And now for something really bizarre

Today was a great day! :) I have been considering moving from one doctoral program to another, and yesterday I got in! I haven't wanted to tell anyone until it was WRAPPED UP! Anyway, the good news is it will only take me one semester more of course work to change into a program I believe that I will be more happy!

My DH has been really supportive of this move! I appreciate having the support I need through these difficult times. :) He has been so amazingly supportive! We are good friends with this couple that DH works with...anyway she is in vet school. I know that they feel some of the same things that we have. School is stressful, and leaves you burnt out. My hubby gets tired of school taking me away so often. It also makes me exhausted, and I need to be focusing on getting healthy again!

I have to go! My research awaits. The semester ends on Friday, and I am a busy gal!
April

Life miscellany

We had a busy weekend. My stepdaughter and I planned a great surprise party for my DH! He was completely surprised. It took a lot of planning! He almost ruined it! He got out of his movie early, and his best friend Joey had to distract him! It was comedy! He had to go to Wal-Mart for a hair spray emergency, and to Game Stop! He finally made it home, and was very surprised.
He
We had bought a cake, and had a cook out. There were five couples here plus 3 kids. This house has the most perfect layout for entertaining.

I have some pictures of the surprise party! I am glad DH got to enjoy it so much. He loved his Bday present! We bought him a PSP with all the accessories.

Yesterday SD started her painting and pottery course! I can't wait to see what she learns in this course. She and I are both signed up for a glass course. I am not artistic so I hope mine just turns out

The family that bathes together...stays together

My husband and I shower together. I get it honest...my parents almost always shower together. My mother works from home and still gets up at the crack of dawn to shower with my dad!

Anyway, my stepdaughter thinks this practice is WEIRD. Earlier today my husband and I jumped in the shower and although we told her we were showering she didn't listen. Consequently she started looking for us, and finally determined we were in the bathroom together. There was much banging of bathroom doors and gnashing of teeth. I finally was decent and answered the door! Poor thing couldn't find us. Bless her heart. Also she managed to say that she didn't think it was fair that she was excluded. My husband and I burst out laughing...not only would that be grossly inappropriate it would also be impossible! Anyway, it was cute how she wanted to be so involved that she didn't even want to be shut out of bathing. She went on to suggest bathing in our swim suits so that she could be included. :) I added that nugget to my heart of wonderfully sweet things my stepdaughter has said.

Etrade

I have an Etrade account that I use for investments. I have a very strict investment policy for this family. We max out our retirement accounts including my self employed 401k. Then I have some investments that I am hoping will do a great job earning for me. I have a few individual stocks, but mostly I invest in Mutual funds. I am doing my research on ETFs, and plan to start investing in ETFs as soon as I can do my research. Anyway, I am getting off track. I opened an Etrade account for investments not my retirement accounts. Also they have great rates on their savings accounts and money market funds. So Etrade sends me a check card for my money...and some checks. this is supposed to be a place where I am earning money NOT spending money. So why are they sending me all this crap? I don't need more stuff to keep up with!

At any rate...that is one of my pet peeves. Getting too much crap just because I opened an account on Etrade.

We had Aaron and Samantha to dinner tonight! It was fun breaking in the new deck. Our flamboyant neighbor Dwayne stopped by! It has really been a grand ole time on the old deck! :)

Insert Pithy Comment Here

Our deck is almost finished. I am going to post some pics because I am SUPER DUPER excited.


This is the gate that will keep the neighbor's children from cutting through our yard!













I think that it looks great! Our deck guys are cuties too!


They started work on Monday. It rained all day on Tuesday. They managed to get this all built on Wednesday and Thursday.




They are going to finish tomorrow. I will be posting pictures of the finished product.








We will be breaking it in on Sunday! We are having a surprise birthday party for Handsome Hubby on Sunday! SHHHHHH!





DH is going to be 31 on Sunday. I got him a PSP and some accessories. He has everything so it really was the only thing I could think of to get him. :( Yasmine and I have been planning ALOT. It is going to be tough to get him out of the house. I think she is going to say she wants to see Shrek 3!

Wow! It has been grand central station at our house today. First Ashley and Chris stopped by because we had their baby shower gifts. :) We didn't go to the baby shower because we were at the lake. While Chris and Ashley were here our friends and neighbors Chris and Kevin stopped by with their little girl Alex. Late night I was taking the Shuggy out and our neighbor Greg stopped by to check out the deck.

As far as work and other news goes we are doing great! I am pretty excited about all the great changes at the house. I will put up some finished product pics soon.

Yeah awkward isn't it?

So I got some big news via email today. I am not troll baiting...I swear I am not! But I can't say anything about it yet. However I have been praying and really feel like this whole situation will come to a close soon. When it does I am going to let loose! I hope that I will know something by Friday, but I am trying to be realistic. My realistic/optimistic date is July 9! Cross your fingers y'all!

