ran a few errands and then had sushi for dinner. It was a nice day!

Memorial Day

2009-05-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

We had a nice long weekend. We didn't do much, went shopping, cleaned up around the house, and exercised. We took a bike ride yesterday. It was nice, the weather was perfect and the road very enjoyable. It's the first time I've been out this year. Only had small issues with the chain. Still trying to figure the shifting thing out but I feel like I'm making progress. That's something.

Made plans to go to Kripalu. Stuart found a program that he's quite excited about. I can't decide if I should attend a program or simply hang-out. I could use another weekend of hanging out. Course, I always feel sorry for the poor dog, it's off to the kennel this weekend. I don't think he likes it and he comes home smelling like a dog. Unbelievable!

Today is our wedding anniversary, 2 years! Happy Anniversary Stuart. I Love You!

Chicago

2009-05-02T07:52:00.001-07:00

We spent a few enjoyable days in Chicago tis week. We ate at this yummy vegan restaurant twice. One night I had the "meatloaf" and the second night we had pizza.

We took a hop on hop off bus on Wednesday. It was fun and always a fun way to learn about the city. One thing that strikes me about the city is the flowers. They are beautiful. I found myself taking pictures and pictures of flowers. They arrangements are so inventive. I wish I had that kind eye for plants.

Spring at last?

2009-04-26T06:08:00.000-07:00

The weather is gorgeous, 80 and sunny. Finally. It seems like almost everything in my garden survived the winter. A few things died but they looked a little sickly when they were given to me.

Fideaux starts "Therapy Dog" training today.

I signed up for an astrology class which starts next weekend. No one seems to know what time I was born so I had to guess. I can't believe I have two birth certificates and it's not written on either one. Pitiful.

Earth day was this week. On Oprah, she had a segment showing a huge garbage swirl in the pacific ocean, the size of Texas and up to 90' deep in some spots. It was sickening and effecting animals because they eat the plastic and get caught in it. I'm going to try to give up plastic bags because they are the only thing that I can't recycle...well that and rice milk boxes. So I'm researching alternatives to plastic bags.

A sure sign of Spring

2009-04-12T06:33:00.001-07:00

Stuart found this little guy in a cellar hole. It was a very cold morning and he was barely moving. We placed him on a rock hoping that he'll warm up and move on. Also hoping that a bird wouldn't find him first.

I bought pansies and placed them on the porch. I love to see their little happy faces. I also bought more for the window boxes. It's very cold outside, I may wait another day or so before putting them in.

We went for a nice hike around Stonehouse pond in Barrington. I would recommend a walk to anyone in the area. The sight is quite majestic with ledge that comes right to the water's edge.

Happy Easter!

Warrior

2009-04-05T07:22:00.000-07:00

This week, I performed in the vagina monologues. I'm a vagina warrior.! That's what past performers are called. The play was a little scarey but pretty fun, at the same time. Whew! I'm glad that it's over! After, Stuart and I went to dinner to celebrate. The director already has another play in mind for Karen (my costar) and I.

I got into the garden this week. I did a little pruning and the daylillies are coming up as well as some of the other plants.

Stuart bought a vitamix this week. I made ice cream in it yesterday. It's pretty yummy. Hopefully this will be a well-used appliance because it's pretty pricey.

It's finally spring

2009-03-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

It seems that everyone complained about the winter this year. I don't think it was all that bad I am sure glad to see the spring. The snow is melting and my day lillies have are popping their little heads up through the earth. All of our bushes and our tree is budding. And our pussywillows are pussying. It's very cool.

My thoughts turn to growing vegetables this year. It's my first attempt, except for one very sad year in Rochester where I tried to grow tomatoes. I grew one. So, I'm attempting to put a list together of vegetables to grow: carrots, tomatoes, green beans, peas, potatoes, and shallots. We may grow: parsley, chives, rosemary, and thyme.

Ate a few lovely dinners these past two weeks at Susty's. Have been doing our morning sprints and had a consultation with John Douillard. I'm feeling very good about that.

Whew! Where did the month go?

2009-03-01T06:41:00.000-08:00

I don't even know where the month went. We celebrated Stuart's birthday. We had a few days in DC and took a long weekend to go to Kripalu for an ayuverdic workshop. It was fun. We also went to a meet-up group with the local vegans, also a good time.

Speaking of time, already it's been a year since we moved into our condo.

Yesterday, we attended a home show in Boston. We're oogling the tube lights. Ah, natural light. We had lunch at veggie planet in cambridge. Had a delicious pizza.

