A whole lotta nuthin'
Which is what I've been doing. Well, actually that isn't exactly true. I've been ferrying Youngest Daughter back and forth to Shakespeare Camp, cooking, and reading. Today I read The Red Tent for the first time, start to finish. Yesterday I read a book about Margaret of Ashbury that Eldest Daughter lent me (forgot the title). I'm three quarters of the way through The Tipping Point.
Have I even cracked open the textbooks I brought with me, or started working on syllabi and lectures, or looked at the XML article file? Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnope.
Youngest Daughter bought a Venus flytrap Saturday, and it's had no luck finding or trapping any food so far. We may have to go find it some bugs soon.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Monday, July 24, 2006
Blogging while waiting for clothes to dry
We are doing laundry late at night because Best Friend's cleaning lady is coming tomorrow and we all need to get out of the house and out of her way so she can do her cleaning thing. And because we have no clean clothing. Good enough reasons.
Went to see Lady in the Water with Old College Friend, Niece (OCF's daughter) and Youngest Daughter. It was okay. Not as horrible as the reviews indicated, and WAY better than Pirates. Quite a departure for Shyamalan from his usual. We argued back and forth all the way home over whether he should have based the story in a known fairy tale instead of making one up. The critic part was quite funny.
Youngest Daughter's first day at Shakespeare Camp was quite enjoyable, and she has been given the part of Feste (they are doing Twelfth Night).
If today is any indication of how much work I am going to get done on the XML and CUSUM papers, well....there won't be any updated page numbers for those babies for the forseeable future.
We are doing laundry late at night because Best Friend's cleaning lady is coming tomorrow and we all need to get out of the house and out of her way so she can do her cleaning thing. And because we have no clean clothing. Good enough reasons.
Went to see Lady in the Water with Old College Friend, Niece (OCF's daughter) and Youngest Daughter. It was okay. Not as horrible as the reviews indicated, and WAY better than Pirates. Quite a departure for Shyamalan from his usual. We argued back and forth all the way home over whether he should have based the story in a known fairy tale instead of making one up. The critic part was quite funny.
Youngest Daughter's first day at Shakespeare Camp was quite enjoyable, and she has been given the part of Feste (they are doing Twelfth Night).
If today is any indication of how much work I am going to get done on the XML and CUSUM papers, well....there won't be any updated page numbers for those babies for the forseeable future.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
It's done
Not that I feel good about it, though. SR Lady, who was wildly enthusiastic last week, seems much less so this week and even suggested I not submit this year (she thought there was a lot to do yet and time was short). Adviser said it was fine and not to change a thing, then talked about next year's proposal. Oh well. It's being submitted this morning and then I can focus on other stuff.
I submitted the ASEE paper yesterday, so THAT is out of the way. Now it's time to work on the XML and CUSUM papers. I'll concentrate on them for the next two weeks and after that start getting lectures ready for fall.
Youngest daughter called and said it was 109 degrees at camp yesterday. She can't eat because it's so hot, and they don't seem to be scaling back on activities so at least one girl had to be taken to the hospital with heat exhaustion. The good news is that the weather there is supposed to be "only" in the 80's for the rest of the week. I hope so!
Today I get everything ready for the trip to Williamsburg. I'm going to uni town tomorrow for meetings and then staying there overnight to give me a hour's head start on the trip to pick up Y.D. at camp on Friday. I need to pack her school books, charge up the portable DVD player, do laundry, etc., etc. A most welcome break from writing proposals!
Not that I feel good about it, though. SR Lady, who was wildly enthusiastic last week, seems much less so this week and even suggested I not submit this year (she thought there was a lot to do yet and time was short). Adviser said it was fine and not to change a thing, then talked about next year's proposal. Oh well. It's being submitted this morning and then I can focus on other stuff.
I submitted the ASEE paper yesterday, so THAT is out of the way. Now it's time to work on the XML and CUSUM papers. I'll concentrate on them for the next two weeks and after that start getting lectures ready for fall.
Youngest daughter called and said it was 109 degrees at camp yesterday. She can't eat because it's so hot, and they don't seem to be scaling back on activities so at least one girl had to be taken to the hospital with heat exhaustion. The good news is that the weather there is supposed to be "only" in the 80's for the rest of the week. I hope so!
Today I get everything ready for the trip to Williamsburg. I'm going to uni town tomorrow for meetings and then staying there overnight to give me a hour's head start on the trip to pick up Y.D. at camp on Friday. I need to pack her school books, charge up the portable DVD player, do laundry, etc., etc. A most welcome break from writing proposals!
