Things have been very busy, and I'm really starting to wonder if it's actually possible to finish everything I have to do this semester. I feel like students always say this sort of thing around this time in the semester, but I really do think I've got more on my plate this time than I ever have before. I have a test in a couple of hours (which I should be studying for), but I needed a little break, so I thought I'd write a quick update.
Last week, Mark was at PASIC. He's been so busy since he got back that I haven't really heard that much about it, but I do know that he had a good time. He was able to talk to most of the professors from the schools he's applying to, and it sounds like after talking to them he felt a little less pressure about the pre-screening DVDs that he's working on. He also got to see people from UNM and hang out with friends from here. Now that he's home, he's working on finishing up the DVDs and applications so he can mail them off by Monday. He's also got 3 concerts with SASO this weekend, which I won't be able to see because they aren't providing any comp tickets.
I've been plugging away at my final projects, and one of my papers is almost done. The other two--not even close. One is due at the very end of the semester, and is a manageable project, so I don't feel too worried about it. But the other, well, I think I'm in over my head. My current goal is to get as much work done on it as possible before Thanksgiving so that I can (hopefully) finish it the following week. The other problem is that I'll have papers to grade then, too, so I'll be extra busy.
One thing I've been thankful for this semester is that I've been able to spend less time on my prep for teaching. I always have a plan for what we'll do, but it's taking less time to figure that out. If I were spending as much time on teaching this semester as I did last fall, I would never get all my assignments done! So, at least I feel like my teaching is working out okay.
It's almost impossible for me to believe that Thanksgiving is a week from today. I am looking forward to seeing family again, but I know this year will be hard for everyone. I'm also afraid of not being able to do any school work over the weekend, so I'm trying to be extra-productive over the next few days. I really need to keep reminding myself that I can't rely on my own strength, but I need to depend on Christ to carry me through...I know I can count on His faithfulness, I just need to keep that in focus and not get so weighed down by everything else.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
A day off! (well, not really...)
In honor of veteran's day, we had no classes today. Usually, I teach on Wednesdays from 9-11, so this gave me a break from preparing for class and teaching, which is nice; but, I still have a ton of work to do. I did sleep a little later than usual, and I worked in my pjs all morning, but I do still wish I could have really taken the day off. I don't know what I'd do with a whole day off; probably watch movies all day. I don't mean to sound shallow here--I know today is about honoring those who serve and protect our country, so I do also recognize their service and feel very thankful for it. Practically, though, for me, today's holiday means I get to work from home instead of spending the day working at school. I have already realized that, as usual, there are more things on my to do list than I can possibly get done. My primary goal is to write the first draft of one of my final papers, which would be a huge help to me (giving me the chance to focus on the other two!). Here's hoping I can pull it off. I've been taking detailed notes as I've done all the reading, so that should make the first draft quicker and easier to put together.
I should also mention that Mark is off at PASIC now--he left town yesterday, and today is the first day of the convention. He always has a great time (and wears himself out!) at this event, so I hope this year is no different. He worked really hard last weekend on his audition recordings, so he has the majority of that done, and just a couple more things to record when he gets home next week. Mark being at PASIC again has reminded me of Pop-Pop, who was always really supportive of Mark's going. I know he would be glad to know that Mark is there again this year.
I should also mention that Mark is off at PASIC now--he left town yesterday, and today is the first day of the convention. He always has a great time (and wears himself out!) at this event, so I hope this year is no different. He worked really hard last weekend on his audition recordings, so he has the majority of that done, and just a couple more things to record when he gets home next week. Mark being at PASIC again has reminded me of Pop-Pop, who was always really supportive of Mark's going. I know he would be glad to know that Mark is there again this year.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
November already!
Oh, how quickly things change. When I posted a week ago, we were having some unusually cold weather. Yesterday, we broke the record high set in the 1930s when we hit 92 degrees. The temperature changes have been pretty dramatic!
What hasn't changed is that we're still pretty busy. I'm excited to report that I did manage to get the essays graded and returned on Friday, which has allowed me to focus more this week on my own work as a student. We're also watching a movie in class, so my prep time is reduced, too. I've been pleased to see that the students are enjoying it (their Journals about it were great). I spent a lot of time screening possible films to show, and wasn't totally satisfied with my choice. But, so far so good! We'll see how our discussion goes on Friday when we finish it and how well they use the film in their essays.
