As of 4pm Eastern time on December 23, 2011, I officially finished my first semester of my PhD. It was a long, hard-fought battle to the very end, as I was super stressed out over a final paper that I had to write. To get to the stressed part, let me take you back through the last week or so.
During the week of December 15th, I saw lots of posts on Facebook about everyone finishing exams, getting grades, and starting their winter vacation. We had class until that Thursday, followed by a week of exams. Needless to say, I wasn't celebrating with my friends.
Thursday, the 15th: I received my take home final for SLA. Five questions about five different chapters. I knew I needed to dedicate myself to nothing but it until it was finished, so I could then dedicate myself to nothing but my Spanish 815 final.
Saturday, the 17th: I finished my SLA final that night, a day and half ahead of schedule. I was really happy, thinking that maybe I could even finish my 815 paper before I returned home to Michigan.
Sunday, the 18th: I set out to get a lot of data coded and and analyzed, thinking I could get most of it done that day. 12+ hours of work later, and I still wasn't finished.
Monday, the 19th: I held an extra, 4-hour review session for my students, to help them prepare for their final that Tuesday. Most people would think I was crazy for losing 4 hours of work time, but I knew they appreciated it, and it showed on their finals. I came home by 4 and starting analyzing data again for another 6 hours.
Tuesday, the 20th: I worked from 8:30am until 6pm that evening (still on data!), when I had to go give my SPN 201 final. We had a grading party afterwards at the Sett in Union South that lasted well past midnight.
Wednesday, the 21st: I met with my prof to go over some questions I had about the paper and my data. Then I had my TA checkout to turn in grades. When I got back to my car, after having taken the bus, I discovered that I did not have my keys. I had left them in my building on campus. Almost in tears, I called Joe, who came and picked me up. I decided not to traipse back to campus, since I had a spare set of car keys at home and I desperately needed to work. I made it home, worked for another 5 hours (still on data :-P) and then packed to come home to Michigan.
Thursday, the 22nd: We left at 8am for Michigan and made it to my parents' house by 3pm. I started working by 4 and worked until 11. I FINALLY started writing the actual body of the paper during that time and was able to finish the lit review. Exhausted, I went to bed.
Today, Friday, the 23rd: I woke up at 8am and got right to work, even forgetting to eat breakfast until my stomach loudly reminded me to feed it. Around 2:00, I panicked when I realized that Word's spell checker had stopped working. Well, that's not 100% correct. It was working, but only for the first 12 pages of my to-be 25 page paper. Even running the manual spell checker wasn't working, and it was considering words like "durtion" (duration) and "ntonation" (intonation) to be correct. I called Joe in a frenzy to help me, and eventually figured it out, but needless to say, my heart was beating out of my chest.
The panic didn't end there. As I was formatting some of my tables, I discovered that some of my cells in Excel had moved (no idea how...) and had replaced some of my actual data. I then had to hurriedly re-calculate durations and F0 movement to be able to finish my paper. At this point, I'm not even sure what I was writing was coherent.
At 3:30ish, I started to proofread and by 4:00, I had turned the monster in. It was a very stressful day.
However, I did get an A in stats (much to my disbelief) and am still waiting for my other two grades. We'll see! Oh, and I got funding for next semester, too!
-L
12.23.2011
12.10.2011
I *heart* cooking
I love to cook. I always have. Thankfully, my mom is a wonderful cook, and I always loved spending time in the kitchen with her. I would do the same thing when we'd visit my grandparents in CA. There's a reason my sister called her "The Spaghetti Grandma".
Cooking is my release. I love the feeling of a knife slicing through a tomato and the sound of the blade hitting my enormous bamboo cutting board. I especially love that feeling when my knives are freshly home from being sharpened. You can't beat the smell of garlic and onion hitting a hot pan of olive oil, and the slow gurgle of marinara sauce bubbling away on the stove. The scents fill the house, tantalizing your taste buds from every corner. And then, when you finally sit down to eat your creation, the sense of accomplishment is overwhelming.
For example, tonight I attempted to make pot stickers for the first time. It was a DDD recipe, and I was kind of nervous because it was a scaled down version from the restaurant measurements, so I wasn't sure how they would turn out. I got to use my mini food processor, which I love, and the scent of garlic, ginger, and cilantro soon emanated from my kitchen. I also made the dough using my KitchenAid mixer, which I use every chance I get! Then I successfully fried the bottoms and then steamed them through. They were great, especially with the dipping sauce I made!
I like to cook on Saturdays because I have more time to tackle new recipes. During the week and on Sundays, there's just too much going on, mainly due to homework (and especially at this time of year!), so I try to reserve Saturdays for new recipes :-) It helps to keep me grounded, and I get to try yummy new food!
That being said, I hate baking. Ok, maybe "hate" is too strong of a word. More accurately, I'm horrible at it. Nothing I make, besides chocolate chip cookies and brownies, comes out well. Especially cakes. Oh, my cakes are awful. Baking also seems tedious to me, with all the measuring and the measuring and the measuring. When I cook, I just throw things in and don't really measure at all. I've gotten pretty good at knowing what a couple tablespoons, cups, or teaspoons looks like. My sister is a phenomenal baker and goodie-maker though, so between the two of us, we rock the kitchen.
I'm seriously considering attending culinary school after my PhD. I just love it and everything to do with it (including grocery shopping; I could spend HOURS wandering around a good grocery store).
-L
Cooking is my release. I love the feeling of a knife slicing through a tomato and the sound of the blade hitting my enormous bamboo cutting board. I especially love that feeling when my knives are freshly home from being sharpened. You can't beat the smell of garlic and onion hitting a hot pan of olive oil, and the slow gurgle of marinara sauce bubbling away on the stove. The scents fill the house, tantalizing your taste buds from every corner. And then, when you finally sit down to eat your creation, the sense of accomplishment is overwhelming.
