Totally Cheating but Inserting Turkey Day post in here

I had one of the best thanksgivings ever. It was SOOOOOOOOO much fun. My handsome husband’s mom has a new man. I got to spend time with my stepdaughter…I got to see my nieces and kick it with my brother in law. I got to stir up a lot of trouble. All in all a fantastic Turkey Day.

In keeping with tradition here is what I am most thankful for:

1.) My family including of course my handsome husband, wonderful SD, parents, sister, in laws

2.) We are financially stable and able to do pretty much what we want.

3.) My education

4.) My dog

5.) My seemingly endless choices in terms of my future

So Jamie (SD’s mom) suggested I make a more personal blog. But I just don’t know how to separate it out right now. I just don’t think I can. Once I finish the dis the blog won’t be as overwhelming. I think it would make it less organic to split it up. And she wants more pics. Little does she know that I am the laziest person alive when it comes to pics.

"Half this game is ninety percent mental." Yogi Berra

No news is not good news when it comes to your dissertation. But that is where I am. I had to organize a big research project this past week. After that was done my parents were in town. We had a good visit but it means I didn't get anything important such as my dissertation accomplished. Sigh. Makes me sad because a dissertation is like a shark it has to stay in motion or it dies. That might not be the best analogy, but it is all I have for the day.

I am going to the Marine Corps ball on Friday. I am looking forward to it. Found the perfect cocktail dress. Additionally next weekend I will be in fabulous Las Vegas. Then it is turkey time. After thanksgiving my work load should drop down. Once that has happened I will be all systems go on the dissertation. :)

New Dissertation Plan

So …I am going to get up every morning and apparently have a good cry about my dissertation. Then go about my day like a sane person.

Not much of a plan I realize, but I don't have anything else that seems to be helping at the moment. Maybe I will go organize my shoe closet again. Sigh. :(

Random Sunday Night Post

Is there anything sexier than Peyton Manning when you can hear his audibles? I love listening to him say "Hut"

"Never mistake motion for action." Hemingway

So why hasn't IPG been discussing her dissertation? Because she is stuck. Stuck in the mud. I sat down and had a good old fashioned cry about it this morning. Let me just tell you that Bey was ecstatic about that little development. Tears flowed as I realized how overwhelmed I really am. I am going to have to come up with a new plan for working on my dissertation. However this week I am conducting a big research project that involves polling voters. Because it involves polling voters it has to be worked on for Tuesday. This means that Monday and Tuesday will be filled with coordinating my research problem.

Wednesday will be spent cleaning my house frantically because my parents are coming on Thursday – Sunday. It is going to be fun, and I am happy they are coming. I miss them. So I am going to have to puzzle this dissertation problem out while being busy this week. A dear friend said to me today. "Everywhere you turn there is change and it makes you nervous. You think that you need to stabilize your life now, but this may be impossible with so many circumstances out of your control. Instead of trying to do the impossible, focus your attention on how you react to what's happening. Your life will get easier once you give up the idea of being in charge of it all." Thanks El Paso. Some truer words have never been spoken.

Let the record show

So my stepdaughter was listening in to her stepdad on the phone. And he mentioned going to a strip club. Anyway, SD says "I know about strip clubs." And her mom goes, "How?" And SD says, "IPG." For the record I have never taken her to a strip club. I have never had conversations with her about strip clubs. She and I walked past a strip club when we were in New Orleans. Let the record show I don't talk to nor do I take 11 year old girls to strip clubs.

Been Poaching from Jamie

Ok so I totally stole this from Jamie. :) Sorry. But I am so proud of this kid! She made straight A's last year all year! And this year she made straight A's in her first quarter of six grade! I am so proud of you little girl.

So to my darling SD. Bey and I are proud of you. You are costing us a fortune in good grade gifts. But it is totally worth it.

Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling in at night. -Millay

Since I am out of town…just a one nighter actually going home today…I wanted to write about Bey. I miss my guy. He is the person that fills the room up for me. Of course I am thinking about all of this because I am worried he is going to be jetting off to Phoenix without me. I want him to get the job. I know it would be best for us if he were to get the job. I just don't want to be left by myself indefinitely. I can handle life by myself, I lived alone until 2005. But it will be tough to stick it out in Mississippi if my heart is in Phoenix, AZ.

So time for a little introspection…how much of this is I am going to miss him, and how much is me just not wanting to be left behind? I woke up the other morning, and I was ready to move to Phoenix. There is not anything wrong with Mississippi, and I am going to miss so many things about it. One of my favorite things about Mississippi is when you tell people you live there they feel the need to spell it for you, and they can't just spell it "M-I-S-S" etc. They spell it like this "M-I-Crooked Letter-Crooked Letter-I" I love it. I tell people I am from Mississippi all the time just so that they will spell it to me. I am sure I will find little joys like that in Phoenix too, but really that gets me every time.

Dissertation is coming along. Not as rapidly or as completely as I would like. However it is moving…I guess I should be happy that I am chugging along. But mostly I am just impatient. Bey said to me the other day. "I do not know why you are rushing. Lots of people take 7 years to finish." SO help me Bey if you ever utter that phrase around me again…I am going to be a widow. ;) I am rushing because if I stop for a fraction of a second I am going to collapse. I might not get up and get started again which would be a terrible thing. That is truly why I am working so hard. There is no two ways about it.