I've been working hard on my three major final projects/papers, and I finally feel like I'm making progress. I'm trying to decide now if it makes more sense to try and do a little bit of work on each project each day, or if I should focus on one project each day. Maybe I'll experiment. Thankfully, I am really interested in two of these projects; the third, I'm having a harder time with. At least I have all my topics going and the library research in full swing. I may find that I'm in over my head, though, on part of the third one. I guess I'll find out! I hope to finish at least one paper before Thanksgiving.
Mark has also been very busy. He's had concerts each of the last three weekends (one with SASO, one with the Sierra Vista Symphony, and one with UA's marimba band). He's also working hard on preparing DVDs to send with his applications for doctoral programs. The deadline turned out to be earlier than he thought (December 1!), so he's a little stressed about it. But, I've learned that he is always able to pull things together in time, and he sure has been spending a lot of time practicing, so I know he'll make it happen! He's also getting ready to head to Indianapolis for PASIC next week. He always enjoys the convention, and he'll also have the chance to talk to the professors at the schools he's applying to. While he's gone, I'm going to drive up to Phoenix and spend Friday night with my great aunt and uncle there. It should be a nice break for me (I hope I can get ahead enough to actually take the day off!).
It's really hard to believe that it's November already, but I've realized that not believing it doesn't make it any less true! We've both got our work cut out for us, but it seems like what needs to get done always gets done. Here's hoping!
What hasn't changed is that we're still pretty busy. I'm excited to report that I did manage to get the essays graded and returned on Friday, which has allowed me to focus more this week on my own work as a student. We're also watching a movie in class, so my prep time is reduced, too. I've been pleased to see that the students are enjoying it (their Journals about it were great). I spent a lot of time screening possible films to show, and wasn't totally satisfied with my choice. But, so far so good! We'll see how our discussion goes on Friday when we finish it and how well they use the film in their essays.
I've been working hard on my three major final projects/papers, and I finally feel like I'm making progress. I'm trying to decide now if it makes more sense to try and do a little bit of work on each project each day, or if I should focus on one project each day. Maybe I'll experiment. Thankfully, I am really interested in two of these projects; the third, I'm having a harder time with. At least I have all my topics going and the library research in full swing. I may find that I'm in over my head, though, on part of the third one. I guess I'll find out! I hope to finish at least one paper before Thanksgiving.
Mark has also been very busy. He's had concerts each of the last three weekends (one with SASO, one with the Sierra Vista Symphony, and one with UA's marimba band). He's also working hard on preparing DVDs to send with his applications for doctoral programs. The deadline turned out to be earlier than he thought (December 1!), so he's a little stressed about it. But, I've learned that he is always able to pull things together in time, and he sure has been spending a lot of time practicing, so I know he'll make it happen! He's also getting ready to head to Indianapolis for PASIC next week. He always enjoys the convention, and he'll also have the chance to talk to the professors at the schools he's applying to. While he's gone, I'm going to drive up to Phoenix and spend Friday night with my great aunt and uncle there. It should be a nice break for me (I hope I can get ahead enough to actually take the day off!).
It's really hard to believe that it's November already, but I've realized that not believing it doesn't make it any less true! We've both got our work cut out for us, but it seems like what needs to get done always gets done. Here's hoping!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Grading, grading, grading!
Sometimes it seems like the grading will never end! Well, I'm actually almost there. Even though I collected essays on Wednesday of last week, I didn't make time to start grading until Saturday (which is very unusual--I like to get started and finished as quickly as possible, but that's just how it went last week). I also only got through a few over the weekend, which has left me with a lot of grading to do this week! My goal is to return them on Friday, and while I didn't think I'd make it at first, I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel (that's after two days of grading more than 10 essays, which is pretty exhausting)! I wish that I could take a break after I finish grading; but, unfortunately, there's no chance of that. In order to get the grading done, I've set everything else aside, so there's lots to do. In particular, I've got to work on final projects. I haven't even settled on a topic for one final paper yet, so that's got to happen this weekend. Oh, I should probably also mention that I got my test back yesterday, and I was very happy ( and a little surprised!) with the grade. As it turned out, the answer I came up with about the question I struggled with was the right one! (Which made me feel thankful that I didn't keep working on it for another hour.)
