Ph.D. ?

When I was taking classes I was asked by several teachers if I was going to continue on to get my Ph.D. I laughed and thought to myself, no way. Then I considered it for a split second thinking later in life it would be another goal to obtain. My hubby had mentioned he would divorce me if I pursued it because I put him through 18 months without a "wife" working on my Masters while working full time (and then some).

Today I had a co-worker ask me if I was going to get my Ph.D. I said nope and he asked why. I mentioned the threat of divorce from my husband. He laughed and said, seriously, you need to think about it. Hmmm....I don't see myself as a Ph.D. candidate but it would be fun to have that degree. What would I get it in? When would I find the time to do it? I would like to have kids first but then again, who wants to wait 18+ years to go back to school? Maybe once I have kids in school I could start a program and do homework with them?

Oh, the possibility is tantilizing but I think I need to stop working so hard and enjoy life. As a side note...he even made me consider which schools "not to attend" because "you are too smart to get a degree of that magnitude from a non-prestigious school." Then the "do you know how many doors this could open for you" comment was thrown in. That was the dream crasher. Hmmm...I have 2 bachelor's and a master's. Granted, none of them are from prestigious schools but considering my interviews...schools never came up. I guess this is something to ponder on the side.

For now...I just have to get through the next 3 weeks of teaching. I am slacking so much. I need to get this unit's reading done and catch up on some grades. Nice, I have turned into a slacker teacher already!

Trip Summary

My trip to Denver was a blast. Once I got on the plane Friday, the BlackBerry was off and no work thoughts entered my mind. The girls and I ate, drank, and played tourist along with being wedding guests. The highlight of the trip was a day journey up to Beaver Creek for the Blue, Brews, and BBQ festival. It was so pretty. We took the ski lift up the mountain, saw some sights, had some great food, and of course a few beers. The ride through the mts was gorgeous.

I am sick of flying and can't wait to sleep in my own bed. I missed the hubby and pets. The evil cat even missed me. She let me pet her tonight, snuggle her, and play with her.

Time to get some message board posts caught up. I only received one email from a student this weekend so I hope the rest were working on their assignments and not partying like rock stars.

Ah, 4 day work week and then off to my parents for kayaking fun.

Off to Denver

I am off to Denver for the weekend with the girls. It should be a great time. I am caught up on my grading and work. No computer going with me on this trip. I might go through withdrawal!

Have a happy Memorial Weekend and keep an eye on the hubby for me.

Me time

I am happy to report that Friday was slightly better at work. Still overworked, underpaid, and under appreciated but at least I didn't cry!

Last night we went out for dinner and then went to Shrek 3. It was great! I had upped my Dt. Coke consumption over the last couple weeks and yesterday...I must have had...(20 oz at lunch, 40 or more oz with dinner, 2 rum and Dt.Cokes before the movie...) so when we got home I was still wide awake. I started reading a book and would have stayed up longer but crabby pants hubby can't sleep with the light on. Oh well...

Today I cleaned house, got a haircut, got my oil changed, and went on a mission to find some 2 cent stamps to mail out the bills I wrote out this morning. Now it is grading time and then reading time.

Tomorrow I have to go into work to unpack my office stuff (we moved) and get packed for my trip to Chicago. Ah...jam packed days and weekends. I can't wait to retire!

Stress Level = Extreme High

Well, today I hit my ultimate stress level and the funny thing is that nothing major happened today. I literally had my melt down sitting at my desk as tears rolled down my face. No major project or fire, not a single person in particular did it to me, I just have had enough. It is 6:10pm and I have put in over 10 hours of work with out a lunch break. I am waiting for my computer to back up because I haven't done it in ages. With the stress level running at maximum capacity I can't risk losing all of my work right now.

If one more person tells me it will get better soon I am going to shove my computer up their...that's right. Leave me alone. I am going on strike.

New approach, bad unit to try it on

I was pumped for my seminar tonight. I thought I had taken a new approach that would not only be more engaging but encourage more critical thinking. The unit was on Human Resources. I wanted the class to vote on a "management" position, draft the job description, and then go through a mock interview. We didn't even make it through the job description :(

As I mentioned, this week we discussed Human Resources. One of the earlier assignments had a scenario where the hiring person made a decision not to hire a candidate because she was pregnant. The class had to answer whether they agreed with the decision or not. Some agreed but gave very good supporting reasons why (including the other factors they would have to know about to make an informed decision). Let's just say...not all of them picked up on the topic of discrimination being illegal. Well, somehow, that whole topic and thread came back up in seminar. I struggled to keep them on topic yet didn't want to squelch their debate. Near the end of class, they brought up hiring obese people. It started to get heated because my guess is some of the women in my class are overweight and some of men in my class were not being sensitive to who they were talking to. I keep telling myself it wasn't as bad as I am making it sound but I not so sure. I had a few moments where I wondered if I should moderate all their posts or put them on a time out session!

