House Limbo

Everyone I know blogs. Though I've never stuck with a journal for more than a few entries, I thought I might try my hand at it again. I started to create a new blog, but decided that there's nothing wrong with picking up the old one and dusting it off.

Brian and I are in house limbo right now. He just took a job in Bossier and has been living with my parents for the past 3 weeks. I've been driving back and forth between Van Buren and Bossier with Molly, taking care of the house and slowly bringing things down.

We can't start looking for new houses in earnest until we sell the old one. We can't sell the old one until the hail damage from the storms in early April is fixed. One of our contractors is flaking out on us and I have no idea when it's all going to actually be finished. I just want it to all be done so that Brian and I can get out of my parent's hair.

Don't get me wrong - they've been amazingly generous in so many ways during this transition. It's just that after living away from family for the last 4 years, constantly being around them is a little taxing.

I've also been talked into doing some summer school teaching for the month of June. I'll be doing GEE remediation several days a week. Fun times... but it's a quick 1000...

Anyways, going to go feed my Sudoku habit and go to sleep.

Let the merriment begin!

Yes that's right... I passed!

By passed I mean that I did well enough in all my classes to progress to the next levels and that I am NOT on academic probation. (Which I had thouroughly expected :-p )

I even survived Advanced Calculus with a C. Now, anyone who knew me in high school would expect me to be freaking out: I've never gotten a C before. The truth is, I've never worked harder in a class, and I've never been prouder of a grade in my life :-)

In other news, Brian and I will be in Bossier Christmas and New Years weekends. I will be there the week between. I hope to see many of my favorite people while I'm there :-D

Take a minute and leave a comment on how your semester went. Have a great break!

Don't read this post if you don't want to here me whine. It's not gonna be interesting or insightfull.



"Why haven't you posted in forever?" I hear you ask. Read on.




I have been busier and more stressed out the last 3 1/2 months than at any other time in my life. I am usually in the math building from 8:00 AM to at least 12:00 AM every day.

In early October, the hour both ways commute finally wore me down to the point that I got an apartment near school. It is tiny and smelly, but it's somewhere to crash. Whoever lived there before my must have smoked like a forest fire, beucase I go to work everyday smelling like I had a pack or two before breakfast. This obviously does not help my allergies any: since I moved in there I've had a nagging cough and have been hacking up some nast for a while. TB anyone?

Because of the apartment, I am able to stay up here until the wee hours of the morning. However, it means that I only see Brian a few days out of the week: usually just the weekends. I hate this, but I must admit that I'm doing better in my classes because of it.

I teach 3 sections of college algebra. I started off teaching only 2, but in the middle of the semester they decided to start a "drop back" class for students who were failing higher level courses like finite, precal and trig. I teach nine hours a week, and usually spend my correspoinging 9 office hours tutoring the high maintainance students from the dropback class. I make fill in the blank notes and lots of supplementary handouts becuase the book we use SUCKS, so I have to spend at least 10 hours per chapter working on that. ( So we've got 30 hours a week for teaching)

I'm taking 10 graduate hours (which is like taking 20 undergrad). I spend pretty much all my weeknights doing homework (30-40 hours?), plus weekends. This would not be so bad if I actually liked math for math's sake...

I chose my major becuase I knew I would be employable, not becuase I particularly enjoy math or becuase I am better at it than I am at other things. I like to teach, and I like to learn, but the kind of stress I am going through is not worth it.

So if, after all my effort, I don't do well enough this semester to pass my classes (Advanced Calculus specifically), it's not gonna break my heart. It will mean that I get to go home and live in my beatiful house instead of a crappy apartment. It will mean that I get to see my husband every day instead of just on the weekends. It will mean that I stop feeling tired and sick all the time becuase I will get enough sleep.

Even after all that if I pass, I'll stay in. I like quitting things less than I like grad school :-p


If you are in grad school, or are considering going (don't go! Runawayrunaway!!!), you MUST read this comic! http://www.phdcomics.com It's all true.

Better late than never...

It's been over two months since my last post. I have no legitimate excuse: I simply haven't made time for blogging. Here is an overview of what I have made time for.