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
My CAREER proposal is stinky
And the only thing it will excite is scorn and derision. Nonetheless, I persevere and will submit it today, as soon as I finish some small revisions.
On a non-CAREER note, I don't understand two things: One, how come the tops to empty pop bottles are SO HARD to throw in the garbage, and Two, how my family can ignore the absolutely filthy bathroom sink and tub. Maybe it's because I wear contacts, and dropping one in that sink is an eye infection just waiting to happen, but dirty sinks just make me nuts.
And the only thing it will excite is scorn and derision. Nonetheless, I persevere and will submit it today, as soon as I finish some small revisions.
On a non-CAREER note, I don't understand two things: One, how come the tops to empty pop bottles are SO HARD to throw in the garbage, and Two, how my family can ignore the absolutely filthy bathroom sink and tub. Maybe it's because I wear contacts, and dropping one in that sink is an eye infection just waiting to happen, but dirty sinks just make me nuts.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Heading home again
It's Monday. Youngest Daughter's camp starts today, so we will leave Eldest Daughter's place in about an hour or so and head to camp, then home.
I got up to see E.D. off to work this morning, and then went into the bathroom and cried. I hate that, because I am not by nature a crying person. But I miss her horribly and although I know that life does this--untwines the paths of mother and child, sends that precious soul off in an entirely different direction, that doesn't mean it doesn't feel absolutely awful not to have her close enough to see and hug as often as I'd like. I never was the kind of mother who felt tied down by her children. I knew this was coming and believe me, I tried to slow it down. Just for the record, bricks on the head do NOT stop kids from growing up. Darn. (Fortunately, they don't flatten the head either) And double darn that we are just another Rust Belt statistic, a family separated because of the lack of job opportunities for our kids.
Triple darn that now I'm going to have a headache.
Anyway, I'll dry my tears and wash her dishes for her as a present for putting up with us for three days, wake up her two siblings, and get on the road. Then tonight, finish CAREER, trying to communicate in the broader impacts section that part of the reason I want to do this project is to prevent some other mom from experiencing this same grief. If I can help just one company succeed and begin to generate jobs, that will make me feel a tiny bit better.
It's Monday. Youngest Daughter's camp starts today, so we will leave Eldest Daughter's place in about an hour or so and head to camp, then home.
I got up to see E.D. off to work this morning, and then went into the bathroom and cried. I hate that, because I am not by nature a crying person. But I miss her horribly and although I know that life does this--untwines the paths of mother and child, sends that precious soul off in an entirely different direction, that doesn't mean it doesn't feel absolutely awful not to have her close enough to see and hug as often as I'd like. I never was the kind of mother who felt tied down by her children. I knew this was coming and believe me, I tried to slow it down. Just for the record, bricks on the head do NOT stop kids from growing up. Darn. (Fortunately, they don't flatten the head either) And double darn that we are just another Rust Belt statistic, a family separated because of the lack of job opportunities for our kids.
Triple darn that now I'm going to have a headache.
Anyway, I'll dry my tears and wash her dishes for her as a present for putting up with us for three days, wake up her two siblings, and get on the road. Then tonight, finish CAREER, trying to communicate in the broader impacts section that part of the reason I want to do this project is to prevent some other mom from experiencing this same grief. If I can help just one company succeed and begin to generate jobs, that will make me feel a tiny bit better.
Friday, July 14, 2006
ASEE is done!
Sent off to the co-author a few minutes ago. Whew. Now it's time for bed, because tomorrow morning (well, technically it's already tomorrow) we hop in the car for a Road Trip east to see Eldest Daughter. I haven't seen her since June 2nd!
On the not-about-me front, I'm worried about my friend's family in Haifa.
Sent off to the co-author a few minutes ago. Whew. Now it's time for bed, because tomorrow morning (well, technically it's already tomorrow) we hop in the car for a Road Trip east to see Eldest Daughter. I haven't seen her since June 2nd!
On the not-about-me front, I'm worried about my friend's family in Haifa.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Make it stop, please!
Ugh. While I appreciate that other people are taking time to read and review my CAREER proposal, and so far the one response I've gotten is very positive, I am cringing at the thought of having to make revisions to this thing. The comments are right on, exactly what was keeping me awake last night, but gack, I wish this was done and over and out of my hair.
Bleah.