The weather is improving. It's not yet spring but I am thinking about the transition of the winter diet to the spring diet. Something that is part of our new plan. I'm also thinking of planting vegetables this year. So must make a list and start thinking about growing our own food. Local, organic food...yummy.

Joys of iphone apps

2009-02-01T07:27:00.000-08:00

Stuart and I went to the iphone store last week. Honestly, I hadn't really downloaded any apps except for a sudoko game. The sales guy told me about many free apps and I started downloading like crazy. I most use the weather app. My sudoko game went hay-wire so I downloaded another version (a free one), which isn't as nice as the one I paid $4 to have. I don't understand what happened to the game. I'm ready for an upgrade to my phone so may be upgrading soon. I think Stuart is considering an iphone.

I took a class this week at Susty's. The topic, making seitan. It's a lot of work but honestly, so much better than the stuff from the store. But, now I understand why they charge so much for it. I made a tofu pie yesterday and the crust came out so well. I couldn't believe it. I wanted to jump for joy!

Stuart's birthday is this week. I have a dinner planned for him at one of our special places. Happy Birthday Stuart! I can't wait!

TRB in DC

2009-01-14T12:19:00.001-08:00

While in DC, I had my photo taken with the president elect. It's very exciting in DC with talks about the inauguration, the security that is being planned and the TRB. Course, I haven't really gotten out to see much. I've been very busy with my meetings.

I miss my puppy, he turned one yesterday. I wasn't there to give him a hug. I promise to make it up to him.

I'm so glad that this coming weekend is a long one, I could use the rest.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T07:33:00.000-08:00

Would you believe that on New Year's Eve I bought a new car? Crazy, it was snowing like you wouldn't believe and I went out and bought a new CRV. I have a job where I have to go work no matter what the weather and it makes sense to get something with 4wd. It's a good looking car and pretty comfortable.

Stuart, Monique and I took the new car to Allston for the vegetarian society of Boston's New Year's Day dinner. The food was amazing. We were served family style. Across from me was a guy from Sydney in for business and beside me a much older single guy who had crazy stories of being in the Navy and the h-bomb. It was hilarious.

I also moved into a new office at work this week. It's small but I have a wall of windows which I really love.

So, do I have a resolution...probably the usual, eat less and exercise more. Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-27T05:33:00.000-08:00

We had the best gift this year: we received notice on x mas eve that Stuart passed his PE. Yippie! Tonight we're going to Unwined in Manchester to celebrate.

We had a quiet holiday. We went to visit Grammie at the rest home and I made dinner (tofurky). I spoke with my mom, sister, and dad.

Stuart bought a new camera (cannon powershot a470) for me so I'm happily snapping lots of photos again. There is a lot to learn and the manual is on disk....so it means I'll probably learn through trial and error!

Although we've had lots of bad weather, we don' t have enough snow to enjoy the snow shoes that I bought for Stuart for xmas. I already have a pair that I've only won a few times. So, off to the gym today to get our exercise.

Tomorrow we're taking Fideaux to dog school to show off his box of tricks.

Ice Storms

2008-12-14T09:26:00.000-08:00

We had an ice storm this week and lost our power for one day. We were lucky as it seems many are still without power. Yesterday, we went to the gym and the line to shower was quite long. I feel pretty lucky that we had hot water all along, just no lights or heat.
We had a home inspection this week. Dan has been a naughty boy. It didn't bode well for him. We haven't sent it along to the bank yet. There were many issues and some that I was aware of, like a firewall that seems only for show.

I sent out a christmas newsletter via email. I hope that people aren't disappointed. I'm trying to reduce my carbon footprint. Millions of cards in the mail cannot be a good thing for the planet.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T09:15:00.000-08:00

I hate to admit it but this year we tried a tofurky and guess what? It was good. I never expected that. We had it with roasted veggies and used the recipe for gravy on the package. Viola! Very easy and quite tasty.

It's been wonderful to have a long weekend. I feel like I'm getting caught up on stuff around the house. We've had time to go to the gym and we've relaxed. It's been so nice. Fideaux has even had a few outings. Which he loves!

I'm thinking about what to do for Christmas and thinking about getting holiday cards out in the mail. I'm very conflicted about the greenness of sending out cards. I did buy a few but hope to email my greetings to cut down on my "footprint" of Christmas.

A weekend in Tennessee

2008-11-19T15:03:00.001-08:00

Went to visit the family in Tennessee this weekend. What a crazy time. We missed our flight. I lost my wallet (which I got back) and then lost my camera. We didn't get home until 3 am on Monday and both had to go to work the next day because we have new jobs and no vacation time. It's very sad.

