Be good and you will be lonely. Mark Twain

In case you are wondering this is my dad's trophy mule deer. This is such a nice trophy that the hunting outfitters showcased his picture via their website. I have more pics of my dad hunting in Africa...I should put them up as well. Anyway I was proud of him so I wanted to upload his pic.

My dad has invited handsome hubby to go big horn sheep hunting this fall. That is exciting. I know HH is dying to go. Soon my office will be filled with heads like my mom's. She actually also has a bear rug and a zebra rug in residence. Also in case you are wondering my family eats quite a bit of venison.

I am letting the time get away from me. Or I fear that I am letting the time get away. It seems like it is slipping through my fingers. (Believe me I am not complaining...it is just that there seems to be so much to do.)

Today we decided we would try to start trying to have a baby in June. June is perfect. I should be done with my comps and working on my dissertation. Hopefully I will be able to write and make a baby at the same time. Hubby worries that if he gets into the FBI I will be pregnant with out him. He doesn't want to miss a second of it. He claims it will also be hard on me to be alone. Perhaps. However I want to be Dr. X prior to having any children. So it can't be prior to June. So June.....

"You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas" Davy Crockett

It is Saturday night. I am still awake. My insomnia hasn't let up. It refuses. Why? I have no idea. Typically I don't have these kinds of repeated problems. However insomnia is one of my nearest and dearest friends. Uninvited, unliked, but consistent nevertheless.

I went to get a pedicure on Friday. As you may or may not know I have been having health problems. I am mostly out of the woods health wise. But my toenails have been falling out as part of my illness. Well I hadn't had a toenail fall out in several months so I thought I would try to get a pedicure. No dice. I sat down, and the nail person had barely began when TWO toenails fell off. So I guess my toenails are not ready. I got two fake ones to replace the ones that fell off.

I get to spend this whole weekend with my hubby. He is off on Monday so I get non-stop time with my delicious mate. We spent today together and I just don't know where the day went.

We are hosting a Super Bowl Party again this year. Last year we had over 40 people at our humble home. This year I intend to scale it back a bit. Just a smidge. I want it to be fun with out it being so busy I don't get to talk to everyone that is in my home.

What are you picks for the Super Bowl? I want it to be Packers and Pats. I want the Packers to win because I don't think I can stomach the cheating Pats winning. Ah and I would like to check out those 2 cute quarter backs!

This is where I live

Lot's happened today. But I feel like being pithy. BTW I did not take these pictures a friend did them for me. Isn't his work amazing?

So tada! Pictures of the lovely Starkville!

MSU Campus Water Tower

Alumni Center

Reflecting Pool

These are the duckys that live in the lake behind our house.


This is the view from our lovely home.

Guard Dog

This is a pic I snapped with a phone. My darling HH fell asleep while waiting on his leading lady to finish up work. I had promised to watch a movie with him. Guess he and our puppy decided to snag some zzz's while I wrapped up work.

I love you, honey. I am so happy to see you content.





So last night some of our friends bought us dinner. We were coming home. Key in lock. Our little dog Shug peeks through the curtains. I have this amazing fur coat. (Before I get a barrage of emails about how fur is bad let me explain. My mink coat was made in 1960. I bought it on Ebay. The minks were dead nearly 20 years before I was born. No minks died so that I could enjoy my coat. I am recycling.) Anyway, I was kind of flipping the coat around and the dog saw it...needless to say it scared her.

The key is in the lock, and HH opens the door. Our ferocious animal is barking but running towards the back bedroom. She stops, barks, looks behind her, runs a little more. I know exactly where she is heading. She is heading to hide under my bed. I call that place the bat cave because it is where my dog hides. What an awesome guard dog! Aren't you scared?

Burglars beware. The Shuggy is watching.

Pontification

I want to talk about my job a bit here. While I think online courses are neither harder nor easier than on ground course I believe they are different.

