Fall 2010: Three Classes Left!

Only three more trips to SA this semester. I can't believe the first one is just about in the bag. I had my first midterms this Saturday. I don't know what I made as of yet, but I didn't pass out from anxiety, so a fair success in that respect. As I have mentioned before, this program gives exams the old school way--closed book, straight forward questions, no lifelines. It has been awhile since I had experience one of those. Our prof in the first class informed us that there was not a computer lab available, therefore we were going to have to complete the first test the really old fashioned way--good 'ol pen to paper. As a product of my times, I type nearly everything. My hand writing (I am ashamed to say) is atrocious, I heavily rely on spell check and my brain does not communicate with pen as well as it does with the keyboard. Doc my be calling my in order to translate my answers. Oh, well--at least I completed it in an acceptable time frame.

I do have to say, that I despite having to be on the road by 5am every other Saturday and the sheer exhaustion of the entire day, I am enjoying school. I am excited about working on a dissertation and play around with ideas nearly everyday. The people in my cohort are incredible and we lol every time we sit in a room together.

Important side note--my first official grade......A-! We are off to a positive start.

Balancing Act

I can't believe a month has gone by since I have visited my own blog. We are really underway at school and this past week I got a dose of the trials of balancing family and school (not to mention work and studying). I serious considered putting school on the back-burner. With some serious thought, I am going to forge on for now. If I can get the first year under my belt, I will be fine.

Next class is mid-terms. Old fashioned closed book exams. My strategy is two alternate study days: 9810 one day, 9813 another. I hope it works. It has been nice in the afternoons after the kids get out of school. We all sit at the kitchen table doing homework. 

Next week I will be going to an Al-anon meeting as part of one of my assignments. I have never gone to such a meeting, so it should be an interesting and worth-while experience. next month? Rob and I will visit a Buddhist temple. Another assignment. I am hoping I will be more interesting soon.

With Halloween and birthdays fast approaching, things are going to pick up on the home front as well. I am excited about getting the holiday season underway. I love watching the kids get gifts and plan parties. It will be fun.

Until next time.

What the hell am I thinking....we are only in the first month!

Feeling a bit overwhelmed today. Being the planner I am, I am trying to type up the information that I will have to know for my mid-terms and comps at the end of the semester. Mid-terms? Comps? Seriously, ASU went techno while I was working on my Masters. I did on-line exams and open book quizzes. We had to do a considerable amount of research and reflection; exams where not a vital part of the equation. I have no idea what I am doing. Every bit of free time is consumed with reading or assignments or thinking I should be working on reading or assignments. As I type this I am literally covered in books and notes with Dexter at my feet.

I am not too certain I am up for this, but I am in it now and I am going to give a shot before I throw in the towel. Wait, what am I thinking? Of course, I can do this. With all my classes in psych, I know that this internal dialogue can make or break my confidence. So, I know I can, I know I can.

Vent over.

Two Classes Down....and Still Four Years To Go

Second class was yesterday. I made a day trip out of it, which meant it was a long day yesterday. But I am loving classes and I can tell that I am going to make some great friends there. I think that this blog really is going to have to serve as a journal for class, because if I am not mistaken--we have to maintain a journal as part of a portfolio to turn in at the end of class. So, you will have to endure long, drawn out reflections that may not be very entertaining. But if you endured Ireland, you will make it.

I can tell as each class goes by, I will be learning more and more about myself. We are having to do plenty of reflective exercises. But when asked if there were any surprises when we ponder our life, I have to say I have no surprises ....yet. I have had the opportunity to complete many reflective exercises as part of my Master program, so not much has changed since May. However, Ireland was a point in which I realized that I can live with myself. While, it was only nine weeks, it was plenty of time to just be. I have not been really on my own --ever, but being in Dublin gave me the chance to step outside my comfort zone and grow a little bit. The biggest realization? I am way braver than I ever gave myself credit for and I don't mind solitude. I don't have a huge circle of friends and I don't need one. It has been hard for me to admit that I don't have to want to have a lot of friends. I guess I always thought I was suppose to. But I suck at the keeping in touch thing and there have been many friends that I adore that have been insulted by that fact. I do have friends now (old and new) that I wouldn't sacrifice for anything, even my phone avoiding tendencies.  But one thing I do know in tackling this program, is that these wonderful people in my class are people (aside from my family) who will be my biggest source of support and as such I will have to overcome my social awkwardness. This will be a challenge and I will really have to make an effort, because it does not come naturally for me. I have a long warm-up period.

My New Toy

Today was a progressive step in the direction of being an actual Doctoral student. After a difficult trip to the gym, pulled up back to the house only to find an enormous package on my doorstep. I was so excited, because I knew that my dear husband was going to order me something special to make my life easier as I make the long trek to school every other weekend. I will not keep you in suspense any longer....in that package was a...ROLLING BRIEFCASE! YAY. Now it is official, I have joined the ranks of the nerdy and anal retentive and I have to say I am kind of proud of it. Before long, it will be named.......I like Dexter. Now, if I could only pull off a pocket protector I would be set for the next four years.

So, that is my update for now. I am excited about my classes on Saturday. It will be a long day--but it only means I will have the next weekend off. I sincerely hope everyone enjoys their holiday weekend. Mine will be spent on the interstate and in the confines of a classroom....at least for one day.

I am going to try and commit to this blog like I did with the last one. But my everyday life is not as interesting as the little life I had in Dublin. Well, at least I am blessed with friends and family to fill the void of monotony. In Dublin, it was my computer that helped with that. More soon.

First Class Down....and Four Years to Go

I survived my first day of class! It was a long day, but it was a good one. Everyone in my cohort is incredibly nice and excited about being there. And for once, I am one of the younger people in the room. That never happens.