Ugh. While I appreciate that other people are taking time to read and review my CAREER proposal, and so far the one response I've gotten is very positive, I am cringing at the thought of having to make revisions to this thing. The comments are right on, exactly what was keeping me awake last night, but gack, I wish this was done and over and out of my hair.
Bleah.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
First draft of CAREER done
I still have to format the references, but it's finished, at least until I get comments from my dissertation adviser and the ninety other people reading it. My director wrote a marvelous letter and said VERY nice things about me. The budget is done, the papers are signed--so the only thing left is the list of references and any revisions that need to be made.
And I am exhausted, but I need to work on the ASEE paper. Friday I leave to visit Eldest Daughter, and we won't be back until Monday; the paper is due Wednesday, so I won't have much time to work on it. No rest for the weary!
I still have to format the references, but it's finished, at least until I get comments from my dissertation adviser and the ninety other people reading it. My director wrote a marvelous letter and said VERY nice things about me. The budget is done, the papers are signed--so the only thing left is the list of references and any revisions that need to be made.
And I am exhausted, but I need to work on the ASEE paper. Friday I leave to visit Eldest Daughter, and we won't be back until Monday; the paper is due Wednesday, so I won't have much time to work on it. No rest for the weary!
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Monday, July 10, 2006
Sunday, July 09, 2006
CAREER? Still plodding
And plodding is the right word. Although I am starting to write bits of it in my head when I'm not near the computer, like in the car or eating breakfast. That's good, because it means I'm about to ramp up from plodding to...doublequick plodding! Yay!
Today is church, then afterwards my dual writing thing--work on CAREER until I get stuck, work on ASEE until I get frustrated, go back to CAREER, etc. But mostly on CAREER, since Sponsored Research Lady wants a draft by Wednesday. Both ASEE and CAREER are due on the 19th, but I have more wiggle room with ASEE since there's only one other person involved and not the whole doggone campus. Do I want the VP of Research to read my CAREER proposal? Uh, NO! But I have no choice there, it's going to get sent 'round to all and sundry. GACK.
Watched the Replacements last night while I plodded on CAREER. It's a fun movie and very nicely "replaced" the ick of Pirates from my mind. My favorite scenes are Clifford Franklin's first catch (augmented with tons of Stickum), the jail scene, and the first play Shane runs against Dallas (mostly because as a football fan I *despise* the Dallas Cowboys, so any time a Dallas football team gets the snot kicked out of it, I'm happy). Maybe I will write to Miracle tonight, because I need to get "in the zone".
Time to get ready for church now.
And plodding is the right word. Although I am starting to write bits of it in my head when I'm not near the computer, like in the car or eating breakfast. That's good, because it means I'm about to ramp up from plodding to...doublequick plodding! Yay!
Today is church, then afterwards my dual writing thing--work on CAREER until I get stuck, work on ASEE until I get frustrated, go back to CAREER, etc. But mostly on CAREER, since Sponsored Research Lady wants a draft by Wednesday. Both ASEE and CAREER are due on the 19th, but I have more wiggle room with ASEE since there's only one other person involved and not the whole doggone campus. Do I want the VP of Research to read my CAREER proposal? Uh, NO! But I have no choice there, it's going to get sent 'round to all and sundry. GACK.
Watched the Replacements last night while I plodded on CAREER. It's a fun movie and very nicely "replaced" the ick of Pirates from my mind. My favorite scenes are Clifford Franklin's first catch (augmented with tons of Stickum), the jail scene, and the first play Shane runs against Dallas (mostly because as a football fan I *despise* the Dallas Cowboys, so any time a Dallas football team gets the snot kicked out of it, I'm happy). Maybe I will write to Miracle tonight, because I need to get "in the zone".
Time to get ready for church now.
Friday, July 07, 2006
How bad was Pirates of the Caribbean?
So bad that I would rather have stayed home and worked on my CAREER proposal! Oh man, that was what we call a "fanny numb-er" and just too awful for words.
Ick, ick, ick. It was so bad I feel the need to watch something wholesome to clear my mind. Wish I had a copy of "Funny Farm" but "Miracle" may have to do.
So, what's new---looked at a condo in uni town Wednesday before meeting with the Sponsored Research Lady and going to Youngest Daughter's skating lessons. I think I will take it. It's got two bedrooms, comes with a washer and dryer, is VERY private, and only 10 minutes from school. They will allow the kitties to come with us, when I pony up enough money to cover potential damages. I'm going to fill out the paperwork tomorrow and take it to the real estate office on Monday.
