Fun Day

Today was a day with Dr. J that was much needed. In just a few days, he'll be on his way to River City for the semester. I'm holding it together the best I can, but I know I'm going to crash big time this weekend. It has been so wonderful having him nearby for most of the summer.

So today was a much needed day together. Although we drove to Hometown together for my speaking engagement (which went very well) and for our counseling session, all of the hustle and bustle took its toll. I was exhausted all day on Sunday and slept a ridiculous number of hours. So today, I woke up feeling rested and ready to spend some good time with Dr. J. We had a wonderful visit to the bank where we set up our first joint account and received some excellent financial advice about managing our debt, saving for our wedding, and home ownership. It is exciting to start putting our money together--it makes our upcoming union more tangible. It was equally wonderful to talk realistically about home ownership. Having a home together is probably our number one priority and to have an expert tell us that our goals are reasonable was very comforting. (Of course a lot will be dependent on my ability to go smoothly from one job to another!)

After our visit with the good folks at the bank, we had a wonderful seafood lunch and just sat around in the restaurant as it started pouring ran outside. It felt as if we had the whole place to ourselves--very nice.

Once the rain slacked a bit, stopped by David's Bridal to see their new blue, and then we headed to BBB to start our first registry!! Being the shopper that I am, I was in heaven. The best part of course is that Dr. J was right there with me--I think he had more fun with the scanner than I did. We have plans to hit our second store tomorrow. There was just wonderful wedding glow between us all day--did I mention I'm going to miss him?

To cap off our night, we watched two of our favorite shows and have come to the conclusion that:
1) Gordon Ramsey is the new Bill Clinton (pre-Lewinsky of course).
2) Big Love is going to be off the hook this season.

As if we didn't have enough wedding stuff for one day, we also set up our wedding website! Things are coming together nicely--but the week is already wrapping up too quickly. I'm going to miss Dr. J!

I Made It!

After two grueling weeks, I've made it through our institution's intensive training program for faculty. It was excellent--I learned soo much. But goodness I am exhausted. The program was just further confirmation that I am fortunate to not have a job that requires me to sit at a desk from 8-5. Just the sitting for so long was rough. Add to that hours of techno-speak that was at times too remedial and at other times too advance--it was a demanding program. The rewards, however, definitely outweighed the demands. I have so many wonderful classroom ideas and so much great software and hardware to work with. My favorite new program of the day is Audacity which you can do a lot of easy sound recording and editing with.

I'm also itching even more now for a new personal computer. I've been using my school laptop all year because my dissertation machine crashes every day. I had serious Mac-envy during this seminar, but today I fell in love with the Tablet PC. How cool would it be to read and comment on papers on the screen?? After lugging a stack of 75 student writing packs of 20-40 pages around at the end of last year, I definitely would love to go entirely electronic one of these days.

I'm completely exhausted, but still awake. Why? I have to give a speech in the morning in Hometown. So I'll be up at 6 in the morning again to take the drive. Dr. J and I also have another counseling session tomorrow so we'll be in Hometown all day. I wish I hadn't packed so much into my end of the summer schedule because Dr. J is leaving town NEXT WEEK. The summer has gone by too fast and I do wish I had a bit more time to spend with him. But now I have to seriously get back into school mode. In the words of one of my colleagues yesterday, "well, I guess that's what August is for."


On a separate note: GO BONDS!!! 754 BABY!!! SHAKE THOSE HATERS OFF!!!
(another day I must address the disproportionate negative media treatment of a Black male athlete who has repeatedly tested negatively)

So Hot

Today I learned how to edit videos using Adobe Premiere--I know how to make DVDs!! I think this is so Hot!! Adobe even has templates just for wedding DVDs. I am seriously considering editing our wedding video now--it is incredibly easy to use video editing software once you get the hang of it. We've been thinking about ways to cut cost and had slated the videographer route as "tentative." So maybe I'll get someone to record the footage and do my own video crafting. Just yesterday I saw a videographer online who charges a much lower rate to provide unedited footage. Something to think about...

It is also very hot in our classroom--a nice change from the normally frigid temperatures.