Despite my reservations about beginning the daunting and long process of getting my PhD, I think that yesterday solidified that fact that I am where I should be. My biggest concern is ensuring that I can commute every other Saturday. With work and family, I am going to have to sacrifice and plan ahead. I am used to planning ahead; it's the sacrificing thing that I am worried about. Other than that I am ready, willing, and able--what else can I ask for?  I am excited about starting my dissertation, because I will get to pick a topic I love and spend time reading and writing about it. My only problem is that I really enjoy things that have little to do with my current job. I love my job, but I am already committed to it (at least for now)-- therefore I would like to venture out a bit.

I was happy to discover that this blog is going to serve some purpose for me at school. I am going to have to write a paper reflecting on my experiences this semester. Our Prof suggested we start a journal to help us with this process. Imagine my excitement when I discovered that all the typing on here will be helpful to me and is a great excuse for blogging. It will sound better than saying that I just like to listen to my own thoughts and type it down. :)

The kids start school tomorrow too. It is going to be a crazy year.

P.S. I just used spell check and for anyone that read my Ireland blog--I spelt dissertation correctly. Whew, I just may be on the right track....

T-Minus 3 Days

Three days until my first class as a Doc student and I am surprisingly calm. I suppose I have resided myself to the fact that I am may be a perpetual student. I am just hoping I am good at a trade too. Which is....well, I don't know. Working as the director of the Wellness Center is great, but I have always had a hard time embracing that kind of title, so I am finally putting my director legs to the test. It has been a challenge. I never thought of myself as someones supervisor, but I suppose it is time to put my big girl pants on and take on the director duties full throttle. I guess since I am going to work on a PhD in Leadership Studies, I might as well. But, I am not certain that is what I want to do with the rest of my life; as anyone can see from my poll, I have a range of interests and I am sorry to say that isn't all of them. My brain can have trouble staying loyal to one subject. I need guidance! So, if you any of you who do make a pit stop on the page, please put in your vote. :) If anything, that gadget is cool.

The kids start school next week as well, so we will have three students in our household, our fourth being our rock and our center. I have the best support system in the world and if wasn't for these three--I would lack the tenacity to take on the next four years. They are my reason...

So, I am ready. All of my reading assignments are read and being true to form, I have already begun working on assignments due well into the semester. But that's how I keep pace. Do the work first, so I can enjoy the ride later...or a beer with my husband. Procrastination is not really a term I am familiar with.

Confession

Okay, I voted on my own poll. You can see the one vote if you choose. I am leaning toward Cultural Influences on Leadership. I know, I know, it is a really broad topic--but I plan on narrowing it down as time goes on. I hope my dissertation may take me on another journey. I don't intend to tackle another two months away from home, but if can wing two to three weeks in the UK, Australia, or Canada I would be ecstatic. Robert has already given the go ahead and this time it would be all four of us going for the entire time or most of the time; just as I intended this summer when going to Ireland. I have come across nay-sayers that have made me feel I need to apologize for my aspirations, so I have a difficult time not wanting to justify every move I make. This can be exhausting and I have asked myself to stop doing this, but until I have perfected the art of indifference to others' opinion--Don't get me wrong I adore Texas and being home, but I yearn to see other places and savor other experiences; experiences that all of us can partake in. Especially while the kids are young and they cannot fight too hard about staying home, since I know they will want to be near friends as they near their teen years. And I fully intend to stay grounded once they are older. My intentions are to ensure they experience parts of the world--not to torture them. Although, the latter is inevitable at times. :) But, next summer is reserved for Disney World (if all goes according to plan). The kids deserve a vacation catered to them and I think it may be one of the last summers we can pull it off. I want them to marvel at what they see there; time is fleeting--just yesterday they were wearing diapers and taking naps. So, Rob and I are doing our research....anyone that has gone, we are open to suggestions!

What is Leadership Studies?

There have been occassions when people have asked what leadership studies is exactly. There is not clear cut definition, because the field of leadership can be used in so many ways. In the following months I will begin to hone in on a direction within leadership and begin working on my dissertation. I have so many interests, but I will have to find something I really love; since I will be married to the topic for four years. Below is a brief explanation about the Leadership Studies.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Leadership studies is a multidisciplinary academic field of study that focuses on leadership in organizational contexts and in human life. Leadership studies has origins in the social sciences (e.g., sociology, anthropology, psychology), in humanities (e.g., history and philosophy), as well as in professional and applied fields of study (e.g., management and education). The field of leadership studies is closely linked to the field of organizational studies.

As an academic area of inquiry, the study of leadership has been of interest to scholars from a wide variety of disciplinary backgrounds. Today, there are numerous academic programs (spanning several academic colleges and departments) related to the study of leadership. Leadership degree programs generally relate to: aspects of Leadership, Leadership Studies, and Organizational Leadership (although there are a number of leadership-oriented concentrations in other academic areas).

My Outlet

Since I really enjoyed blogging while I was in Ireland, I thought I might try my hand at it again. This time I will be able to share the trials and tribulations of another four years of family, study, commuting, writing, and work. I am not certain if this will be a even bit interesting, but it will certainly be a vessel in which I can celebrate, vent, and work through everything. Robert needs a break every once in awhile....

I am curious to see if I can commit to maintaining this blog for the next four years, but I think it's worth a shot.

Orientation went really well and I am really excited about embarking on this journey. So far: seven books purchased, nine chapters read, and five discussion questions completed....and we haven't had our first class yet. But what I lack in brains, I make up for in consistancy and determination so I think I can stay on track. First class: in six days. Until then....