I do not believe that online teaching is for everyone. For one it takes dedication and dogmatism to merely get the job. Not everyone can handle the amount of work it takes to just get that first online position. I also think that getting the first position helps the candidate to be prepared as to what it is like having the job.

Second it involves some level of uncertainty. For example one's courses might not make. Or a new dean might be hired, and you have to build relationships via the phone and email once again. Or the school might change the policy on number of courses allowed by adjuncts each year. So in essence an online faculty member must be able to absorb that risk.

Third teaching online requires discipline that some people lack. I have tons of friends that would "love" to teach online. They talk about shopping during the day, and teaching from all over the world. True you could do those things. That is definitely one of the perks. However you also have to remember that it is work. And highly competitive. If you shop all day you may have to work all night. If you are not a self starter you are in trouble. If you are not self disciplined enough to force yourself to work when it has to be done then online teaching is not for you. If you procrastinate you just make more work for yourself.

Forth...it is a lonely business. I have tons of online friends. But I get up and work from 7 AM until 6 PM when my husband comes in. The only person I see all day long is my dog. Granted I could go to lunch and spend time with friends, but then I would have to work at night when my husband is home. Trust me it is lonely. I also have no peer group. I am not a mother so I do not really hang with the single moms. Most women that are 30 have jobs or kids.

Fifth you are never off work except the end of December. Pretend you work for 5 schools. The breaks and holidays will never coincide. So you will work 5 to 7 days a week for 11 months of the year.

Sixth...it is highly competitive out there. There are constantly people that are willing to do your job. So if you fall down on the job it is going to be to your detriment because the college administration can find your replacement.

Seventh...you need to be extremely organized. You have to keep track of paperwork, calendars, time zones, students, grade due dates, schedules etc for each school you are working for and for each class.

Eighth you don't get to call in sick. If you are teaching a class you can't drop your ball. You might be able to get someone to substitute for you. You might be able to get a leave of absence. But if you have the flu you will be at your computer doing work.

Ninth you have to keep in constant contact with some schools. Some schools are outstanding about hiring you. You get your regular schedule each term like clock work. Some schools you have to chase down and talk to every single term. You will feel like a sales person networking for your classes.

Tenth for the most part no benefits. You will have to come up with a plan for health insurance, life insurance, and retirement. There are full time online positions that will give you these, but they are limited.

Now I know I sound like a grumpy gus. I don't mean it that way. I just wanted to point out and to share this with anyone that hadn't thought about the other side.

To close on a Positive note the top 10 things I like about teaching online.

1.) I got married in Belize in 2005 and didn't have to take any time off. I just taught my classes during my wedding and my honeymoon. It was great! Wifi is your friend.
2.)You have an excuse to buy new technical gadgets because you need them to do your job! And they are a business expense so you take them off on your taxes.
3.) How much you earn is up to you! You have the potential to earn as much as you would like. It just takes some hard work and dedication.
4.) Your students will surprise and captivate you. You get to meet people from all over the world in all walks of life.
5.) You get all kinds of free training. You get to learn all new things from the schools you work for.
6.) You can teach online and work on your education. You won't take out a dime in student loans. You can just pay as you go. ;)
7.) As you work you can pursue other interests such as writing a book. As long as you get your work done...you are free to do that.
8.)If you have terrible insomnia like me you can work at 4 am. Or 2 am or 1 pm. As long as your work is done by when it must be complete.
9.) You get free textbooks all the time. I love books. I love reading them and going over all the new things! I love picking books for classes.
10.) You get to invest and save for retirement using Self Employeed 401ks and other type of investment that are not available if you have a corporate job.

Forgot Forgot

How could I forget? How how?
Hubby has another round of testing for the FBI.
His test is on January 24th or maybe 25th. I am proud of him.

Go GMAN! He is so excited, and I am so happy for him.
Ok I am sending up a prayer. I don't want to be sent up North if he gets in to the FBI. I want to stay down south.

