My paper has been written, printed, scribbled on, edited, and printed again. Now there are two copies in my bag and I'm ready to hand them in, do my 5 minutes presentation (well, I'm lying...I'm not ready for the presentation...I'm waiting until after lunch then I'll reread the paper and make my speaking notes), and be finished with grad school!
Then I'm getting in the car and driving to Cary, NC going to sleep, waking up and driving to N. Litchfield Beach, SC and hanging with the family for a couple days. For my grandfather's 80th birthday party actually.
I had a little trouble packing last night...what does one wear to an 80 year old's birthday party? I'm hoping the answer is already in my suitcase because there isn't much I can do if it isn't.
For now all of you should click here to see two of my favorite pictures of 2009. He isn't mine, but he looks just like mine and it makes me melt.
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Guilt Free Blogging
I get on such a roll with this blog, and then something 'real life' happens and I fall off. Right now it is the one last stinking paper that is in the process of being written. The good news is that said paper is due on Thursday and I also have to present the paper that evening.
So, once that blankity-blank paper is finished I can be back to guilt free blogging - you know, where I can blog without thinking, knowing that there is something more pressing i should be doing. I'm sure I'll continue to put off things like laundry or dog walking for blogging, but neither of those things will 'fail' you if you are late so they aren't in the same category as a grad school paper.
After this weekend I can tell you about all of the cool things that are stacking up in life: we're moving (staying in NoVa), a beach trip, Christmas stuff, Terra Cotta Warriors, etc etc etc.
But for now, blogging is still full of guilt so I'm going to go take my dog outside and then get back to work on my paper.
So, once that blankity-blank paper is finished I can be back to guilt free blogging - you know, where I can blog without thinking, knowing that there is something more pressing i should be doing. I'm sure I'll continue to put off things like laundry or dog walking for blogging, but neither of those things will 'fail' you if you are late so they aren't in the same category as a grad school paper.
After this weekend I can tell you about all of the cool things that are stacking up in life: we're moving (staying in NoVa), a beach trip, Christmas stuff, Terra Cotta Warriors, etc etc etc.
But for now, blogging is still full of guilt so I'm going to go take my dog outside and then get back to work on my paper.
Friday, November 20, 2009
One Down, One to Go!
My lack of blogging is due to my first of two term papers being due this past Wednesday. It ended up being 23 pages on the topic of "political theater" focusing on the current bills in Congress addressing the public funding of congressional campaigns. (H.R.1826 and S.752 if you are interested)
It was an interesting topic and that made it easier to crank out the work.
I'm so glad to be finished with that paper, though we are still scheduled for more readings (yeah, right) and 3 more classes. I've mentally checked out, all I have left in that course is to do a 5 minute presentation on my paper - no sweat!
My next paper is due December 3rd and will be easier to compile. It is an election analysis/prediction for Pennsylvania's 11th district congressional race. A good primary race combined with a volatile economic and political climate should make this paper nearly effortless.
I am hoping to get some work done on the paper before we head to Massachusetts so that our Thanksgiving break can actually be a break!
I feel like this grad program has been good for me and could help me in my chosen profession, I'm really glad it is almost over and I now know that I have absolutely no desire to ever go back to school again! (Please remind me of this post if I ever start talking about going back to school again)
It was an interesting topic and that made it easier to crank out the work.
I'm so glad to be finished with that paper, though we are still scheduled for more readings (yeah, right) and 3 more classes. I've mentally checked out, all I have left in that course is to do a 5 minute presentation on my paper - no sweat!
My next paper is due December 3rd and will be easier to compile. It is an election analysis/prediction for Pennsylvania's 11th district congressional race. A good primary race combined with a volatile economic and political climate should make this paper nearly effortless.
I am hoping to get some work done on the paper before we head to Massachusetts so that our Thanksgiving break can actually be a break!
I feel like this grad program has been good for me and could help me in my chosen profession, I'm really glad it is almost over and I now know that I have absolutely no desire to ever go back to school again! (Please remind me of this post if I ever start talking about going back to school again)
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Cleanliness is next to Godliness
And you don't want to piss off God!
That is actually a quote from a dorky show I watch on Mondays, and by "on Mondays" I mean at some point later in the week after my classes are over, so Thursday/Friday/Saturday. Needless to say I haven't seen this week's episode yet, so there aren't any spoiler alerts here...
I actually want to sing the praises of clean. I love clean, clean makes me happy, clean makes me calm, clean lets me sleep better at night.
My wonderful amazing thoughtful husband vacuumed our dining area the other day because the roof had fallen in again (long story and I don't want to talk about it) and I didn't ask him to do it! I came home on Monday and as I gathered my things for sewing I noticed that the ceiling bits were missing from the carpet - I looked up to see if the ceiling was fixed (it was not) and since it wasn't I figured out that my wonderful amazing thoughtful husband had vacuumed! It made my day, and I slept better.