Anyway, despite all the craziness we had a wonderful time. Monique went with us. She's a great traveler. Very laid back. That's good.

Everyone got to meet Stuart and he got to meet everyone. He wanted to take Jayden home with us. I didn't ask because I'm sure they would have said no.

It was very cold and damp there and we came home to more cold weather, not damp, just windy. As much as we enjoyed our trip, it's always good to return home.

Change is in the Air

2008-11-11T05:29:00.000-08:00

I am so pleased about the election results. It's wonderful to watch the changing of the guards. The real challenge is waiting for change to occur, it took so long to get this messed up, we cannot expect change overnight. In the meantime, when I receive statements for my retirement accounts, it's hard to stay optimistic.

Stuart and I have been working on fixing the skirt of our tub. The contractor did a pathetic job installing it. I can't believe how terrible it looked. We're fixing it ourselves. Already it looks better and we haven't done the final installation. Our chore for this Veteran's Day holiday.

I'm also rallying the troops at our association to post the land. On Saturday, we looked out or window to see a man in camo walking by with a gun. How crazy is that? It's more than a little unsettling.

Elections!

2008-11-02T09:01:00.000-08:00

Two more days to go and I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for this man to change history! I think he can do it.

We're taking Fideaux to tricks school. He's a natural at some and not at others. He's crashed on the couch right now. I hope that we can take him on a walk, through the woods today. He just loves that. I love it too. So much better than the gym.

Yesterday we went to the vegetarian fest in Boston and then to Lush at Harvard Square. It was such a beautiful day outside. We enjoyed it very much.

Cool fall days

2008-10-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

It's getting colder every day. It's beautiful mid-day but in the morning, yikes. I have to bundle up to take the puppy out for a walk. And, he doesn't want to walk too far. Who could blame him?

Stuart and I started to lay down river rocks in the back yard this weekend. It's slow going, I feel like I have to place each and every rock. It will look nice and you can see the variety of colors we have. I keep thinking, no more yard work but I think we're addicted. I also planted bulbs so will sit-back and wait to see what comes up. I mixed the daffodils in with the tulips. Who knows how it will look, hopefully gorgeous.

We had friends over to dinner last week. It was so much fun. I had officiated that their wedding and it was so cool to see the photos and video.

My BF has been in town. She left yesterday. I miss her already. I don't know when we'll see each other again.

I'm making a yummy pot of soup which should last most of the week. Stuart starts a new job on Friday and have promised him a batch of cookies to take to work on his last day.

Autumn & Petsmart

2008-10-12T07:22:00.000-07:00

It's finally fall, the weather has been gorgeous. We're getting ready for the winter. Last weekend we mulched the yard. I thought it would take days accomplish, instead it took about two hours. It looks so nice, today I'm hoping to plant bulbs for a spring showing.

Last weekend we intended to go to Tennessee but between work for Stuart and me, Stuart's exam, Linda's visit and Dad's visit, we postponed the trip for a month. It's much better this way as well be able to enjoy the visit and not just fit it in.

Twenty-three days until the election. I cannot wait until it's over, I feel like we're walking on egg shells. Will we suffer another four years of the same economy that we've suffered for the past eight years? One can only hope that the tide will change and we can have hope instead of more of the same.

Took Fideaux yesterday for a grooming at Petsmart. They offered a deal to me and it turned out it wasn't the deal I was expecting...instead of getting a grooming for $16, it was an additional $16. I was miffed. They didn't explain it that way, when I mentioned it to one of their managers, I could tell that he just didn't care. I noticed the small print after I picked up the dog. Buyer beware at petsmart!

Another Rainy Day

2008-09-28T07:08:00.000-07:00

My father and Kathy are in town, it's been years since they've been here and it is nice to see them. Luckily, We've seen them a few times this year with the wedding and the trip to Colorado this summer. We went to dinner at the Weathervane it was a little bit of a challenge for Stuart and me. We had baked potatoes, salad, and fried mushrooms. It was pretty good. I had made cookies before we left and heated a peach pie from Sustys. It was a nice visit, my sister & Claire also came over. This was everyone's first visit to the house.

I didn't have any plants to put in however, we did want to mulch. We'll have to save this chore for another time. I also bought a bunch of bulbs last weekend and should attempt to get them in before too much time passes.

We took Fideaux to practice agility on Friday. He just loves it. Mary canceled the class this coming week because two of the dogs can't make it. The other dog also loves agility, the third dog, a sheppard slows the class down and his family is not so much fun. Hopefully they won't take the next level.

My BF Linda is coming into town this week. I'm can't wait!