:)

Hunting Season...Back to work

Hunting season is almost over. My HH went hunting on Sunday, but there were no deer out there. I feel terrible that he didn't get his deer.

I am back at work and in full force in school. I registered for 7 dissertation hours. I will be working on that little paper this semester. I also registered for my comprehensive exams today. I got my program of study signed. It is awesome that I am getting class to graduation. On Thursday at 3 PM I will be meeting with my adviser about my comps. I plan to study exceedingly hard for my comps. I can expect to start in full force by the end of the month.

Once I have passed my comps I really will be in charge of my own destiny as far as finishing this degree is concerned. I have officially been in school 2.5 years. I am READY to finish. I know that isn't long for a doctorate, but I am ready to be done!

I won't say this out loud

I refuse to repeat this. I also need to knock on wood before typing this. Everything in my life is perfect right now. I am knocking again. As soon as I say something like that I will end up pregnant or something. NOT that being pregnant is a bad thing for people that want to be. But right now I don't want to be.

Watching movies with my Handsome Hubby, I realize how happy I am. I am lucky poor Hubby and I were discussing how wonderful it is to be best friends with the person we married. But I don't feel this blessed merely because of my marriage.

My stepdaughter is doing well in school. She has made straight A's several terms in a row! I am really proud of her. We were all so worried about the phase she went through last year. But now she is showing off how awesome she can do in school.

I can see light at the end of the tunnel with school. That feels great as well. The planets have all aligned :).

I know my husband is ready to have a baby. I know that we are going to have to make some decisions like those now or never. But I still have some time.

Winter Blues Not So Much

Today I was doing my schedule.
When you work from home and have started taking a majority of courses online you end up with a weird schedule. It doesn't require you to leave th house much, but can still be hectic if that makes sense.

I am traveling a lot at the first of the year. I will be in Miami January 30- February 3 giving a paper. I am going to have to suffer through staying at the Hyatt. Hubby will be joining me, and we will be hanging with some of our dear friends in Miami. If I can find their pics I will post them.

I get back on February 3 and leave on the 5th for San Diego where I will be teaching a course in a small beach town in Mexico. (Poor me). I will be there until the 9th. I liked the thought of East Coast West Coast travel right at the first of the year. I get to say hello to both the Pacific and Atlantic coast! Yeah!

I go back to Mexico at the end of March to wrap up the course. If this course goes well I will be able to teach courses in Mexico, China, Europe, and Canada like this. Let's all cross our fingers. While I am interested in those places I really want to finish my tour of South America. My sister took a fabulous pic of she, my mom and me in Uruguay. I will have to put that up as well.

At any rate I am happy to be traveling at the beginning of the year. Hubby is a bit traveled out and would like a break I believe. He hates when I am out of town though. So that is a bit of a draw back.

The way I see it a trip to Miami and San Diego will help keep my winter cheery. Hubby has promised to take me to Thailand or China when I finish the dissertation. (Well I will be taking us, but really it doesn't matter what is mine is his and what not). So I am scraping together all my Frequent Flyer miles, but I have worked hard! I am ready to finish this PhD and go to Thailand or Hong Kong. Viva la traveling bug!

Resolutions

Ok so it is a week late. I had to go back to work, and I am starting back to school this week.
So here are my 2008 resolutions:

1. To help Hubby lose weight so he can pass his PT test for the FBI.
2. To finish my Ph D in 2008.
3. To organize my study and get those books under control.
4. To get at least 3 publications this year.
5. To be a better daughter, wife, stepmom because family is important and it is not all about school and work.
   
6. To be a better friend and call everyone back rather than make them hunt me down because I am too busy to talk.
   
7. To not cook the same things over and over again, but explore new recipes.
8. To work on the book and stop putting it off.

There they are! I am well on my way to a few of them.
I will keep you all posted.

Happy Christmas!