I don't know when this happened, and Mom, I'm sorry it didn't happen sooner, but I love it. I feel like I'm always picking up the apartment, and for some people it would get annoying but the end result is SO worth the 10-15 minutes it takes.
I have class tonight, and I won't get home until around 10pm but when I do get home I'll feel great because our home is clean...or at least it was when I left this morning, and that is enough to calm my soul for now.
That is actually a quote from a dorky show I watch on Mondays, and by "on Mondays" I mean at some point later in the week after my classes are over, so Thursday/Friday/Saturday. Needless to say I haven't seen this week's episode yet, so there aren't any spoiler alerts here...
I actually want to sing the praises of clean. I love clean, clean makes me happy, clean makes me calm, clean lets me sleep better at night.
My wonderful amazing thoughtful husband vacuumed our dining area the other day because the roof had fallen in again (long story and I don't want to talk about it) and I didn't ask him to do it! I came home on Monday and as I gathered my things for sewing I noticed that the ceiling bits were missing from the carpet - I looked up to see if the ceiling was fixed (it was not) and since it wasn't I figured out that my wonderful amazing thoughtful husband had vacuumed! It made my day, and I slept better.
I don't know when this happened, and Mom, I'm sorry it didn't happen sooner, but I love it. I feel like I'm always picking up the apartment, and for some people it would get annoying but the end result is SO worth the 10-15 minutes it takes.
I have class tonight, and I won't get home until around 10pm but when I do get home I'll feel great because our home is clean...or at least it was when I left this morning, and that is enough to calm my soul for now.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
No more summaries
I am so over school. Sometimes friends tell me how much they enjoy going back to school after having so many years off working in the real world...not me. I've decided that school is not for me.
In college I thought my attitude was to blame for my occasional lethargic behavior when it came to paper writing and book reading, but since I'm still dealing with it now I've decided it is a different problem. The teachers. Not them personally, and there are always exceptions, but for the most part the teachers are not engaging.
We're in WASHINGTON studying POLITICAL SCIENCE and yet they find ways to be dull. I'm tired of studying other people's theories, why not challenge us to create our own? Start a policy argument. Make an outrageous statement and select teams to defend and attack it. DO SOMETHING INTERESTING!!
The semester is halfway over and I'm glad. Hopefully I'll be finished forever and never have to write another 'weekly reading summary' as long as I live.
We need more interesting teachers, especially at the graduate level - this is nuts!
In college I thought my attitude was to blame for my occasional lethargic behavior when it came to paper writing and book reading, but since I'm still dealing with it now I've decided it is a different problem. The teachers. Not them personally, and there are always exceptions, but for the most part the teachers are not engaging.
We're in WASHINGTON studying POLITICAL SCIENCE and yet they find ways to be dull. I'm tired of studying other people's theories, why not challenge us to create our own? Start a policy argument. Make an outrageous statement and select teams to defend and attack it. DO SOMETHING INTERESTING!!
The semester is halfway over and I'm glad. Hopefully I'll be finished forever and never have to write another 'weekly reading summary' as long as I live.
We need more interesting teachers, especially at the graduate level - this is nuts!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
I hope my teacher likes me
He assigned us a 1,000 word paper, due tomorrow in class. I won't be there due to a work commitment, but I've finally decided my angle for the paper - and I hope my professor is in a good mood when he grades mine.
The assignment: Considering the health care debate, identify some of these organized interests for each or perhaps both parties. Which in your view, are particularly relevant and influential?
My answer: Due to the overwhelming complexities of healthcare and the total lack of organization with regards to the legislation, there is an absence of relevant and influential organizations in the debate. There are formerly relevant organizations, like the AMA that are losing influence as they lose members, and there are new organizations, like Sermo that are only beginning to function politically and have not yet earned policy clout, but neither type of organization that has the leadership, support, or experience to aptly steer healthcare reform.
That is the gist of how my paper will read. I'm hoping I'm the only one to tackle the topic this way, and I'm crossing my fingers that my professor will recognize my genius hidden away in the run on sentences.
The assignment: Considering the health care debate, identify some of these organized interests for each or perhaps both parties. Which in your view, are particularly relevant and influential?
My answer: Due to the overwhelming complexities of healthcare and the total lack of organization with regards to the legislation, there is an absence of relevant and influential organizations in the debate. There are formerly relevant organizations, like the AMA that are losing influence as they lose members, and there are new organizations, like Sermo that are only beginning to function politically and have not yet earned policy clout, but neither type of organization that has the leadership, support, or experience to aptly steer healthcare reform.
That is the gist of how my paper will read. I'm hoping I'm the only one to tackle the topic this way, and I'm crossing my fingers that my professor will recognize my genius hidden away in the run on sentences.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
My most recent misadventure
I had class both last night and tonight and both are scheduled to meet at the Hall of States on Capitol Hill. I got an email on Wednesday that class would not be held at the Hall of States, it would be held on GWU's campus (many many many blocks away from Capitol Hill). So on Wednesday I headed to campus and trudged all the way across campus - getting twin blisters from my fantastic shoes - only to arrive at the classroom five minutes before class....and it was completely empty.