Speaking of hotness, I am loving the new Kanye West songs. He is setting the bar high for his forthcoming CD--the first two early releases are GREAT. I keep going back and forth on which one is my favorite. I think it depends on my mood. Today I have "Stronger" on repeat. Too hot.

I Feel Smart

While Dr. Mom is enjoying Harry Potter, I've been playing with all of these fun technology tools I'm learning about during this faculty development program. We've played with Adobe, Openmind, Open Source Web Design, Edublogs, Refworks, and much much more.

One of the tools I've been really wanting to figure out is how to add a blog to my personal webpage on my institution's server (since our college doesn't have any blogging packages on their server). In our last session Friday we learned about publishing Blogger to other sites and I just finished putting the touches on my personal webpage. I'm so excited that I can use my Blogger account now to publish to my professional page!!! I'm sure I'm a bit slow on this. For those of you who know me, check out my college page and tell me what you think (if you'd like to see the link, send me a comment). I'm working on a whole new template for my page thanks to OSWD, but in the meantime, I'm really excited about this new addition!! Now I don't have to be on my campus server to update my page.

Ok, enough geekiness for one night.

I'm In School

It has been such a busy week. I started this long post about it yesterday, but I haven't had quite enough time to finish yet. Part of the reason--I'm being a student again. I'm in this GREAT instructional technology program and we are learning about so many great resources. One of my favorite for the day: Internet Archives. I'd used the Wayback Machine before but I'd never looked at the Moving Images archive--the Prelinger and Universal Newsreel are two of my new toys and I'm going to be using them a lot in the fall. There are some gems such as this wonderful instructional film on what to do in case things go to hell in a handbasket:

Headed West

Every day brings new excitement and new adventures. I've read books. Tasted magnificent wedding cake. Browsed through selections of gorgeous fresh flowers. I've seen every imaginable shade of blue. I've even done some scholarly work! But it seems like I never have enough time these days to blog.

The reality is, I'm just enjoying my time with Dr. J and trying to squeeze in as many things as I can with him. We are headed out west tomorrow to find him a place and visit his new city! Maybe I'll find a bit of time to blog then....

I'm A Bore

Pushover - ISFJ

26% Extraversion, 40% Intuition, 40% Thinking, 80% Judging

Hah. Nice one. How does it feel to know that you're barely unique? Of all the personality types you could have had, you ended up with the most common in all of America. In a group of 100 Americans, 12.8 of them will be just like you.

I bet you feel sorry for that one person missing 20% of his body. I bet you want to help him out, don't you? Cause that's what you like to do, isn't it? Help people. You don't want to save the world. You just want to help people out.

Sound pretty good so far? Sorry, but you're just plain pathetic. You let people walk all over you all the time, because everyone knows that you just can't say "no." When you get time, email me your contact details. It?s always good to know where I can find another helping hand.

What the hell is your problem? GET A LIFE! Stop cleaning other people's houses and go out and have a bit of fun every now and then. Sure, you feel responsible for doing what needs to be done, but sometimes it's just not you who needs to do it.

You're dependable, predictable and practicaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...

Whoops, that was me falling asleep on the keyboard. You're just not the most fun person. I wouldn't worry too much about it. You can go hang out with your other 12.8 mates, helping out at the soup kitchen together. Woohoo!

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If you want to learn more about your personality type in a slightly less negative way, check out this.

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Link: The Brutally Honest Personality Test written by UltimateMaster on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

In Motion

I still can't believe the way time is flying this summer. The past week or so has been AMAZING!
#1 Dr. J has a JOB! After much deliberation and negotiation, the university he recently visited made him an offer he/we couldn't refuse. He's really excited, and I'm really excited. The only downside of course is the distance; we'll be in two different time zones and several states apart. I am hoping to arrange my teaching schedule so that I'm finished teaching by the time we get married in March. Then I'll just join Dr. J "out West." I'm still going on the market to see if there are some better opportunities out there for us, but we're optimistic that I might have a position at his new Metro Univ. for Fall 08. One of the appealing things about the university is that it is one of the few places in the nation where our areas fall under the same college. Normally our disciplines are housed in separate, self-contained schools, but at this place we'd have the same dean, same school. Metro Univ. is located in a great city that has lots of political history/resources that I would love to use for my own research. And interestingly enough, the day Dr. J and I started to think MetroU was a good idea is the same day I learned a paper I had submitted for a conference there was accepted. We're planning a visit in the next few weeks to find him a place to live for a bit.