I am working entirely too much. I really need to be working about 25% less. Other than that my cup runneth over!

I could not be any blonder today if I tried

I have got to get Thanksgiving booked. Everyone is bothering me about it. EVERYONE…MIL, Bey, my mom (who isn't involved at all), SD…the list is endless.

I swear I am going to take care of it THIS WEEK. I have to go out of town for work this week. It is only an overnighter. I will hopefully be able to get back on track with my dissertation after I get home.

I have a few things going on in upcoming weeks. I am going to be going to Birmingham to see some friends. I will be going to Jackson to have some girl time with one of my friends. I am going to a conference. My parents are coming to visit, and I am going to El Paso for Thanksgiving. That gets us right up to the holidays.

It is so fun because I started the year with so much travel, and now I am ending it traveling as well. :)

I love it!

Carpe Diem

It is still gorgeous here. A little cool but still gorgeous so we are taking the boat out. However the day is really starting with a bang because the boat's battery is dead again. The boat's battery pretty much dies all the time. Like around the clock. I hope this isn't going to be one of those boating days…the type of boating days where everyone is a tiny bit snippy. Ah well we will have to go to Columbus, trade out the battery again. But at least the sun is still shining and we can take the boat out.

:)

"Wit is educated insolence." Aristotle

I have had about all of the Y chromosome I can handle lately. I love my guys. Bey, guy friends, family, I love 'em.

But I have had my fill of them lately. I need some girl time. I need to go out to dinner talk about men and shoes.

I need to discuss the movie Sex and the City, and the relative benefits of Mac makeup versus Clinique.

I read a book this week that was so beautiful made me cry in TWO places. Yep definitely needing some girl time.

To remedy this situation I am going to see my friend in Jackson. Her husband travels quite a bit so we will be planning

one of those girls nights.

I am going to glam it up. Lots of makeup and hair…shoes that make my feet cry. Dinner and talking. I am going to talk

until I am sick of talking. I have been talking in my sleep lately…I am taking this as a sign that I need some girl talk time.

So hurray for girls! I am getting my girl night. No Y chromosomes allowed.

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." Albert Einstein

The saying goes that if you lie down with dogs you rise up with fleas. Another one of those sayings is you are who you hang around. I overthink things. I know I overthink everything. However do I overthink things because I am an academic or am I an academic because I overthink things?

And why can't I just shut my brain off? I just can't…I think and think and think. I look at everything from 100 different angles. It makes for great insomnia. It makes for great research ideas. I am always full of creative research ideas. But it doesn't leave me with any sanity. After I leave the coffee shop today I want to go somewhere where I can't think. I don't know where that place could be, perhaps a loud rock concert. This might be difficult to find in the middle of the day on a Tuesday.

But back to the original question….do I overthink because I am an academic? Or am I an academic because I overthink? I mentioned a few weeks back about Bey's incredible ability to think nothing. I don't have penis envy…but I sure as heck have Nothing thinking envy. AND get this…I have thought about this phenomena so much…I want to research it. Read some papers on it. Never mind that it isn't in my area.

I need an off button.

Ha! All caught up!

I am sensing a trend! Like last Sunday…I am all caught up on my work. Now I just need to stop watching this stupid movie and go to bed. I love being caught up on my work. I will be implementing operation Coffee Bean tomorrow to help kick start my dissertation process. I will give an update on how the new plan works.

Whooo Hooo Goooo Saints

Today was a fun day at our house. Bey is a RAIDERS fan, and I am a Saints fan. The Saints handled the Raiders! YEAH!!!

At least my Saints took care of business. We will not discuss the Auburn Tigers…having a day of mourning for them.

Also the one and only true love of my life AKA Peyton Manning did AWESOME today too. (This is sort of an inside joke at my house, but I am not joking about my undying devotion to Peyton).

Tomorrow I am not going to change my routine a bit. I have been writing daily at the library. While writing at the library would seem to be ideal. I am mixing it up starting tomorrow. I am going to start writing at a coffee shop near campus. I think it will help jump start my creativity. I just need a bit of a change of scenery. Plus I love coffee shops. I was thinking about working at the Barnes and Noble on campus so I can sit and smell delicious Starbucks and BOOKS. I think those are 2 of the best smells in the world. However I am woman enough to admit that writing in the B and N is just too much temptation. I would be looking at the stacks and buying books every day. So I decided to give myself a sort of compromise.

“Hell is other people” Jean-Paul Sartre

I am having one of those days. Typically I am gregarious. I feel like being around other people. I love having my friends over. I came home last night from Atlanta. I walk in the door…people here. I just wanted to take a bath…but for reasons unknown there is a turtle in my bathtub.

I got some sleep thinking I was just tired and some rest would improve my mood. However I was sorely mistaken. I woke up in the same mood today as I was last night. Frustration over my dissertation…that would be my first reason…other things I am not at liberty to discuss here also could be causing this little mood.

So I am taking the day today. I am taking it back for myself. I am kicking that dang turtle out of the bathtub. Then I am going to watch football. Auburn better not let me down today. I could really use some good news. After a full day of football I should be back to my normal self. If not I will repeat this remedy again tomorrow. Rest…NFL…maybe even a good book. I should be back to something representing normal Monday.