committed
i'm doing a ton of things lately, but currently the most pressing has been trying to figure out how to put a committee together. i think, at this point, i have three decent candidates, and i'm in the process of setting up meetings with them to see if i'm on the right track.
tonight i imed one of the candidates, my grant and proposal writing prof from last summer. i didn't know if he'd remember me, since 1) the class was last summer and 2) the class was online and 3) i've never met him in person. but apparently he did remember me, and he asked for my availability for the next couple weeks to set up a meeting, so hopefully that'll happen soon.
otherwise, i have a meeting with a second candidate next week, and i still need to set something up with the third. it's an interesting collection--i'm not sure whether they know or like or will work with each other, so that's something to consider, plus the fact that i don't have solid plans for what's gonna happen from here on out.
the last few weeks, i've felt like i'm not doing a thesis and i'm not doing a phd, but it's possible that that'll change. perhaps tonight. because there are a lot of pluses and minuses for both. i like the intellectual atmosphere in the program, all of my classmates are pretty amazing/brilliant, and parts of what i've done for class have been both fun and rewarding. on the other hand, i probably wouldn't complete a phd until i'm 35 at least, it would include a lot of sustained work that sounds difficult, etc.
i just got really painful hiccups. ugh.
anyway, so there's that.
i'm taking two classes, content management and professional writing theory and research. content management is a 400-level (i.e., undergrad-level) class, but it's the second/third in a series and it assumes that students have taken the other class(es). which i haven't. so i've been frustrated/irritated/off-put by that, but i emailed the prof yesterday and he sent me back a list of tutorials that should help me get up to speed. which makes me feel better.
professional writing theory and research is a grad-level class. i'm one of two second-semester ma's...and everyone else is either a second-year ma or a phd student. which, as you might imagine, is a little intimidating. but the prof is really really good about making sure that everyone understands all the lingo that flies around. in fact, he's my second committee-member candidate for basically that reason. besides that, i met with him for the something class-related and he made me feel a lot better about stuff in general. so yeah.
i'm being pulled in a lot of different directions. the writing center is awesome, i've made some great friends through it, but there's always a ton to do/get involved in. like right now, i'm the second life coordinator, i'm on the grant writing and assessment committees, i consult, i lead a creative writing group for msu students, i attend a community creative writing group, i've been to (and been part of a roundtable at!) one writing center conference, i'm probably going to be part of proposing something at another. i might start scheduling second life hours (which everyone assumes i do anyway, but i don't--katie does). i think that's all the wc stuff, but it feels like a ton. like today, i had meetings from 11 to 3:30.
not that i'm complaining. it's a great place, it's where my assistanceship is through, it's my main support system.
this week i went to dinner with one of chris's (and now my) friends. it was a great time, though i felt like i talked way too much. but i already knew that i have a bunch of hilarious stories, and it was nice to tell them to someone who appreciated them. plus! she's going to come to the next community creative writing group meeting in two tuesdays, which i'm stoked about. and a little weirded out about because of the whole worlds-collide thing.
i've also been working on/extensively thinking about my dad's book. i've been meeting with dean on thursdays to talk about the book or whatever sundry stuff seems important at the time. basically, i make writing center appointments to hang out with him, but it works. he's a good sounding board. i think my next move for the book is to record an oral history with my dad and just have him tell me the stories. i could definitely use the conversational context. another idea is to make a list of things that need to stay true-to-life and then give myself permission to fictionalize everything else.
fangirl moment: marilyn wann, author of fat!so?, is now my facebook friend. look at me networkin'! katie and i are planning to go to the asdah conference in june, where apparently all of the haes insiders will be. i should invite chris--seems like something that might be up his alley. the conference is in chicago, the registration fee is doable (like $40), and katie offered to drive, so i'm there. plus networkin'. plus yeahyeahyeah.
so many busies. so. many.
tonight i imed one of the candidates, my grant and proposal writing prof from last summer. i didn't know if he'd remember me, since 1) the class was last summer and 2) the class was online and 3) i've never met him in person. but apparently he did remember me, and he asked for my availability for the next couple weeks to set up a meeting, so hopefully that'll happen soon.
otherwise, i have a meeting with a second candidate next week, and i still need to set something up with the third. it's an interesting collection--i'm not sure whether they know or like or will work with each other, so that's something to consider, plus the fact that i don't have solid plans for what's gonna happen from here on out.
the last few weeks, i've felt like i'm not doing a thesis and i'm not doing a phd, but it's possible that that'll change. perhaps tonight. because there are a lot of pluses and minuses for both. i like the intellectual atmosphere in the program, all of my classmates are pretty amazing/brilliant, and parts of what i've done for class have been both fun and rewarding. on the other hand, i probably wouldn't complete a phd until i'm 35 at least, it would include a lot of sustained work that sounds difficult, etc.
i just got really painful hiccups. ugh.
anyway, so there's that.
i'm taking two classes, content management and professional writing theory and research. content management is a 400-level (i.e., undergrad-level) class, but it's the second/third in a series and it assumes that students have taken the other class(es). which i haven't. so i've been frustrated/irritated/off-put by that, but i emailed the prof yesterday and he sent me back a list of tutorials that should help me get up to speed. which makes me feel better.
professional writing theory and research is a grad-level class. i'm one of two second-semester ma's...and everyone else is either a second-year ma or a phd student. which, as you might imagine, is a little intimidating. but the prof is really really good about making sure that everyone understands all the lingo that flies around. in fact, he's my second committee-member candidate for basically that reason. besides that, i met with him for the something class-related and he made me feel a lot better about stuff in general. so yeah.
i'm being pulled in a lot of different directions. the writing center is awesome, i've made some great friends through it, but there's always a ton to do/get involved in. like right now, i'm the second life coordinator, i'm on the grant writing and assessment committees, i consult, i lead a creative writing group for msu students, i attend a community creative writing group, i've been to (and been part of a roundtable at!) one writing center conference, i'm probably going to be part of proposing something at another. i might start scheduling second life hours (which everyone assumes i do anyway, but i don't--katie does). i think that's all the wc stuff, but it feels like a ton. like today, i had meetings from 11 to 3:30.
not that i'm complaining. it's a great place, it's where my assistanceship is through, it's my main support system.
this week i went to dinner with one of chris's (and now my) friends. it was a great time, though i felt like i talked way too much. but i already knew that i have a bunch of hilarious stories, and it was nice to tell them to someone who appreciated them. plus! she's going to come to the next community creative writing group meeting in two tuesdays, which i'm stoked about. and a little weirded out about because of the whole worlds-collide thing.
i've also been working on/extensively thinking about my dad's book. i've been meeting with dean on thursdays to talk about the book or whatever sundry stuff seems important at the time. basically, i make writing center appointments to hang out with him, but it works. he's a good sounding board. i think my next move for the book is to record an oral history with my dad and just have him tell me the stories. i could definitely use the conversational context. another idea is to make a list of things that need to stay true-to-life and then give myself permission to fictionalize everything else.
fangirl moment: marilyn wann, author of fat!so?, is now my facebook friend. look at me networkin'! katie and i are planning to go to the asdah conference in june, where apparently all of the haes insiders will be. i should invite chris--seems like something that might be up his alley. the conference is in chicago, the registration fee is doable (like $40), and katie offered to drive, so i'm there. plus networkin'. plus yeahyeahyeah.
so many busies. so. many.