This pic is of my baby puppy getting ready to board on her first airplane flight! Doesn't she look excited?
Santa was oh so good to our home this year. :)

We traveled to my mom's for Christmas. We had a great time opening packages and spending time with family. I had a ball! I was spoiled rotten. My HH out did himself again this Christmas. It doesn't matter what your situation is. I have the best Husband in the world. He is the man. He loves me. He takes care of our home. Everything I need always comes first. I know that sounds selfish, but it is what I need to be happy.

My husband is extremely loving. He hugs me and tells me I am beautiful every day. I realize we have only been married 2.5 years, but he knows exactly how to make me feel like a queen. He wrote me this amazing card for Christmas and my birthday. I cried when I read all the beautiful prose that he managed to write. Who knew?

After we returned from my parents a friend of HH stayed the night. He was driving from Arkansas to Florida. He is involved with this project where he takes one picture a day of himself. It is really amazing. We spent a lot of time in Starkville taking him places to take pictures. I was thinking what an amazing project. I would like to undertake a project like that. Then I remembered...I am. I am writing a dissertation. When I finish that paper...that little teeny paper...I will undertake some amazing project.

Mailing 2 Christmas Presents tomorrow that didn't make it out. Also my stepdaughter is here for a week! :) I am so happy to have her here!

I have some pictures and I will be uploading them shortly.

YaYa Gumbo Post

I love that my HH works for the University. I appreciate all the great benefits that he gets from working there. One of the Awesome things about his job is that he is off from December 20th until January 7th with out eating into our precious vacation days.

In other news I have been asked to teach a course in Mexicali. I can't wait. The university looks really nice. If I do a good job I could be asked to go to Sorbonne or Tuscany or Beijing. The sky is the limit really. http://cityu.edu/loc_bajacalif.htm

I have also been awarded a trip to Miami to present a paper in January! Awesome I will have a blast being on the beach in Miami in January.

I am taking a cruise with my HH and our stepdaughter for spring break. It is booked and set to go.

So I have already filled up my weekends etc. for the first three months of the year! :)

Did I mention I have some time off?

Christmas break has finally come to the International Party Girl! I am so excited. I need this in one of the worst ways. I am going to read (fiction), play video games, spend time with HH, sleep. All those things I have been dreaming of since August.

Today I am wrapping up my Christmas shopping for real. :) Then I am going to enjoy myself. I am looking forward to having the down time.

I am going to start studying for comps over the break. I will be giving my comp study schedule break down and posting it here pretty soon.

I don't know what I want for Christmas...Now leave me Alone

That was meant to be a bit snarky. I just have had several people asking lately. My head has been so filled with lectures and homework. I haven't had time to look.

I really haven't had enough time to shop for the people I am buying for much less myself. I am enjoying my vacation. I have celebrated by reading books (the kind for me not for class), watching this TV show Dexter it is all about a serial killer that is a cop, playing video games. Letting my head rot would be the best way to describe it. It feels good though.

I am going out tonight for a celebratory toast to the end of the semester. I really am relieved this semester is over. It has not sunk in yet quite for me I don't think.

:) More soon!

President's List Baby

4.0 this semester!

I know I have been a bad blogger. Sue me. I Had to write 4 research papers. I was written out. How does that work? You write so many papers you develop a lump on your wrist. That would be me.

However the grades are rolling in and they are good. I love when I make the President's list. I am like I little kid. I print my report card out and hang it on the refrigerator.

It is my way of saying to my HH (handsome hubby) this is the reason I have been sleep deprived, non-cuddly, non-amorous, and all kinds of other negative non's. This is the fruits of my labor.

I take my comps next semester! I am getting close I hope you can feel the excitement.
I completely vegetated on the couch today. My husband called to see what I was doing, and I said "Nothing" and I meant it. I vegetated. It was AWESOME!

In other news we just got back from Austin. We worked hard and played hard in Texas. I ate some amazing Mexican food. YEAH! I missed authentic Mexican.

Ok...my burnout self is going to bed! I will be more active in coming days. YEAH!!!!!
DONE DONE DONE!