Things are finally right in the world of college football.

I had class ALL day on Saturday. It was a great class, and I learned lots! I am pretty happy because my Friend Natalie is in class with me. I managed not to stick my foot in my mouth during the class discussion! Ha! I also worked really hard at getting all caught up.

As I have said before I am going to Buenos Aires from October 6-13th. I want to be at least caught up so that when I leave I can at least 1/2 way enjoy myself. :) After I got out of class I came straight home. I had to catch the Auburn/Florida game. I have to be completely honest I thought Auburn was going to lose. However I was pleasantly surprised to see them come out kicking. Heck yeah War Eagle! Luckily handsome hubby was keeping the faith. He and I cheered Auburn on to their 20-17 victory over the forth ranked Florida Gators.

I know I have a few Gator fans that read here. So I would like to post a video for you. Do not worry. It has nothing to do with the game.


Lots of work today. We are doing one of those garage floors where you paint it with Epoxy and then spread paint chips. :) We also stained the deck. I am so proud, and so happy that our lovely projects are done. Our garage is perfectly organized, and our deck is protected for at least 3 years. :)



Now if I could just finish my homework. I would go to bed. :)

Note to Self

I must use spell check when I blog late night. I have had roughly 8 hours of sleep in the last 4 days. That works out to not enough sleep for you math people. I also have the general motivation of a slug today. You know how when you have one of those days that you have SOOO much on your list of to do that you don't want to even get started to begin with? Welcome to Friday.

I need to write a chapter synopsis for chapters 4,5, and 6 for one class. I just turned in our group project for another class. I have to read the chapters for yet another class and prepare an assignment for class tomorrow. My last class I have an assignment due, but she hasn't clarified it.

For work, I have to post for my classes. I have to submit some grades for another class. I have to set up a course that begins next week. I have to return a few phone calls.

Other miscellaneous I have to go to the store. (We are having people over tonight). I have to pay bills online, and I have to straighten up this house. (We are having people over tonight). I also seriously need to schedule a powernap as I am exhausted to the point of tears.

I have never let my schooling interfere with my education. Mark Twain

Twainisms are some of my mos favorite quotes. I adore them. I judge authors by my desire to shang hai them and insist on a conversation after I have read what they wrote. For example, J.K. Rowling that new book had better be AWESOME or I am going to hire people to kidnap you and start writing Harry Potter again.



Plagiarism in my new department is killing me. There is a PhD student that turned in a paper that was 90 percent copied via the Internet. I have been emailing the prof sinlce last Tuesady about it. If she doesn't move to do something I am going straight to the Dean I have had enough. See that line? There is the line.

Other than hunting down cheaters. It has been a busy week. Hubby tested for the FBI today. If he makes it...I am changing his name immediately to Gman. :) I wrote papers and work on the general pile of stuff that crams my in tray.

Sigh I must go to sleep. I can't keep skating with out sleep. It is unfortunate, but I must be recharged as it were.

La professora no esta aqui

Ha! Today just has not been as productive as I needed it to be. SIGH. BIG FAT LOUD SIGH. Aside from learning how to do APA papers...I also got my program of study submitted.

I will be up late tonight. Working on all the other stuff I gotta do. My husband and I had words tonight. He accused me acidly of being a workaholic. He hissed it at me. "You are a workaholic. You work so much because you like it. Don't act like it is a chore you thrive on stress." I countered, "I am not a workaholic, I am just a type A. Type A's just work hard. There is a big difference." He likes to eat, and sleep indoors. (Not that we couldn't do that on his salary). But he likes to eat steak and travel. There much better.

This blog is cathartic. Helps me cleanse my soul and mind for the late night I am going to put in this evening. Note to self if hubby is going to keep this up...he needs to go back to school.

Going to get signatures

I will be going to get signatures for my Program of Study this morning. This is not as appealing to me today as it was yesterday because I am exhausted. I stayed up until 2 AM last night working. I got up at 8. I need to mention that yesterday I worked from 8 AM until 2 AM. That is right I put in an 18 hour day yesterday. Between the 4 classes I am taking and working full time...I am a busy girl.