In other news, we had our Tuesday night Bible study group at our place for dessert last night. I think it went well. I've often thought it's silly how many people we had over to our last apartment (which was so horrible!) and how few we've had over here. So, I was glad to be able to have our group meet at our apartment. Maybe we'll do that again sometime. I made Special K cookies (Mark's family's recipe), pumpkin chocolate chip bread (my mom's recipe), and pumpkin pie (from the Libby's can). I've never actually made a pumpkin pie before, and this was also my first attempt at pie crust. I used my mom's recipe (actually, it's from one of her friends), and I think it turned out pretty well. It didn't look good (the edges were kind of rough), but it tasted right! The middle was a little under-cooked, but still quite edible. I'll be having a slice from the leftovers later!
The only other thing I can think of to mention is that we've had a major cold snap here. I know it's probably been snowing where some of you are, and, of course, there was no snow here, but it was 30 degrees cooler today than it was yesterday. In fact, Tucson hasn't had a day this cool in October since the 1970s! We didn't even hit 60 today. Tomorrow's supposed to be cold, too. I'm enjoying the change, but the wind today was frigid! I don't think I'll mind when we're back up to the mid-80s this weekend (although Mark will be disappointed!).
In other news, we had our Tuesday night Bible study group at our place for dessert last night. I think it went well. I've often thought it's silly how many people we had over to our last apartment (which was so horrible!) and how few we've had over here. So, I was glad to be able to have our group meet at our apartment. Maybe we'll do that again sometime. I made Special K cookies (Mark's family's recipe), pumpkin chocolate chip bread (my mom's recipe), and pumpkin pie (from the Libby's can). I've never actually made a pumpkin pie before, and this was also my first attempt at pie crust. I used my mom's recipe (actually, it's from one of her friends), and I think it turned out pretty well. It didn't look good (the edges were kind of rough), but it tasted right! The middle was a little under-cooked, but still quite edible. I'll be having a slice from the leftovers later!
The only other thing I can think of to mention is that we've had a major cold snap here. I know it's probably been snowing where some of you are, and, of course, there was no snow here, but it was 30 degrees cooler today than it was yesterday. In fact, Tucson hasn't had a day this cool in October since the 1970s! We didn't even hit 60 today. Tomorrow's supposed to be cold, too. I'm enjoying the change, but the wind today was frigid! I don't think I'll mind when we're back up to the mid-80s this weekend (although Mark will be disappointed!).
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Mexico Pictures
As promised, here are some pictures from Chihuahua! Here, I've only posted ones with me in them, but my friend that took the photos posted all of them on facebook (for those of you who want to see more scenery and stuff).
Here we are with the rental car:
The next few were taken during my presentation:
Notice the cool school logo in the background (and ignore the weird look on my face!):
Here I am at the end--you can see I'm relieved!
This is the coordinator, presenting me with a certificate. They gave us a cool mug, too, but part of the picture peeled off when I put it in the dishwasher... :-(
A picture of the poster for the conference--this was all over the place!
And, a couple of photos from our sight-seeing (if you look closely, you can see me in the top one):
So, there's some pictures from the trip...almost like you were there!
Here we are with the rental car:
The next few were taken during my presentation:
Notice the cool school logo in the background (and ignore the weird look on my face!):
Here I am at the end--you can see I'm relieved!
This is the coordinator, presenting me with a certificate. They gave us a cool mug, too, but part of the picture peeled off when I put it in the dishwasher... :-(
A picture of the poster for the conference--this was all over the place!
And, a couple of photos from our sight-seeing (if you look closely, you can see me in the top one):
So, there's some pictures from the trip...almost like you were there!
Today, I collected the second essay from my students and completed the first take home exam for Dr. Troike. Tomorrow, I have a presentation in my other class (but I'm not really nervous about it; we're all friends!). I think I need to start getting some serious work done on my final projects--the end of the semester will be pretty intense.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Finally Catching Up
It's been a while since I've posted an update, so here goes.