Brian and I closed on our house June 6. I spent the next 4 days transfering all of our stuff (using my parent's truck). The hubby and our good friend Stephen helped move the heavy stuff. I had us completely moved out of the apartment by the 10th (actually getting tan in the process), and spent the next couple weeks unpacking boxes, and packing my bags for Alaska.

I spent most of July in Ketchikan, Alaska with my grandparents. This summer trip has been a family tradition my whole life. This was the first time that Brian got to come, though he could only get off work for a week. I spent twenty wonderful days fishing off my granparents' beach, learning how to cook family favorites, picking wild blueberries, walking downtown with my brother while making fun of tourists, and spending time with my incredible grandparents. I'll blog about them and some trip specifics some time (maybe with some pictures...). They are two of the most interesting people I know. My grandpa's life story is especially amazing.

During the Alaska trip, my wisdom teeth decided that it was time to start coming in. As all but one of them were impacted, that meant that it was time to stop putting off getting them pulled. So, a couple days after I got back, I had them removed. I don't remember much about the next two weeks except for that pain killers are a wonderful thing. Also, because of my relaxed state, I decided to dye a portion of my hair purple: something I've wanted to do for years. I don't think I would have done it if it hadn't been for the meds, so in a way I'm glad I had to get my teeth out.

The most dramatic change in my life in the last four months is my new job. The last few weeks have been, by far, the most stressful I have ever known. I am taking 10 graduate hours (that's equvalent to 20 undergrad hours folks) and teaching 2 sections of modular college algebra. I have to drive an hour each way to school. I leave the house before the sun is up and often get back after it sets- and it is not even Daylight Savings Time yet. ::sigh::

I want to write more about my life as a grad assist: I think you'll find it amusing and possible interesting. So look for more updates soon: I have to have somewhere to vent about the craziness.


"May you life be interesting." (Ancient Chinese Curse) :-p

A useful fault

Just got back from Episode III.

I have discovered that I am often unable to distinguish good acting from bad. This "disability" occationally serves me well. Like tonight...

I LOVED THE MOVIE...

I have always been a fan of the series, and have enjoyed the prequels. I think this was the best one of the latest three by far.

The funny thing is, the music is what gets to me, moves me to tears. When I saw Return of the Jedi for the first time, I cried at Vader's pyre. It was the musical theme, carried over from the rest of the movies. Tonight, when the babies were handed out to their respective parents, there was definately some misting going on. John Williams is truly amazing. The most memorable (if not the best) composer of our time.

Meanwhile, in a galaxy much closer to home...

Brian and I close on our new house on the 6th of June. We don't get to start moving in until the 10th becuase the sellers did a little switcheroo on us, but they are paying back rent so it's ok.

I had my last day of subbing today. I almost cried. I had know idea I was so attatched to the kids or the school, but I was really sad to leave. I hope that I can get a job at UCA after I finish my masters.

Anyway, I am going to head for bed. May the force be with you!

One big burst of blessing

Wow... today was incredible...

This morning, I drove to Fayetteville to meet with my academic advisor for grad school. I left Fort Smith at 8:00, and arrived at the end of the Mapquest directions at 9:20. However, I was not at the University of Arkansas- I ended up at some biochemical engineering company. I went inside to ask for directions: "Hi- I am trying to find the University of Arkansas... and I don't think this is it." The people there gave me some highly detailed directions (engineers) and I arrived on campus at twenty till 10:00. (10:00 being when my appointment was) The problem was, I had no clue where to go, just a name of who I was supposed to meet. A nice girl named Sheena walked me across campus and I arrived at my appointment resonably late. The results of the meeting:

A. I am going to grad school next year
B. I am getting a masters in science and mathematics
C. University of Arkansas is paying for it :-)

The guy offered me a grad assistantship and told me to reapply for a fellowship. So I will be going to class MWF and working after class. I will probably only be up there 3 days a week.

You think that's great? Keep reading.


Brian and I have been house shopping. Our lease is up in July and we are tired of people stomping on our ceiling and having to hide the fact that we have a puppy. We just started looking in earnest, and had found several houses that we could live with. Then today, we saw THE HOUSE. It is a 3 BR 2BA 1670 squarefoot house. It is Beautimus. It is 3 1/2 years old. It has roses in the backyard. We made an offer tonight and it was accepted. :-) So Brian and I bought a freakin house. How grown up are we?!