Also because I am traveling to Argentina I have to do extra work just to stay ahead. Just so you know 18 hours didn't even put me ahead. It just got me where I needed to be today. I have 2 major projects to complete today not to mention a two hour training. Then I have to catch up with today's work.

Other than that...I could really use some caffeine. If I can just get through today. I believe that tomorrow will be oh so much better. :)

Some exciting news

My comps are scheduled. I will be taking my written comps on April 4 and 5th. I just have to get my program of study typed up and then signed. I plan to get it signed tomorrow. So that is really exciting news. I am proud of myself, and I am looking forward to my comps. (If you can believe that.) I really am ready to be ABD (all but dissertation) . ABD is actually slang, but whatever it is I am ready freddy. :)

I have two more courses to take in the spring. They are not big deals and I should be able to schedule them online. I have also been doing some research, and plan to submit a paper for a small regional conference. I am looking forward to that. I have a journal on my scope that I should be getting some work done for as soon as possible. This should translate into right December...since I have lots of other stuff going on.

I will be coming up with a study schedule that I will be posting here. I don't know when I receive my comp questions, but as soon as I do I will be prepping answers.

Something very special about...

JEEZ...finally. An Auburn Football score that doesn't require me to hang my head in shame. It hurts living here in Mississippi State country when Auburn loses. It doesn't help at all. Finally there are stupid fans around here that have the nerve to tell me I should be embarrassed of my Auburn gear after a loss to them. Please. If they couldn't wear their state gear after every loss they would never get to wear their state gear. :P

Ah well...Louisville lost, and maybe Georgia'll lose. Looks like USC is going to win...booo. Well I can enjoy Auburn's win. ...and maybe just maybe Georgia'll lose. That could make for an almost perfect Saturday. ;)

Some of the projects we got up to today. :) Cleaning out the garage, and creating extra storage in the attic. We are going to paint the garage floor too.

Please call me Doctor

We were discussing in a group meeting today how insufferable new Ph. D.'s are! And I admitted I am going to be one of the worst. Not really...ok maybe just a little. :) In the course of our discussion I teased, "When I finish my Ph.D. I won't answer to anything but Doctor. Not even Dr. Adams...just Dr. hehe" Of course I am teasing. I like teasing my husband about it! Actually he teases me too...I won't say...but if you know him...you know that is is naughty teasing. :)

I have also decided to be super efficient so I am going to send an email out to all my students with this handy list. They can just pick a number for their fallacious argument for why their assignments are late. This way I don't have to read mountains and mountains of excuses. They can just send me an email with a number. Like this,

"Dear Professor IPG,

5.

Sincerely,
John Q. Student"

That saves lots of time. More efficient! I suggest everyone adding this list of fallacious arguments for late work to their syllabus. (Oh P.S. as a bonus all are linked to the fallacious arguments page for quick look up)!