#2 Coastal Life! I am loving life in Gorgeous City. Dr. J and I visited another beach last week and it was beautiful. Just a few miles down from the last beach (Northern Beach) we visited, this one (Ritzy Beach) was even nicer. The sand was smooth and silky and the water was clear and smooth. Although Northern Beach had a lot more "locals" and a great pier, Ritzy Beach had wonderful shops and bars and better sand. Ritzy Beach also has more tourists, but that turned out to be fun; a group of folks, who come down to the beach each year with their kids, invited us over for beers. They thought we were honeymooners, but as we proceeded to tell them our story, they made several toasts on our behalf. They were really excited for us and offered lots of married life advice. It was very random but a lot of fun. Hopefully they'll send us some of the pictures they took!

#3 Preparing for Marriage! Dr. J and I have started our pre-martial counseling. We've been looking forward to this for so long, it is nice to have things underway. We met with our officiant this past weekend and received our materials. It looks like the sessions will be very interactive. We have a great book that has lots of activities. I know that not all of this will be easy, but I'm looking forward to us spending time preparing for what is to come.

#4 Wedding Planning We also made some great headway this week on wedding planning. My dress is tucked safely away at home while we await my first fitting appointment in September. Dr. J, Lani, and I had a great meeting this weekend with the Planner. She has wonderful ideas about what to do with our blue and slowly but surely, we can see the wedding coming together. Our guest list is almost done--we're waiting for the mothers at this point to finalize their list. It looks like we're going to be close to 250 people! That is quite a bit larger than we had orginally planned, but we are going with the flow. We've tentatively planned our menu and are going to do tastings for dinner and the cake in the next few weeks!! I'm especially excited about the cake part!

Lani has been pushing me to get on the ball, and I think after our meeting, she was satisfied with our progress. She's going to come down to Gorgeous City the weekend after the 4th of July and we'll do some more dress shopping for her. Both Lani and the Planner love this blue:

but I'm having a hard time finding swatches and dresses that match it. We're going to visit a store that carries this line and hope they have some material we can look at.

I just found this color which is very close and the fabric can be ordered as well.

Planner thinks that we could use a light peach/salmon or brown as an accent color. I was thinking more along the line of silver, but I think a peach or a beige color would be a nice, elegant accent. We're also going to be looking at flowers soon too. We're leaning towards ivories and whites at this point.

#5 Work! Yeah, not much of that going on. I've been getting more revisions back on those encyclopedia entries, and I've set aside time today to finish the latest round of those. This week has to be the week I get this Chapter Six Article out, because the next few weeks will be consumed with travel and wedding stuff. I have been enjoying fun books, but will switch to reading academic books next week so I can start thinking about my prospectus and my new course. My textbook for the fall still isn't in yet, so that's not helping the fact that I'm already procrastinating! We'll see...

Hail in a Handbasket

That's where I feel like my summer is going.

Day after day I look at my to-do list and feel like such a bum for not getting more work done. That Chapter Six article is still eluding me. I must finish the work that needs to be done on it by the end of next week so I can move on to something else. I've been completely distracted by the work that came back from the copyeditor on those pieces I did last year. Just when I thought I was done with that, I got some more work. But now that is off of my desk, and I feel a little more productive than I did yesterday. And the news that I had a pair of papers accepted for Major Conference in November helps a lot too. At least I'll have something new on my CV for the fall.

I've also been completely distracted by regular books. I'm back on James Patterson and John Grisham again. It feels so good to just get lost in a book. Especially on a day like today where it is dark and cloudy and, oh yeah, hail outside. Of all weather conditions, this is one I am very uncomfortable with--especially living somewhere without a garage or carport for my car. Hopefully the weather will continue to mellow out because Dr. J is in the airport on his way back to this time zone. He had another campus visit this week and he's coming back with an offer!!!! It is exciting and unexpected but probably unsatisfactory. We have a lot of discussing to do when he gets back in town.