But the best thing that happened today was...


Brian and I had some pizza pockets as a snack. The package said 15 pizza pockets. But I opened it up and low and behold- 17! 2 FREE pockets. The Lord is good to me...

NEway hope your week is great. Ours has already been entirely too exciting. In a good way.

Graduate School :-( or :-) ?

There's nothing like going home to give you a new perspective on an old problem.

For months now, I have been deliberating over whether to begin working full time or go to grad school. I got an e-mail Saturday from the graduate coordinator at University of Arkansas. He said that I was officially accepted into the masters of science in mathematics prorgram at UA, but that I didn't get an assistantship. (This struck me as funny, because I never acutally turned in an application for one...) Anyway, I got online and actaully looked at the course schedule for next fall. It looks like I can get away with only having classes MWF. That means only commuting three days a week, and being able to work part time TT. I also found out that I still have some educational funds available to pay for this. I realize all of this sounds great, like everything is going my way.

The problem is that I have serious doubts about my ability to do the math required in a masters program. I didn't choose math as a major because I am incredibly good at it, or even because I particularly enjoy it. I choose it because I knew there was a shortage of math teachers. I love to teach. Anything. I would have been happy teaching English or Science or whatever. Math was just one option among many. It worked out fine during my undergraduate studies. Once I changed my major to math, I got only 1 B (I got Bs in Calc II and III, but I was a music major while I was taking them). Once I start my masters though, the classes are going to be very different. Modern algebra (the only class I got a B in) was completely incomprehensible to me, and it is the foundation for most of the stuff you do in grad school. It is all theory and proofs with very little application (the part I was good at). I know I need a masters in math (not eduation) if I ever want to teach at the college level. I just don't want to waste my time and money on something beyond the scope of my abilities.

I also want to start teaching. I mean, I went to school for 3 1/2 years and now it's like - your degree isn't good enough: get another. I love being in the classroon and working with students. If the school I am subbing at right now offered me a full time job for next year, I would want to take it. I just don't know what to do.

On a happier note, I had a great time seeing the fam and hanging with Heather. We conquered many pictures, postcards, tickets, and brochures. I now have over 100 scrapbook pages completed. Only 200 more to go! ;-) I am planning on being in Bossier again in two weeks to celebrate Heather's b-day, Brian's grandpa's 70th bday, and mother's day. Ah... killing so many birds with one stone.

On a final note, have you heard of Matisyahu? Hisidic Jew Reggae Rap. Screaming fans throw sheets with holes in them up on the stage. Need I say more?
http://www.hasidicreggae.com/

Leave a comment. Give me advice about the whole grad school thing. Have a great week. Long days and pleasent nights.

No place home...

As you get older, time goes faster. It seems like Brian and I just got back from Dallas, but I am already packing to go somewhere else this weekend. Granted, I am leaving on Thursday instead of Friday, but the week has flown by.

I am going home to Bossier this weekend to see my mom receive her Student of the Year award at LSUS. She is so awesome :-)

I am greatly looking forward to seeing my family and hanging out with Heather. She and I are going to CREATE. That's the plan at least. I am thinking about joining the webcomic wagon, and she is going to help me out. I also have a suitcase (yes a whole suitcase) full of scrapbooking paraphanalia. It is 3x the size of the suitcase of clothes and other necessities I am taking with me.

I will probably update again after I get back. LAVA for everyone!

Dallas, Keys, and Goldfish

Brian and I went to Dallas this weekend.
(actually we are still there :-)) <<-Smiley w/ double chin?

One thing about the working world that is very different from college is that you can't skive off classes and work is never cancelled. Unless I go home by myself, we never get out of town until 6:00 at the earliest. It takes a whole night off of a visit because everyone we love lives so far away :-( We had a lot of fun anyway.