I'm finally starting to get caught up with school and teaching. My studying for the SLA theory exam paid off--I only missed one point! (I really didn't expect to do that well, but I was thrilled!). I've also managed to stay caught up on the readings for that class, but I have a presentation to prepare for next week and the week after. I'm sure it'll come together. I've mostly caught up with the readings for Dr. Troike, which is good because we've got a test in his class on Tuesday. It's a take-home test, but I'm hoping to be well-prepared so I don't have to spend every waking hour on it. We'll see how that goes...
What's really incredible is that the semester is already halfway over. I've got to get serious about my final projects (I've done a fair amount of work on one, but I have almost no idea what to do for the other two). Today, I decided what classes I'll be taking in the spring and submitted my teaching availability form. It's so hard to believe it's that time of the year already. (It's also hard to believe I'm just two classes away from having an MA!)
As far as teaching goes, I did finish grading papers, and I returned them last Monday. My students were a little disappointed, but no one argued with me about the grades, which was nice. I did let them rewrite to earn up to 10 points back. The rewrites have been graded, too, so now I have a week off before collecting the next essay. Thankfully, essay 2 has a personal element, which makes them much more fun to read!
Finally, the trip to Chihuahua was good. Things were a little rough on Wednesday; we spent over an hour getting the rental car, discovering that I was too young to help drive, and started hearing a disturbing break noise once we arrived. It all worked out okay (we got our break pads replaced and the rental company took the cost off of our bill), but it was a rough start. Other than those glitches, it went pretty well. I was incredibly nervous before the presentation, but it was fine. I made note of a couple things to do differently in the future, but the audience was really attentive and kind. After the conference, we had a really nice lunch with some of the faculty from the University. That evening, Deida (the friend who organized all of this) took us around town. We got to see some cool things (including part of a concert by a famous musician!). I didn't take my camera, but the others did, so I hope to get some pictures from them to post here soon. It was a good experience, and I'm glad I went. But, I'm also glad I'm home and not planning to leave town again for a while!
I'm finally starting to get caught up with school and teaching. My studying for the SLA theory exam paid off--I only missed one point! (I really didn't expect to do that well, but I was thrilled!). I've also managed to stay caught up on the readings for that class, but I have a presentation to prepare for next week and the week after. I'm sure it'll come together. I've mostly caught up with the readings for Dr. Troike, which is good because we've got a test in his class on Tuesday. It's a take-home test, but I'm hoping to be well-prepared so I don't have to spend every waking hour on it. We'll see how that goes...
What's really incredible is that the semester is already halfway over. I've got to get serious about my final projects (I've done a fair amount of work on one, but I have almost no idea what to do for the other two). Today, I decided what classes I'll be taking in the spring and submitted my teaching availability form. It's so hard to believe it's that time of the year already. (It's also hard to believe I'm just two classes away from having an MA!)
As far as teaching goes, I did finish grading papers, and I returned them last Monday. My students were a little disappointed, but no one argued with me about the grades, which was nice. I did let them rewrite to earn up to 10 points back. The rewrites have been graded, too, so now I have a week off before collecting the next essay. Thankfully, essay 2 has a personal element, which makes them much more fun to read!
Finally, the trip to Chihuahua was good. Things were a little rough on Wednesday; we spent over an hour getting the rental car, discovering that I was too young to help drive, and started hearing a disturbing break noise once we arrived. It all worked out okay (we got our break pads replaced and the rental company took the cost off of our bill), but it was a rough start. Other than those glitches, it went pretty well. I was incredibly nervous before the presentation, but it was fine. I made note of a couple things to do differently in the future, but the audience was really attentive and kind. After the conference, we had a really nice lunch with some of the faculty from the University. That evening, Deida (the friend who organized all of this) took us around town. We got to see some cool things (including part of a concert by a famous musician!). I didn't take my camera, but the others did, so I hope to get some pictures from them to post here soon. It was a good experience, and I'm glad I went. But, I'm also glad I'm home and not planning to leave town again for a while!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
One day at a time
I've been putting off updating this blog, partly because I honestly don't know what to say, and partly because I've felt too busy to take the time to figure it out. Obviously, the last weeks have been difficult. The silver lining has been the support we've had from our friends and family in ABQ, Tucson, and elsewhere.