At this point I mumbled something under my breath and headed down to the lobby to catch a cab back to the Hill. 15 minutes and $12 later I arrived at the Hall of States, signed in with security and went upstairs to join my classmates. The only good thing that happened was that two others arrived even later than me.
On Thursday (today), I again headed to GWU's campus because if the email telling me class had been moved had not been referring to my Wednesday class it must have been referring to my Thursday class......WRONG. I walked into a class room with matrices (multiple matrix) on the board and no less than 25 students of asian decent - aka, I walked into an advanced math class. Awesome.
20 minutes and $10 dollars later (I walked further tonight than last night before hailing a cab) I arrived at the Hall of States and joined my classmates. They were still going around the table doing introductions, so I wasn't horribly late - although no one came in after me so I was the only dufus today.
Stuff like that really gets me down - when I'm doing my best to be alert and prepared for a situation, and it just blows up in my face. At least now I know that my classes will be at the Hall of States, and I'll email whomever sent me that note to be sure I'm taken off of that class' list.
The one funny thing that came from this - you know how on college campuses you can tell who the freshman are during the first couple weeks because they are too dressed up? Well, at GWU you can tell who the freshmen are because the aren't dressed up enough! It is strange, but it is true and it made me smile on my way to the class that wasn't there.
At this point I mumbled something under my breath and headed down to the lobby to catch a cab back to the Hill. 15 minutes and $12 later I arrived at the Hall of States, signed in with security and went upstairs to join my classmates. The only good thing that happened was that two others arrived even later than me.
On Thursday (today), I again headed to GWU's campus because if the email telling me class had been moved had not been referring to my Wednesday class it must have been referring to my Thursday class......WRONG. I walked into a class room with matrices (multiple matrix) on the board and no less than 25 students of asian decent - aka, I walked into an advanced math class. Awesome.
20 minutes and $10 dollars later (I walked further tonight than last night before hailing a cab) I arrived at the Hall of States and joined my classmates. They were still going around the table doing introductions, so I wasn't horribly late - although no one came in after me so I was the only dufus today.
Stuff like that really gets me down - when I'm doing my best to be alert and prepared for a situation, and it just blows up in my face. At least now I know that my classes will be at the Hall of States, and I'll email whomever sent me that note to be sure I'm taken off of that class' list.
The one funny thing that came from this - you know how on college campuses you can tell who the freshman are during the first couple weeks because they are too dressed up? Well, at GWU you can tell who the freshmen are because the aren't dressed up enough! It is strange, but it is true and it made me smile on my way to the class that wasn't there.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Back to School
School started two weeks ago for Frank, and it starts today for me. I have two classes this semester, Political Parties & Elections and Legislative Politics. Tonight is LP - and from the syllabus it looks like the professor is pretty intense. A lot of reading and a "weekly one-pager" to go along will keep me busy! Both courses are part of the Masters in Legislative Affairs program at GWU's Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) so I expect to be in class with a fair number of masters candidates and even a couple PhD candidates. I'm earning a graduate certificate in PAC Management, and so far I've managed to get A's in all of my other courses - I have a feeling this isn't going to continue through the semester. One of the professors said in the syllabus, "An A is given for near perfection," this makes me think that A's are rarely earned in her course.
To go along with school, it became fall on Monday. Apparently someone told the DC Metro area that kids were returning to school and the temperature dropped so quickly and drastically that I had to pull out heavier sweaters and jackets just to take the dog outside in the morning! I'm hoping the warm/hot weather will come back for a couple of weeks, but up here you never know.
With the end of summer came the end of our vacation travels. Our next trip will be to Cary/Durham, NC for my high schoool friend Abigail's wedding at Duke Gardens. We'll be staying with the Androneys and I can't wait! It will be so fun to see some of my best friends from back home, and then to top it off spending time with Win & Greg (and smudge!) will just be a blast! We've got a few weeks until that trip, and I must say it is nice to just be home sometimes.
I'm off to work with a to-do list as long as my arm, and I need to squeeze in reading the Articles of Confederation between now and 6pm....we'll see how that goes.
Happy Hump Day!
To go along with school, it became fall on Monday. Apparently someone told the DC Metro area that kids were returning to school and the temperature dropped so quickly and drastically that I had to pull out heavier sweaters and jackets just to take the dog outside in the morning! I'm hoping the warm/hot weather will come back for a couple of weeks, but up here you never know.
With the end of summer came the end of our vacation travels. Our next trip will be to Cary/Durham, NC for my high schoool friend Abigail's wedding at Duke Gardens. We'll be staying with the Androneys and I can't wait! It will be so fun to see some of my best friends from back home, and then to top it off spending time with Win & Greg (and smudge!) will just be a blast! We've got a few weeks until that trip, and I must say it is nice to just be home sometimes.
I'm off to work with a to-do list as long as my arm, and I need to squeeze in reading the Articles of Confederation between now and 6pm....we'll see how that goes.
Happy Hump Day!
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