Now I have whole week to freak out about teaching the economics unit next week! YIKES! This is a topic I have NO interest in what-so-ever. Wish me luck. I think for that unit I may stick to definitions and basic lecture. Not so sure I can be creative with that one...

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's in the world.

My mother's day was pretty nice. The pets each got me a card and I had lunch and went to a movie with the girls. I got some prep work done for tomorrow's class and am ready to go read a book. I wish there were more Sunday's each week!

Bubba Gump's Restaurant

Last night the hubby surprised me by asking if I wanted to go down to the beach to try out a new restaurant. I have been working hellish hours and we had planned on eating out but I figured it would be to a local place near the house. So, we hopped in the car and headed to Ft. Lauderdale beach for dinner. We went to Bubba Gump's. It was a good meal. Lots of food! Great service (they have these signs on the table-"Run Forest Run" for when you don't need any attention and "Stop Forest Stop" for when you would like some service). You have a server who checks on you but anyone can stop and assist. I needed a drink while eating so I flipped the sign and within seconds, someone was there offering to assist.

Afterwards, we headed to Dirty Blondes to play darts but all of the boards were occupied. We headed down to Beach Place and had a drink at Fat Tuesdays. Then it was the lovely hour of 9pm and we headed home. I was ready for bed, read, and asleep by 10pm. What a perfect night!

Walking Conditions

Last week when I walked it was 99.9% humidity and hot. I was sweaty and those darn knats were sticking to me. Tonight, it was substantially cooler but the bugs were out in full force. I had a crappy day at work and didn't want to walk but once I got my shoes on and was out the door with the hound and friend, I was ready to walk the normal distance. We quickly decided both of us had too much to do tonight so we would walk half our normal distance (which is usually around 4 miles). Well, halfway through the 2 miler, we decided to cut a couple blocks off since the bugs were so bad. It is one thing to have them stick to your sweat but having them fly in your eyes, nose, and mouth was plain ol' disgusting. I had to floss them out of my teeth when I got home! Yuck!!!

Flattery, Wine, and Grades

I was feeling pretty down on myself after my first attempt at grading papers for my class. The students were far from at the level I had thought they would be at and I felt horrible for the grades I gave them. Some were failing, some were not.

Well...tonight for my seminar, I had a half bottle of wine, had a great seminar, and thought they were really doing a great job with this week's assignment/concepts. They were answering questions, giving examples, non-stop interaction.

Then my office hours started and I spent too long helping a student learn how to save a Word document (she submitted a "works" doc, a rtf, and a .doc but couldn't remember how to submit the .doc which is all I accept). Then she ended up telling me I was the best teacher she has ever had and thanked me for my patience. I felt pretty darn good hearing that but then I graded her paper. The poor girl can't write! I had the hardest time reading her "sentences" and felt horrible. She tries harder than all my other students but she needs a composition class. I refered her to the writing center and gave her a few pointers. I am not an english teacher but when I start spouting sentence and paragraph structure advice, they have to be missing alot. The worst part of it is, I know she understands the concepts because she gives good examples in class. She just can't spit it out on paper. I gave her encouraging advice hoping she will seek help at the Writing Center. If she can get her thoughts out in a semi-cohesive form, she will pass the class with a strong C or low B. If she doesn't get writing help...she might not pass. Bummer...I want to see her succeed.

3 weeks down, 7 left to go. So far, so good. The only thing I am hating, is Monday's on the computer for 15 hours straight. My eyes are killing me.

Getting Older?

Earlier this week I posted about getting a new Nintendo Wii. It makes me feel like a kid again. Well, yesterday was Cinco De Mayo and believe it or not, I think I have grown up! We had dinner at a friends house (she made fabulous enchiladas), played a board game, has a few margaritas, and we were home before 10:30! What a weird way to compare being youthful to mature...I know, pure randomness.

I completed my first set of grades on my classes first "papers" which were 100 word paragraphs. Grading is tough until you get in a groove-which I don't think I have found yet. Honestly, only 2 people really completed the assignment correctly but many more received B's or above. I wish I had had the time to go back and regrade some of them but in general, I feel I was very fair and gave tons of feedback.

Hopefully I find that grading groove for two selfish reasons, one it will speed up my process, and two, I will feel much more confident in the grades I give. It's hot and sunny out, time to go sweat while I do some yard work.

Wii!!!!!

That's right, "I" got a Nintendo Wii! Ryan claims it was my mother's day present (which means I can remind him when I ask him to get off of his new X-Box 360 to let me play on the big screen).

It is great. Not only do the games rock; I can beat him at it and I get some exercise. He set it up during American Idol last night and I kicked his butt in so many games. I played bowling, tennis, boxing, baseball, pool, ping pong, and some other lame games that Ryan says "sucked" because I beat him at those too.

Wii not only stands for the fun sound I make when I play but it also means "we" time in our house. The cat and dog like to be underfoot when we play.

Oh, and we downloaded SuperMario Bros. and it ROCKS! I can't believe how much I remember (the hidden things) and how much I have forgotten. My skills need a little work but soon I will beat Ryan at that too!