1. Ad Hominem (Argument To The Man)
2. Affirming The Consequent
3. Amazing Familiarity
4. Ambiguous Assertion
5. Appeal To Anonymous Authority
6. Appeal To Authority
7. Appeal To Coincidence
8. Appeal To Complexity
9. Appeal To False Authority
10. Appeal To Force
11. Appeal To Pity (Appeal to Sympathy, The Galileo Argument)
12. Appeal To Widespread Belief (Bandwagon Argument, Peer Pressure, Appeal To Common Practice)
13. Argument By Emotive Language (Appeal To The People)
14. Argument By Fast Talking
15. Argument By Generalization
16. Argument By Gibberish (Bafflement)
17. Argument By Half Truth (Suppressed Evidence)
18. Argument By Laziness (Argument By Uninformed Opinion)
19. Argument By Personal Charm
20. Argument By Pigheadedness (Doggedness)
21. Argument By Poetic Language
22. Argument By Prestigious Jargon
23. Argument By Question
24. Argument By Repetition (Argument Ad Nauseam)
25. Argument by Rhetorical Question
26. Argument By Scenario
27. Argument By Selective Observation
28. Argument By Selective Reading
29. Argument By Slogan
30. Argument From Adverse Consequences (Appeal To Fear, Scare Tactics)
31. Argument From Age (Wisdom of the Ancients)
32. Argument From Authority
33. Argument From False Authority
34. Argument From Small Numbers
35. Argument From Spurious Similarity
36. Argument Of The Beard
37. Argument To The Future
38. Bad Analogy
39. Begging The Question (Assuming The Answer, Tautology)
40. Burden Of Proof
41. Causal Reductionism (Complex Cause)
42. Changing The Subject (Digression, Red Herring, Misdirection, False Emphasis)
43. Cliche Thinking
44. Common Sense
45. Complex Question (Tying)
46. Confusing Correlation And Causation
47. Disproof By Fallacy
48. Equivocation
49. Error Of Fact
50. Euphemism
51. Exception That Proves The Rule
52. Excluded Middle (False Dichotomy, Faulty Dilemma, Bifurcation)
53. Extended Analogy
54. Failure To State
55. Fallacy Of Composition
56. Fallacy Of Division
57. Fallacy Of The General Rule
58. Fallacy Of The Crucial Experiment
59. False Cause
60. False Compromise
61. Genetic Fallacy (Fallacy of Origins, Fallacy of Virtue)
62. Having Your Cake (Failure To Assert, or Diminished Claim)
63. Hypothesis Contrary To Fact
64. Inconsistency
65. Inflation Of Conflict
66. Internal Contradiction
67. Least Plausible Hypothesis
68. Lies
69. Meaningless Questions
70. Misunderstanding The Nature Of Statistics
71. Moving The Goalposts (Raising The Bar, Argument By Demanding Impossible Perfection)
72. Needling
73. Non Sequitur
74. Not Invented Here
75. Outdated Information
76. Pious Fraud
77. Poisoning The Wells
78. Psychogenetic Fallacy
79. Reductio Ad Absurdum
80. Reductive Fallacy (Oversimplification)
81. Reifying
82. Short Term Versus Long Term
83. Slippery Slope Fallacy (Camel's Nose)
84. Special Pleading (Stacking The Deck)
85. Statement Of Conversion
86. Stolen Concept
87. Straw Man (Fallacy Of Extension)
88. Two Wrongs Make A Right (Tu Quoque, You Too)
89. Weasel Wording

Please note I am merely being funny here. :) I just have read about 4000 emails on why assignments are late. :)

Finally

I am finally done with the paper. I am finally done grading and I am finally done doing all my work. I can finally go to bed. I have just now officially put in a 16 hour day. Sixteen hours is a long time to work.

I am afraid I have bitten off more than I can chew this fall. I have to go get some sleep because I gotta do this again tomorrow.

Sigh.

Thanks for listening.

Minimalism

Around the time I began to use words like "hoi polloi" and aplomb, a man I barely knew asked my parents if he could marry me.

The man was kind, but we were not even dating. The man I had known for one month showed up at my parent’s home while I was on Spring Break. I remember knowing that while I was hanging with friends someone was trying to change my future, and knowing that I would have to get a restraining order if I could.

My head pounded in my ears as my mother told me to come home.

She said, “We will be ok, but do you think he is dangerous?”

The blood pounded in my ears. But I did not feel like going home. At the beach, I knew pain awaited when I returned, but I couldn’t be motivated to go.

What happened was he had asked me to marry him before I went on spring break, which, means I had only known him 3 weeks then. But I exaggerated and said 1 month, because it sounded less crazy.

The five days I was supposed to be at the beach turned into ten. I thought maybe I would never go home.

_____________________________________________________________

As an update to this foray into the madness that is my mind at times. Shuggy is ok! She wasn't poisoned. Life can go back to normal.

OMG not again

We were reorganizing HH closet. He has so many shoes. You know those packets of fresheners that they put in shoe boxes? Well our cocker spaniel got a hold of one of those and tore it open. We are assuming she ate some of the poison. So after shoving a cup of milk down her throat with a turkey baster we rushed our dog to the vet school emergency room. You have got to be kidding me.

My Chessie died in July. I can't have another animal get sick on me now. I love my cocker spaniel but she is dumb. You have to worry about her getting into stuff because that is what she does!
Well I gotta go back up to the vet school. I had to come home and get my work done while daddy waited with the puppy.

An update on the kitty. We thought it was a girl. The little girl named her "Little Miss Oreo Katherine." Except now that we know it is a BOY she renamed the cat "Shug" after our dog. Because she met our dog when she picked up the cat.