Since we got back in town, I've been struggling to get caught up with school and teaching. Last weekend was devoted almost entirely to studying for my first exam in SLA Theory; since that test, I've put most of my energy into grading papers (which were turned in while I was in ABQ). At this moment, I'm down to the last 6, but then I have to go back through and make the final call on the letter grades. Sometimes I spend too much time deliberating (for example, between a C+ and D-). Ultimately, the difference in point value isn't that much, but the students certainly have different reactions to those two grades (I certainly would!). The grading has been time consuming, and particularly unpleasant because the essays are pretty weak. I guess I'll have to offer some kind of re-write option.
Since I had so much work to catch up on, I really haven't spent much time thinking about anything else. Maybe in some ways, that's made things easier, but I fear it will catch up with me eventually. I'll have to make time to work through my own emotions and to find ways to support Mark as he does the same. Right now, I just feel drained. (But, to be fair, I always feel that way after grading papers, and I've already done 12 today, which may be close to a record.)
The business will continue this week. Once my papers are graded, I'll have a pretty good amount of reading to catch up on for one of my classes. On Wednesday, I'm leaving town to present at that conference in Chihuahua. I'm not nearly as excited about going as I was a month ago; but my teaching advisor encouraged me to go, and because several other people in my classes are going, too, one class I would have missed has been cancelled, and the other professor promised not to cover any new content. So, at least I don't have to worry about falling further behind in class. The details for the trip are really coming together last minute, which I'm not really comfortable with, but I'm trying to go with the flow. It looks like we'll be driving a rental car down (no driver as originally proposed) and staying in a hotel (but we don't know which one). We'll all present on Thursday (mine is first thing in the morning), then drive home Friday. It'll be a long time in the car, but I expect to enjoy the company. I'm also very thankful to be coming home quickly so I can have Saturday and Sunday to do my normal routine and spend some time with Mark.
Anyway, that more or less covers what's going on at this point. It's probably time to get back to work.
Since we got back in town, I've been struggling to get caught up with school and teaching. Last weekend was devoted almost entirely to studying for my first exam in SLA Theory; since that test, I've put most of my energy into grading papers (which were turned in while I was in ABQ). At this moment, I'm down to the last 6, but then I have to go back through and make the final call on the letter grades. Sometimes I spend too much time deliberating (for example, between a C+ and D-). Ultimately, the difference in point value isn't that much, but the students certainly have different reactions to those two grades (I certainly would!). The grading has been time consuming, and particularly unpleasant because the essays are pretty weak. I guess I'll have to offer some kind of re-write option.
Since I had so much work to catch up on, I really haven't spent much time thinking about anything else. Maybe in some ways, that's made things easier, but I fear it will catch up with me eventually. I'll have to make time to work through my own emotions and to find ways to support Mark as he does the same. Right now, I just feel drained. (But, to be fair, I always feel that way after grading papers, and I've already done 12 today, which may be close to a record.)
The business will continue this week. Once my papers are graded, I'll have a pretty good amount of reading to catch up on for one of my classes. On Wednesday, I'm leaving town to present at that conference in Chihuahua. I'm not nearly as excited about going as I was a month ago; but my teaching advisor encouraged me to go, and because several other people in my classes are going, too, one class I would have missed has been cancelled, and the other professor promised not to cover any new content. So, at least I don't have to worry about falling further behind in class. The details for the trip are really coming together last minute, which I'm not really comfortable with, but I'm trying to go with the flow. It looks like we'll be driving a rental car down (no driver as originally proposed) and staying in a hotel (but we don't know which one). We'll all present on Thursday (mine is first thing in the morning), then drive home Friday. It'll be a long time in the car, but I expect to enjoy the company. I'm also very thankful to be coming home quickly so I can have Saturday and Sunday to do my normal routine and spend some time with Mark.
Anyway, that more or less covers what's going on at this point. It's probably time to get back to work.
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