I have a secret

I have a secret. One that I usually am very successful at hiding from the world but in the past two weeks, I have been unable to hold in it anymore.

I am a klutz.

No, really. This was brought home to me this morning when A) I pulled my curtain rod off the wall (oh THAT's why you're suppose to use those plastic anchor thingies) B) I broke the tip off my razor blade in the holder tool and C) as I was wrapping the spent razor in masking tape, I realized that the skin was flaking off my fingers from where I burned myself last week.

Oh yeah, did I mention I picked up a straight-from-the-oven glass corningwear lid last Sunday? Worst fingers in the world to get blisters on - your thumb and middle finger. You do a lot with those suckers.

Do over please.

Crap

I messed up. I accidentally left several items off of my syllabus - like excused vs. unexcused absences, not accepting late work and other such class room management policies - oh, and my rule about no cell phones. And now it is causing all sorts of problems.

I have just not been a good professor this semester. And I just want it to be over. Today marks two more weeks of school, counting finals. It cannot end soon enough for me.

Give an Inch

and they will freakin' try to take you for everything.

I don't play that way.

Random Thought

I want a doughnut. Maple bar please.

Um

"New Improved Taste" is actually true. Not bad Nyquil, not bad.

I Ponder

I have been thinking for a while that I need to be a better friend. As much as I love playing around on FB and am busy with being a professor (Esp. since I procrastinate so I am slammed with work at the last minute), there is no excuse to pick up the phone and call the friends I don't get to see on a regular basis and say "hi."

It's that easy, so why am I not doing it more often?

PhD Application Results

Results:

New Mexico: Yes with funding

Washington State: Yes with funding

Illinois: No

That works.

PhD Applications

Welp, hope springs eternal. I was so tired and overwhelmed this past semester that I did not even start looking at applications until January 1 rolled around. So, I was only able to complete 3 applications. Good news is, two of them were first pick schools. I have submitted applications for:University of New Mexico at AlbuquerqueWashington State University (in Pullman)University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

This is my third (yes, you read that right) time applying to Illinois so it is my long shot school. Yes, I know the weather is horrible but there are several faculty members who I would adore to work with in my studies.

Washington State was recommended to me by the graduate advisor of my master's program. It is my second choice since I actually don't know much about the program although it sounds good and I would actually only be 5 hours away from my sister. So, it has its perks.

New Mexico is my absolute first choice school. There are several faculty members I would love to work with, including a woman who's 1998 article changes the direction of my studies when I read it my second year of grad school. I wish I would have emphasized that in my letter of interest but c'est la vie. I also have a friend already in the PhD program there who I would love to be around again, she pushes me to be better. And my other dear friend who is sadly living way too far away in Half Moon Bay right now (miss you!) also applied. I am hoping we both get in so I can roll with a super cool posse again. Plus, to be frank, New Mexico would be better weather and it is a higher probability that some of my friends from Cali would actually come out to visit.

And, the president of my alma mater (where I currently teach part time) has a 'dear friend' in charge of the Master's program there and the president offered to shoot her an email to mention she knows me and that I would make a great addition to their program! How this came about is another story for another day but hey, I will take any help I can get. Even though the friend is not on the selection committee, the faculty has to talk right? Just like how I got my jobs this past year, getting into a PhD program is all about who you know.

So, my dream scenario is that I get accepted to two programs and get to fly out to meet the people and check out the campuses and then have to make a choice. But frankly, getting accepted to one program would be enough for me.

Fingers crossed.

Woo Hoo!

Today at the gym, interspersed among the other crap I had to suffer through, I was able to do three sets of 15 pushups with out taking a break before number 15. That's with my feet up on the bench too.

Yeah, okay, I struggled with the last 5 on the last set but I didn't stop.

That's a first for me and a far cry from when I first started and couldn't make it to 5 on the first set.

I am learning not to hate pushups.

Pandora

I have been contemplating a lot of different topics to post here but have not had the time/energy. I will probably get back in the swing of things soon. Some of the topics include:

New Year, New Goal
Product Reviews
PhD Applications (yes, again)
Teaching
Baking

In the meantime, I leave you with this question:

How come when I marked I liked "Piece of Me" by Britney Spears in Pandora, the background advertisement switched to Pepto-Bismol?