My dad came home from work sick today displaying stroke symptoms. Of course he won't go to the doctor or hospital so I have to just sit 1800 miles away and worry. That is disappointing and annoying. My father is a stubborn man...and I don't feel as though it should be his time to go. I am not old enough to lose my father. I love him, and I want him to enjoy retirement with my mom.

DH baseball game got rained out today! So I am at home working on some homework. I am drowning in the amount of assignments I am required to turn in...THANKFULLY I am going to spend some time today getting caught up. Surely to goodness it will all be worth it when I can make you all call me Dr. April. :)

It rained all day today so the deck personnel couldn't come out and work on our deck. That is ok, but I was hoping they could get it finished. I am planning a surprise 31 b-day for DH on Sunday and wanted it ready. Ah well! I will live. Let's just hope it won't rain all week.

My stepdaughter is enjoying her time here, and it is great to see how she is growing and maturing. Her personality is really forming, and it has been fun enjoying her company this summer! This rain is making her stir-crazy while at the same time making all the adults lethargic.

I don't have anything profound to offer today other than I have 1.5 weeks left of summer one courses! That is not really profound. Oh! I had an article I wrote rejected from a journal today. I was pumped because they took 6 months to review it and believed that it was going to be accepted. I disagree with several of the reasons they gave for rejection and this puts me back to the drawing board in terms of publishing this article. That is more annoying than profound. To date this paper has been rejected twice.

I had planned to spend the month of may writing a book. I have an idea for a really great book. I believe I could get it accepted and published if I just sat down and wrote. I am self motivated and very disciplined, but this book as of yet has no wings. I have done all the research and compiled around 1500 pages of research for the text. If I could just get it written I would feel better. Even if I could never find a home for it...I would have tried, and wouldn't be able to say "If only I ...."

I am out of fodder for today's post. I need some sleep as my insomnia is threatening to catch up with me. :)
April

Operation Showerhead

Yikes we had a busy weekend! We had granite countertops installed on Friday. WE have been negotiating like pros to get a deck built on our house. We had just finished refinishing our scored concrete flooring. Finally handy hubby installed dual showerheads into our showers. It is like being at a spa in there now! LOVE IT!

This is what we have left to do. Install the on bowl sink in the guest bath!
This is similar to what we are doing with out all the shiny tiles. We are installing ours on granite. :) I like the shiny tiles, but not in my bathroom. As I said earlier I believe I am a white walls kinda girl. :) I might go buck wild and paint an accent wall Khaki! Crazy I know :0)!


Here is our new shower...


Can't wait! I am so excited about all the housing projects! Ok...well I am going to go test that dual showerhead out! I have a long day ahead of me. Keep your fingers crossed and me in your prayers. I have some fun updates that are going on in my life, and I will be keeping you all posted.

Holy Punctuation Batman

I was just reading some of my recent posts, and...wow I shouldn't blog at night. My responses look like I have never seen a comma before in my life. :P

The house is quiet right now. My stepdaughter and dear husband (DH) are fast asleep. One of the dogs is sleeping at my feet. I like getting up at this time and getting work done. To those of you that know me personally, you know I don't actually sleep. I need some sleeping pills sooooo bad. Right now I am getting about 1 to 2 hours per night uninterupted. Overall I am getting about 4 total. Four would be plenty if I could get it all in a row. :(

Insomnia is something I struggle with! It is a horrible problem, and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

My baby

There is so much I need to discuss about my dysfunctional department, but until I get my dominoes in a row I gotta pontificate on other matters. :) I was looking over some of my last few posts and YOWZA! I gotta keep it pithy.


We have my stepdaughter living with us for the summer. Can I just say that I love it? I look forward to it all year long. She comes and stays and I get to be a mom for the summer. I met her when she was 5 (nearly 6), and at almost 10 I have known her most of her life. Her parents divorced when she was six months old, so before you start painting a scarlet A on my chest...the divorce was way over when I meandered into the picture.

As far as children go...I have never wanted to be a mom. Having children has never been something I wanted to do. I have always been so goal oriented. I want to finish my Ph.D. ...I want tenure, and I want to have accumulated my first million by the time I am 40. All of that is possible, and would be a lot easier to do with out a child. All my life people have told me I will change my mind. But I don't feel the urge. I have friends that are pregnant and outside of a mild curiosity...I am not interested. I am not such a fan of babies. Take my stepdaughter for instance...she is old enough to watch the news with me and discuss current events. I am working on her math this summer with her. She is this tiny person that has a blank path laid out in front of her. She captures my interest and I can spend hours with her discussing topics and watching how her mind works. There is no way that a baby can be that intellectually stimulating.

I kept thinking that when I turned 30 that my mind would change, but I believe that turning 30 has merely exacerbated the feeling that I am not designed to be a mom. My mother stayed home and took care of my sister and I. She is the smartest woman I know, and at times I just wonder if it was a waste. Does she resent me? Those high power earning years? Does she ever think she should have pursued a career that could have fulfilled her? She has a masters degree in economics, and she never got to practice as an economist. As I said earlier I feel as though being a Ph.D. student has consumed my identity...I know that becoming a mom would completely command my identity.