Unfortunately, we won't be able to connect as long as I'd like. I have to head to Hometown tomorrow because my wedding dress is in!! So I need to get the fitting process going and Mom wants me to look at a dress she's found for herself. I probably also need to really narrow down this blue issue so Lani can pick out her dress.

So much to do, so little time. Where has my summer gone?????

Ummm

Sopranos finale--huh?

All Play and No Work

The good news is--Dr. J is home for the summer. He's been in Gorgeous City and his Hometown (right next door) for almost a week. I had hoped to get that Chapter Six article out before he arrived but that didn't happen. I was sick right before he arrived and by the time I recovered, the last thing I wanted to do was work.

So we've had a fun few days together--visiting with family, going to the mall, and even a round of miniature golf. Today is beach day. The best thing about Gorgeous City is the coast line, but I haven't been in the water since I moved here. Lucky for me, Dr. J is a waterbaby so he's been itchin for the beach since Memorial Day Weekend. So for the first time in a year, we're headed for the shore!

It has been mostly play and no work. I did, however, finally get the copyeditor's remarks back on a couple of the pieces I did last year, so I revised one of those yesterday and will work on the other tomorrow. I'm finding that it is not easy to find the motivation to work when Dr. J is around. But I know he has an article he needs to get going on with his Chair so we'll settle into a work schedule soon. Dr. J has another campus visit lined up for next week so I'm sure he'll be back into "scholar-mode" soon which will give me some needed inspiration.

Oh yeah, and there is this wedding thing...

Come Together--Get Together

The summertime is here--it's reunion time!! I'm currently working on my class reunion (another post another day) and have that on the brain. But this goes out to everyone who will be in the heat this summer hoping to find that loud color T-shirt in their size before sitting down for some good laughs and some good food.

Facing Your Giants

My mom was reading this book while I was home and that title--facing your giants--has been in my head ever since. There are certain things looming over me right now like giants. The "empty" spaces on my CV. This new class that I've never taught. The wedding plans. And now, the job market--two of them.

I've been getting geared up mentally to deal with each of these and this week I really want to tackle the CV giant and finish one of these articles. I tried to do some work this weekend, but nothing happened. So I need to make a clearer plan for Monday and the rest of this week. I've already taken a lot of the "dissertationy" stuff out of Chapter Six but there are several things I need to do:

• Reread the chopped down version in its entirety. Make sure none of the biographical background I took out needs to go back in.
• Write a new section on current events (2-3 paragraphs).
• Adjust the thesis to be more specific to this piece, rather than the entire dissertation.
• Add in the new scholarly sources I found.
• Make sure style is consistent with the journal.

I'll start on the first two tomorrow and go from there.

Queen Mon

You are Cleopatra Beautiful and Charming. You are able to persuade anyone to do anything you would like, because of your hotness and charisma. You are an expert in gaining power over anyone you choose. Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

Now On To "Other" News

I have to acknowledge these things to move on.

1) The Wikicheatia incident has been resolved. The process concluded with a very harsh sanction, and although I hated being in that situation, I saw the "good" in going through the process since this was not the first offense of this student (which I wouldn't have known had I attempted to resolve this on my own).

2) I'm utterly disappointed in myself for not getting anything done this month in terms of writing/research. I really have a truckload of stuff that I need to get done this summer and I feel like a dope for wasting the month of May. I mean, granted, I wouldn't have traded the time with Dr. J for the world. But I feel like I still could have managed my time better this month. My disappointment is amplified by a related issue--see item #4 below.

3) Dr. J didn't get the position at Top School. I'm devastated and frustrated for him. I think that it would have been a wonderful place for him. But the process by which he found out was really whack and has revealed a lot about the personalities of this particular department--so perhaps in the end it was best that he didn't go there. The late and drawn out nature of the process means that he is now in the position of looking for a placement outside of the normal hiring schedule. We're not really sure where he's going to be or what he's going to be doing this year. Most likely, since the 2008-2009 hiring season is approaching, he will be in a one year position somewhere. He already has some good leads and several schools have expressed interest for Fall 08. But we're still in a little bit of a holding pattern for the time being.