So Shuggy. Get better. You have a legacy.

In class! :)

I am in class all day today. :) It is an excellent course with a lot of dynamic discussion. I am loving the idea of 5 all day Saturday classes. I get tired of going to class everyday. However it makes it more difficult to stay motivated. :)

Unfortunately it means I am going to miss a lot of football. However in the name of higher education, I can make these small sacrifices. It meant that I would miss the Tigerette reunion at Auburn, which is upsetting!!! I love going to the Tigerette reunions. We should have one again in 2009 I guess. So I can at least look forward to a reunion in the future.

Practically speaking having an all day class allows you to really expand on your knowledge as well as working on research. My research creative juices are starting to flow again. I just realized that I had some data sets that I must capitalize on to get some research done. I have some journal articles that I would like to target, and get some publications in the works again.

HAD TO DO THIS

I hate when I read research that just has a DUH! Factor. As in DUH!

As the chaos that is the summer slowly begins to wind down (into the chaos that is the fall), and I am able to get a few other items off of my impressive (almost awe-inspiring, really) to-do list. On that to do list is some research I have let fall by the way side. However...I am going to do some research that matters. Not this drivel. "Science is confirming what most women know: When given the choice for a mate, men go for good looks.

In the dating game, men know what they want.

And guys won't be surprised to learn that women are much choosier about partners than they are. "

This didn't come from the Onion this came from CNN. FYI this is not news. This shouldn't count as research. Give me your grant money back.

Check out this earth shattering "research."

There is a fine line....

This is a tough semester for me. I thought it was going to be a breeze. I am taking all of my classes online. Mississippi State offers only a few of their classes online. I managed to sign up for all of them online this term.

What this means is I have no where I actually have to be EVER. This is not that hard. Except that while I am staying caught up on work and school...I am also getting very bored. I am reading the Lord of the Rings. Watching some HGTV...rereading Harry Potter. Mostly I just work/and do school work. In all fairness that requires a lot of time for me. I might as well have an office because I have to spend the time. Many people ask me what are some of the challenges I face working from home. One thing I have to encourage others to remember is that working from home means being disciplined enough to work in an undisciplined environment. I have been working from home since 2002. I have the discipline down. :)

During the day it is not as easy to work as some would think. For some reason people assume that if you work from home you don't work. This is not the case. I work, and if I am off running errands with you...then I am not getting my work or school work done at home. That is the long and short of it.

I did do an unscheduled errand yesterday. I took handsome hubby or hh as I like to call him a surprise to work! He was pleased. It was nice to see that he was happy. I dropped off some balloons, a card, some of his favorite candy, and a little travel mug. Just a tiny happy to help him have a great day. :) He loved it. It was a great chance for me to make him smile.

I am nice to everyone...to their face!

My husband has some kind of allergic reaction that has given him a temporary lisp. Now I am bad wife. I admit it. I want to follow him around with a tape recorder when he talks with his lisp. My husband is a manly man he doesn't lisp. He is also a trainer and had to train today...you got it with a lisp. It was all I could do not to sneak into his classroom and bug it! I think it is the most hilarious thing that has happened to me in a long time.

Of course when he asks if it is that noticeable I do my wifely duty and swear that it isn't. TE HE! >:)

My course load is killing me this term. What was I thinking taking 12 hours? Was I nuts? It doesn't help that I am about as motivated as my dog. Hint: my dog sleeps about 18 hours a day during the week and like 20 on weekends. ;)

Not to mention that work is heating up and killing me. To dad I tont haf a lisp. I coult fone in thick. hehe!

So the cat

We rescued this kitten, and it has been living here with us for the last week. We vaguely were going to try and help it get grow and find it a home. We live in a college town. Students love pets. It should not be hard to find it a home. Unfortunately our dog has grown attached to the cat. This kitten thinks the cocker spaniel is her mom. She nurses on the cocker spaniel and the dog is spayed.

At any rate we found or rather my good friend Chris found the kitten a great home. We are all very happy. Now I am just worried about the dog again. The dog has had a rough two months. Her best friend in the whole world and love of her life died in July. She was so happy this cat was here. She was treating it like her little baby. Now after a short week...the cat has a home.