Before anyone reading this gets incensed...these are my own personal feelings. According to my mother all these feelings would/could change the minute someone put my child in my arms. But as things stand I am frustrated with the state of this country. I am frustrated with paying into a social security system that is broken. I am annoyed that the illegal immigration issue can't be fixed with out breaking me "Jane Taxpayer's back." I want a fair tax so that I don't continue paying more income tax. I am tired of paying all those taxes. I also think the country has gone mad. I am all for freedom of speech, but I just do not understand how ridiculous things like speakers at a high school encouraging students to take drugs and have sex can mostly be ignored. So aside from all these issues...is this a place I would want to bring a child?

And on an even more selfish note any financial adviser will tell you that if you want to be wealthy you must not have children. I already have one child. She is 10, and I have plans for the car I will give her at 16. I have her college education taken care of already. Surely those two big ticket items take care of some of the financial burden. Other than paying for her wedding one day...I think I have planned pretty well! At any rate, wealth is something I work hard at building. I want to be independently wealthy so financially that has to be a consideration.

On the flipside my husband would like another child. We go back and forth as a couple about what we are going to do. Thankfully I won't be out of school for another year at least so I have time to decide. :)

The cool factor

One of the most disturbing things I found when I joined the Ph.D. program was that I was no longer cool. Ok, I am not saying I used to be super cool...but after you start your Ph.D. FORGET IT.

It doesn't matter if you cheered in high school...played football in college or was a football recruiter. Having a great job in the past...a pile of money. None of that matters. When you go get your Ph.D. you are now a nerd. This is a harder pill to swallow for some folks than others. One of my profs discussed this with me and it came as a shock! I had never thought of it in quite so harsh of terms.

So...I guess in addition to losing my freedom, losing my autonomy, and losing my ability to tell people to stick it up their nose when they totally deserve it...I lost all kinds of cool points. I was trying to think of non-nerdy Ph.D.s but I haven't had much success. Definitely not Business Information Systems. Math is pretty nerdy. All of the hard sciences are even nerdier than BIS. Engineering is definitely even less cool if possible than BIS. I pretty much lump all of business together...so nothing new in coolness there. Nah I am drawing blanks. A word to the wise...when you get a Ph.D. you sign away your right to be cool.

Piled Higher and Deeper

Why did I want a Ph.D.? Some mornings those thoughts haunt me. I wake up and decide that I was crazy. Other days I am better off...I remember the hows and whys. It is such a wild wild roller coaster ride. I don't understand. :(

For example, I enjoy school. I actually love to read, and typically list it as one of my hobbies. Huh! Well I have to pontificate later...I actually have to go to class.

Day one blog one

For quite a while now I have kept a list of information surrounding what it is like being a Ph.D. student. For reasons only those of you in graduate school will understand... it becomes the thing that defines me. "I can't take that trip because I have school, or I am on break and it is awesome, or I have to study, or I am taking finals"...basically it becomes who I am. When people ask me tell me a little bit about myself, I automatically blurt out "I am a Ph.D. student." Not I am a published author, or a wife, or a step-mom, or the mother to two fantabulous doggies. Nor do I state I am a business owner or a world traveler or a bibliophile. Those five all important words seem to sum me up just fine. I am a Ph.D. student.

I started my program in August of 2005, and I plan/anticipate/better be done late 2008. Once I finish I will insist that you all call me Dr., and I will cease answering to anything to the contrary. I wrap up my Ph.D. course work in August. This would normally be a milestone in any other degree, but really means I am just getting started. I have comprehensive written and oral exams left, and then there is the subject of that little paper I gotta write! :)

Let me give a bit of background, then I will conquer what I intended on this notorious day. I work for myself as an independent contractor. I write software and do systems analysis and design, about 90% of the work I do is from home. I went to Auburn University for my B.S. and M.S. I used to work for PriceWaterhouseCoopers. The largest complaint I have working from home, and for myself is that people think I do not work. They think it is ok to assume I am goofing off while others operate their wheel barrows in hades.

In July 2005 I got married to my AWESOME husband. He is ultra supportive. He moved to NOWHERE Mississippi for me so I could pursue my dream. He is also a programmer and web developer so we are well matched. He works for the University.

At any rate that is enough bio info for now. In addition to my contract labor I teach a few online college courses. Hence the name of this blog. I love the "Nutty Professor" persona, but as a woman there is a scarcity of movie role models. :)

My husband and I have 2 dogs. They are adorable, and keep me comfy during my long days of studying or working. I also have a 9 year old step daughter. She lives in Phoenix, and visits us when she can.

The goals for this blog are to have a place to vent about my at times dysfunctional department. To be able to provide insight and or advice to lonely lost Ph. D. students or would be doctoral students looking for some answers. Finally I would like to be able to document my dissertation work progress so that I will be able to possibly publish it in the future as a how to guide or just to keep myself on target! Either way in terms of academia it should be a wild ride...for the rest of you...if you loved me you would read my blog!