That means a place to crash in town, although I won't have much in the way of furniture and will most likely be sleeping on an air bed. But I've done that before, and it's not such a bad thing. I'll save on gas, tolls, wear and tear on the car, and mostly on time. That will be nice.
Okay, back to CAREERing although I may declare this day a wash and just read. I picked up a paperback copy of Stone's The Agony and the Ecstasy, which I haven't read since high school. I'm just at the part where Michelangelo begins to work in stone.
Oh, and I bought Eldest Daughter her birthday present, early--an Empire Red KitchenAid mixer. She needs a heavy duty mixer to make her gluten free breads, and being able to do that will save her lots of money, since storebought GF breads are VERY expensive. I hope it comes soon! She is very excited. :-)
So bad that I would rather have stayed home and worked on my CAREER proposal! Oh man, that was what we call a "fanny numb-er" and just too awful for words.
Ick, ick, ick. It was so bad I feel the need to watch something wholesome to clear my mind. Wish I had a copy of "Funny Farm" but "Miracle" may have to do.
So, what's new---looked at a condo in uni town Wednesday before meeting with the Sponsored Research Lady and going to Youngest Daughter's skating lessons. I think I will take it. It's got two bedrooms, comes with a washer and dryer, is VERY private, and only 10 minutes from school. They will allow the kitties to come with us, when I pony up enough money to cover potential damages. I'm going to fill out the paperwork tomorrow and take it to the real estate office on Monday.
That means a place to crash in town, although I won't have much in the way of furniture and will most likely be sleeping on an air bed. But I've done that before, and it's not such a bad thing. I'll save on gas, tolls, wear and tear on the car, and mostly on time. That will be nice.
Okay, back to CAREERing although I may declare this day a wash and just read. I picked up a paperback copy of Stone's The Agony and the Ecstasy, which I haven't read since high school. I'm just at the part where Michelangelo begins to work in stone.
Oh, and I bought Eldest Daughter her birthday present, early--an Empire Red KitchenAid mixer. She needs a heavy duty mixer to make her gluten free breads, and being able to do that will save her lots of money, since storebought GF breads are VERY expensive. I hope it comes soon! She is very excited. :-)
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Saturday, July 01, 2006
CAREER, CAREER, CAREER
And nothing but CAREER....well, except for a bit of ASEE revisions (down to 28 slides!) in between scratching my head trying to figure out what to say in the proposal.
The other day I bought some new scar medicine--silicone patches that are supposed to reduce the size of the scar. I don't know how well they will work, but it sure FEELS a lot better. Probably because it's covered and doesn't get irritated by my shirt or the air or anything. Definitely these things will be handy when I wear something that isn't open-necked, because then the inevitable seam that rubs right across the scar won't bug me.
The other irritant is my right skate. I have recreational skates, and there's a rivet or something that is poking into the ball of my foot. I need a piece of hard plastic or something to cover that area. Or I could break down and use the pair of men's figure skates hanging in the basement. They're not sharpened, and they're black, but hey-they work. We'll see. I did buy an extra warranty with the skates but can I find it? OF COURSE NOT! But if I do, I can take them back to Dick's and get another pair.
Can't wait for the Fourth and fireworks. I love fireworks, especially the Big Kabooming Ones. That's the percussionist in me :-)
Sigh, back to work now. At least, until DISCOVERY takes off!
And nothing but CAREER....well, except for a bit of ASEE revisions (down to 28 slides!) in between scratching my head trying to figure out what to say in the proposal.
The other day I bought some new scar medicine--silicone patches that are supposed to reduce the size of the scar. I don't know how well they will work, but it sure FEELS a lot better. Probably because it's covered and doesn't get irritated by my shirt or the air or anything. Definitely these things will be handy when I wear something that isn't open-necked, because then the inevitable seam that rubs right across the scar won't bug me.
The other irritant is my right skate. I have recreational skates, and there's a rivet or something that is poking into the ball of my foot. I need a piece of hard plastic or something to cover that area. Or I could break down and use the pair of men's figure skates hanging in the basement. They're not sharpened, and they're black, but hey-they work. We'll see. I did buy an extra warranty with the skates but can I find it? OF COURSE NOT! But if I do, I can take them back to Dick's and get another pair.
Can't wait for the Fourth and fireworks. I love fireworks, especially the Big Kabooming Ones. That's the percussionist in me :-)
Sigh, back to work now. At least, until DISCOVERY takes off!
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