We are not cat people. We had no intentions of keeping the cat. However how do you explain that to a 2 year old cocker spaniel? You can't. She is going to down in the dumps again. I thought having the cat would perk her up a bit. But she is a really good mommy dog, and I see this as being exceptionally difficult for her.

Poor Shuggy. :(

You had me at War Eagle!

It is not you it is me. I just want a break. Can't we still be friends?

Ok. Auburn. My Alma Mater I love you. But I have got to concentrate on my school this term. I can not get wrapped up in football. They have changed the schedules so much. Here is a sample week.

Monday - Monday Night Football Obviously
Tuesday- College game
Wednesday- Sometimes some game
Thursday- ESPN college game
Friday- College Game
Saturday- Football Saturday College
Sunday- NFL football

So basically football every day. I can't take it. I love football. I watch ridiculous games I don't care about. I watch ranked teams I just want to lose so Auburn can move up. I hate Georgia so I always pull against them. I watch NFL teams I couldn't give one rip about.

But mostly I live, sleep, and eat Auburn Football. But my apologies to the Tigers this year. I can't. I love you. But I can't. Usually my emotions are tied with their triumphs and loses. I celebrate when we win. I mourn when we lose. Say we win. I live on cloud nine for about 6 seconds. Then I start worrying about our next game. Say we lose. I am in a funk until the following Saturday when we can fix it.

However I am taking 4 doctorate level courses. I am BUSY this term. I need more and more to focus on work and school. Repeat after me work and school. Not necessarily in that order. So like I said. Auburn Tigers...I love you. But this year...I gotta study.

All that said. I gotta get my homework done. The break up can start next week. The Auburn game is on at 8 CST.

On the rolling plains of Dixie
'Neath its sun-kissed sky,
Proudly stands, our Alma Mater
Banners high.

To thy name we'll sing thy praise,
From hearts that love so true,
And pledge to thee our
Loyalty the ages through.

We hail thee, Auburn, and we vow
To work for thy just fame.
And hold in memory as we do now
Thy cherished name.

Who knew?

Where did all this pent up belligerence come from? I sound like a teenager. Perhaps I have always sounded like this. I will have to ask my mother. :P

I have had a snarky couple of days. I actually have just been downright ornery. It doesn't help that I had had the flu. That has added to my orneriness. I hate when I am STUCK at home! I want to get out! DO SOMETHING. But instead I am sick. Like for example??? I started working at SEVEN AM THIS MORNING. How am I still working? How could anyone have that much to do? However here I am. Doing homework.

Being sick has made this worse.

In other news there is this kitten. This starving kitten...that has been sitting outside my house for several days. I have finally started feeding it. I am not going to have a starving animal anywhere near my house. However this cat needs to know. We are not cat people. We are not adopting a cat. :)

Ah well....I gotta finish this work.
NIGHT!

What things really mean...

I am a southerner. Many times I make a comment and while I might say one thing...I mean something else entirely.Let me give you an example if I tell someone "Bless your heart." I don't mean "Bless your heart." I could mean "You are an idiot" or "I am so glad I don't have your life" or "I told you so" or a myriad of other less nice thoughts. But I say "Bless your heart" or "You poor thing."

As a doctoral student they rarely spell out what you really need to know. They "highly suggest" you go to meetings. That means "GO TO THIS MEETING!" They say "It is advised that..." when what they mean is "I want you to do it this way."

I used to be friends with this girl that I actually quit being friends with because of her paranoid fantasies. I remember when she would make ridiculous commentary on the world beneath the world that no one knew existed. Well slap a label on me.

I am going to STOP this nonsense from this day forward. I am going to say what I mean. I hate when I am on airlines and they say "This is a small mechanical problem. This will only take us 10 minutes to fix." and that means that we are going to sit on this hot plane for 1.5 hours. I am sick of this world that isn't as it seems! From now on don't suggest that I show up to a meeting. If you want me at the meeting send it to my Outlook calendar. Bless your heart!

:P

Traveling...IPG

I am traveling this weekend. Visiting some friends and seeing some folks I haven't in a long while.
I have access to the computer, but I am not at it 24/7 like I usually am.

I wanted to leave a special note to my handsome hubby. :)

This one is for you baby.