What I haven't said out loud that I really need to say is this: THIS REALLY SUCKS!!! I'm hurtin for Dr. J. I'm hating that he's going through this period of limbo so close to the completion of his dissertation. I wish I could give him a much needed Bahama-vention. I'm so confused as to why this is happening, and I feel utterly helpless in this situation. I love him to death and I just want to "make it better." I wanna fix this--I need to fix this--but it is just out of my hands. I'm having a hard time with that. I want the man that I love to have everything he needs and more. I'm doing my best to be supportive, but it just feels so...so inadequate.

4) I'm going back on the market. Since I took this position in Gorgeous City, there has been one question once people find out I'm engaged: "So is he moving here??" I've become very skillful at not really answering that question--largely because we just didn't know what was going to happen. But now it seems pretty clear that the options we were considering are not going to materialize. So rather than Dr. J trying to search "around me" for Fall 08, I think we could potentially create more options for us being at the same place (or the same city--or heck even the same state) if we both search for 2008.

I knew there was a possibility I might be headed somewhere new in 2008, but let me be honest--I was ready to play the role of the trailing spouse (cue gasps from feminist friends). I was buying into the idea of Dr. J "stealing me from" my department (which I hear whispers of a lot). But that is just not realistic--or ideal.

Facing the job market again leaves me with a lot of emotions. I probably feel more anxious than I did before. The first time around I just felt confused. I didn't know if I wanted a professor gig or a postdoc--a research school or a teaching school. Quickly it became clear what I wanted and I felt very comfortable saying yes and no. Within a year, I've lost that sense of comfort and clarity. I feel like I wasn't productive enough in my first year to still be seen as a good candidate (hence my increasing disappointment about my scholarship). I'm at a loss for how to negotiate the ins and outs of a dual search. I feel uncertain about how this conversation will go with my chair--or how I will be treated by my department which is already going through so many shifts and changes. I feel intimidated by the idea of being on the market again and dealing with the rigors of applications and "networking" while I'm still trying to get stuff out and prep for yet another new class. But even with all of that, I do feel a bit--just a tiny bit--excited. Being on the market doesn't mean I'm going to get an offer or even that I'll leave Gorgeous City, but it does open for the door for new possibilities for me and Dr. J. And at the end of the day, that is what matters most to me. I'm trying to keep that in mind as I prepare myself for the many changes that are about to come.

Good News First

So much has happened in the past few weeks. It is hard to even begin to process everything but I need to clear my head a little so I can be productive when I return to Gorgeous City. I left Dr. J in University Town on Monday for a brief layover in Hometown. After I finish my laundry here (yes I still live like a college student) and spend some time with Mom, I’ll head back down to the sweltering summer heat of Gorgeous City. I haven’t slept in my own bed for about three weeks now so I am getting anxious to head South—despite the heat.

To begin to process all that has happened in the past few weeks, I have to start with Dr. J.

• Dr. J had an amazing defense. I am so lucky to be in love with such a brilliant and captivating man. It was practically standing room only for his big day. Most of his committee made it out (although one member joined by conference call and another had as all worried by showing up 15 minutes late). He was in the zone, making things like multiple linear regression and factor analysis sound simple to even a text-based humanist like myself. His mastery of his study and his passion for research was truly awe-inspiring. His defense presentation was soooo good that the committee only asked him a few softball hypothetical questions. Then his chair did something very unconventional—she asked if anyone in the audience would like to ask questions! Some of Dr. J’s colleagues, mentors, and undergraduate mentees asked a few questions and made a few comments and then we were all sent out of the room. There were many hugs and congratulations out in the hallway as we all knew he had knocked it out of the park. When he was called back in, his chair proudly announced that he was officially Doctor J Middle Initial Last Name, Jr. and he had no further revisions to make on his dissertation!!!! Go Dr. J! So within a couple of days we walked over to the graduate thesis office and dropped that puppy off!
  