Yesterday, we went to a store called Sam Moon. For those of you who have never had a Sam Moon experience, imagine that you are watching the discovory channel. You know that rotting carcass with thousands of flies swarming all over it? That is the attitude and atmosphere of this store... at least on a Saturday morning. It was SOOOOOOOO crowded. Flies drive from other states to feed on this carcass. What do they sell you ask? Purses... Weaves... gawdy jewelry... suitcases worthy of Rita Skeeter (lady bug patterns- 8 piece set)... Brian's mom found a nice purse though. He and I had to go outside and escape the buzzing.

We then went shopping and I lost my keys. This is a common occurance. I have been known to loose my keys on a VERY regular basis (several times a day). However, because they are usually somewhere around the house, it's just not that big of a deal. Yesterday though, it happened while we were shopping at random places. I didn't realize what had happened until we got back to Brian's mom's house. We then had to drive 30 mins back into town to retrace our stores. Luckily, Old Navy had them :-) After this rather alarming incident, I finally broke down and purchaced a purse big enough to hold my keys.

I should explain about my purse issues. I am a goldfish when it comes to purses, bags, luggage and houses. I expand to fit the size of my container. For the last several months, I have used a very small grown up purse. This forced me to carry only what I absolutely needed. This keeps me from having to dig around every time I need something, and keeps my neck pain free. Brian's mom kept trying to get me to choose a bigger purse. I finally settled on a slightly bigger purse... and am already thinking of all the things I can fill it with- it's so empty!!!

I may be coming to Bossier this weekend. Who will be in town?

POST A COMMENT!!! :-)

Edit:

Well, Brian and I got home at 10:00ish. We left Brian's mom's house at 3:30, but had to go pick Sinatra up from the groomers, get some Starbucks, get lost in the never ending stripmalls, and be thwarted by "no U-turn" signs. All is good though. Peace be with you.

The Crest

When I was younger, I practically lived outside. I would come home and fly straight through the house and into the backyard, embarking on planned adventures and explorations. I hated rainy days and anything that kept me from tearing around the great outdoors.

As I grew, I became content with just looking. I was often prevented from staying outside because of my allergies. I would literally hold my breath as I ran to a friends house down the street because the pollen count was high that day. As ridiculous as it may sound, this was the beginning of the end to my childhood adventures. It is much harder to explore the great indoors.

Being deprived of constant exposure to Nature left a void I have only recently realized existed. These days, I get my fixes from, well, taking the scenic route. I take my puppy to the park nearly every day. I do it as much for myself than for him. Without a nature fix, I get cranky. ;-) Because of these frequent trips, I watched the season change with stealth, only to have its cover blown after a couple days of rain.

When we moved to Fort Smith, everything was brown and kinda ugly. But there was potential. The skeletons of trees covered the city. Occasional low mountains broke up the gently rolling hills. And then it rained...

GREEN. Everywhere. Things that were once visible from the highway are completely obstructed by foliage. The difference is amazing. The drive to and from work is calming and breathtaking. It lifts my spirits every time I notice. Spring has positively transformed this town. These days, Spring is my favorite season. That may change soon though. Summer is coming soon.

I love scenic routes. I get thrills, butterflies, when I crest a hill and see what is on the other side. I think it drives Brian up the wall, but every time we drive together to the park to walk Sinatra, I “ooo” and “ahh” at the gorgeous view. Because it's different and beautiful every time.

Here's a challenge. Next time you drive somewhere, stop speeding, turn off your cell phone, turn down the music, and just look. You may be surprised what you see.

First Post!

I've finally stopped being lazy about this whole blogger thing. Maybe it's peer pressure... or maybe I've had so many facinating and funny things happen lately that I feel the need to share them with the world... heck who am I kidding, I just want to be like everyone else.

;-)

So... this is my blog. Nothing too interesting... I will probably post something long and thoughtful later today.

Edit:

Ok, it's later ;-)

So many crazy thing have happened in the last several months. Brian and I are now living in Fort Smith, Arkansas with a very enthusiastic and very cute shih tzu puppy named Sinatra. Brian is a computer programer at Datatronics. I am currently subbing at River Valley Christian School, and am deciding what I want to do next year (grad school or teaching).

Brian may be posting here too... or he can also stop being a lazy butt and get a blog himself.