• Dr. J's graduation (just two days after his defense) was also a wonderful time and a lot of fun. He was hooded Friday morning by his chair in a “smallish” ceremony for just his school and there was much cheering and tearing all around (I was good—I didn’t cry!) Following graduation, we spent some time at his chair’s house in University Town. Then, after a brief nap and rest, we piled all of his family in a caravan and headed down to Tourist Town (about 20 minutes away) where my mom was staying in a friend’s condo. Mom and my Aunt from UpNorth (who has been in love with Dr. J and his family since she first met them in 2005) cooked a nice celebration dinner for everyone. We took a little familiar excursion to the great shopping outlets of Tourist Town after dinner to walk off our gluttony and then Dr. J opened all of his cards and gifts before we headed back to University Town for the night. And of course, the party did not end there. After we got back to University Town, Dr. J, his sister, and I hooked up with a few of his friends who were in town for the graduation and went to this very nice tapas restaurant where there was a jazz/neo-soul band playing (very unusual for this town). We had a nice time and Dr. J even took me for a spin on the dance floor. We had a late late night but it was rise and shine the next morning to take the two hour drive to Music City where Dr. J’s sister lives. She recently bought a new home and the family was dying to see it so we had a fun BBQ there. Dr. J’s Best Man came up (he had to work on graduation day) to celebrate a bit with us as well as some other family friends in the Music City area. Boy it was fun but tiring—I was glad when we finally settled back in University Town and just crashed for the next couple days.
  
• Being with Dr. J for two weeks was great and a much needed remedy to the blues I've been fighting all semester. We watched a ton of movies, ate some wonderful food (and some really guilty-pleasure food like Marble Slab), and just chilled out. I especially enjoyed Spiderman 3 and Shrek the Third. I pretty much disagree with all the critics on both of the films—I really enjoyed both.

Those are some of the highlights that I've been thinking about over the past couple of days. I'm leaning on those good memories right now as I am starting to miss Dr. J pretty bad (even though I'll see him after he moves next week). But unforunately my mind is really foggy with some of the not so good things that occured on this "vacation" and I'll get in to those a little bit later...

Whirlwind of Celebration

Thanks for all the well wishes to Dr. J--he is now officially a PhD!!! His defense was awesome and the next day we were flooded by friends and family who came up to University Town to celebrate with him and see his hooding ceremony. The celebration spanned three cities in the University Town area so both of us were in need of a great deal of rest after we returned from City #3 last night. More details to come but it is finally done and there are two doctors in the house!!

Guest Blog: Dr. J

Hello Everyone,

The big day has FINALLY arrived. In a little over 45 minutes I will begin my DEFENSE. Honestly, this process has been a long time coming and I am relieved (and honestly) a little nervous that the moment has come. I love Mon and she has been a tremendous inspiration for me throughout everything. She always knows just what to say or do to make me comfortable and it was even her idea that I guest blog for a moment to release the slight nerves that have recently entered my system. To all you wonderful folks out there in blog land, that make my fiancees world a better place, thank you for being a part of her life. When I looked in the mirror this morning I said to myself that at last...this day has come. Wish me luck!!!!!!

Home

In honor of being in Hometown, I'm making my own meme. Play along as you'd like--"home" is wherever you'd like it to be.

The first three things you do when you arrive at home.
1. Say "Hi Moms"
2. Take off my shoes.
3. Look in the fridge.

Three people you don't see often enough when you go home.
1. Our old pastor
2. My cousin
3. My oldest friend from back in the day

Three smells that confirm you are home.
1. Potpourri
2. Pine trees
3. Dove soap

Three foods you can only get at home.
1. Mom's Pound Cake
2. Aunt M's "dishes"
3. Krispy Kreme

Three of your favorite memories of being at home.
1. Swinging in the backyard
2. Christmas
3. First time I was home after Dr. J proposed

Three of your most emotional times at home.
1. Night before the SAT
2. Day GreatMama died
3. Many a dissertation day

The last three things you do before you leave home.
1. Look for keys
2. Check the closet
3. Hug Mom

Free!

I am done with grading for the Spring 2007 semester!

Time to do the dance of joy!