For example, tonight I attempted to make pot stickers for the first time. It was a DDD recipe, and I was kind of nervous because it was a scaled down version from the restaurant measurements, so I wasn't sure how they would turn out. I got to use my mini food processor, which I love, and the scent of garlic, ginger, and cilantro soon emanated from my kitchen. I also made the dough using my KitchenAid mixer, which I use every chance I get! Then I successfully fried the bottoms and then steamed them through. They were great, especially with the dipping sauce I made!
I like to cook on Saturdays because I have more time to tackle new recipes. During the week and on Sundays, there's just too much going on, mainly due to homework (and especially at this time of year!), so I try to reserve Saturdays for new recipes :-) It helps to keep me grounded, and I get to try yummy new food!
That being said, I hate baking. Ok, maybe "hate" is too strong of a word. More accurately, I'm horrible at it. Nothing I make, besides chocolate chip cookies and brownies, comes out well. Especially cakes. Oh, my cakes are awful. Baking also seems tedious to me, with all the measuring and the measuring and the measuring. When I cook, I just throw things in and don't really measure at all. I've gotten pretty good at knowing what a couple tablespoons, cups, or teaspoons looks like. My sister is a phenomenal baker and goodie-maker though, so between the two of us, we rock the kitchen.
I'm seriously considering attending culinary school after my PhD. I just love it and everything to do with it (including grocery shopping; I could spend HOURS wandering around a good grocery store).
-L
12.06.2011
Common sense
The younger generation is getting less and less knowledgeable about common courtesy and etiquette. And, sadly, common sense all around. I experience various levels of this every day on campus. Here are just a few thoughts.
On the bus: move to the back if it's crowded. Don't just stand in the front because you don't feel like moving and you feel others should move around you. If you're getting off at the next stop, hang out by the door. If you have a lot of baggage, it doesn't mean you get to have 5 seats for yourself. If you have too much stuff to manage, drive your car or take a taxi that day. Also, say thank you to the driver; they're providing a service to you.
Walking: LOOK BOTH WAYS. When did this become optional? And, just because pedestrians have the right-of-way does not make it ok for you to simply step out into traffic without taking into account the truck barreling down the road at you and assuming it will just stop. Go ahead, stand up for your right-of-way, but if you get killed in the process, was it really worth it? Also, if you're jaywalking, GET YOUR HINEY ACROSS THAT ROAD. You're the one breaking the law, so move it! Also, don't stand at the very edge of a sidewalk at a crosswalk. It appears to drivers that you're going to step off into the street in front of traffic. Crosswalk signals are there for a reason- if it shows a red hand, there's probably a good reason. Check the opposing lights to make sure there aren't any green arrows for turn lanes. And, just because there's a gap in traffic does not mean that they're about to get a red light and it's ok to saunter your way across the street. If you go during a gap, run, or at the very least, powerwalk!
Biking: In Madison, it's very biker-friendly. However, YOU ARE NOT CONSIDERED A PEDESTRIAN. You're on a vehicle and are obligated to follow the rules of the road. This involves not cutting off cars when you change lanes, using your arm signals to indicate turns, stopping at red lights, allowing pedestrians to cross in front of you, etc. Do you think that red light on the one way street is for the traffic going THE OTHER WAY? I highly doubt it. So obey them before you get yelled at and/or hit. Also, wear a helmet.
Opening Doors: When you go into a building, look behind you to see if anyone else is coming and hold the door for them if they are. If not, no biggie. When you're following behind someone, there's nothing more annoying than having them squeeze through the door, allowing it to slam in your face. I take that back. What's more annoying is when you politely hold the door open for someone and they walk right through it, without acknowledging the favor you just did for them. I like to say, "You're welcome!" just to make them feel uncomfortable. It's pretty funny. Also, attempt to take over the door-holding responsibilities. Don't let the kind person stand there all day holding the door for you and the 15 other people going through. Most importantly, SAY THANK YOU.
We can't let politeness and common sense go to the wayside. Otherwise we'll all die in biking-walking-car accidents. And then where will we be?
-L
On the bus: move to the back if it's crowded. Don't just stand in the front because you don't feel like moving and you feel others should move around you. If you're getting off at the next stop, hang out by the door. If you have a lot of baggage, it doesn't mean you get to have 5 seats for yourself. If you have too much stuff to manage, drive your car or take a taxi that day. Also, say thank you to the driver; they're providing a service to you.
Walking: LOOK BOTH WAYS. When did this become optional? And, just because pedestrians have the right-of-way does not make it ok for you to simply step out into traffic without taking into account the truck barreling down the road at you and assuming it will just stop. Go ahead, stand up for your right-of-way, but if you get killed in the process, was it really worth it? Also, if you're jaywalking, GET YOUR HINEY ACROSS THAT ROAD. You're the one breaking the law, so move it! Also, don't stand at the very edge of a sidewalk at a crosswalk. It appears to drivers that you're going to step off into the street in front of traffic. Crosswalk signals are there for a reason- if it shows a red hand, there's probably a good reason. Check the opposing lights to make sure there aren't any green arrows for turn lanes. And, just because there's a gap in traffic does not mean that they're about to get a red light and it's ok to saunter your way across the street. If you go during a gap, run, or at the very least, powerwalk!
Biking: In Madison, it's very biker-friendly. However, YOU ARE NOT CONSIDERED A PEDESTRIAN. You're on a vehicle and are obligated to follow the rules of the road. This involves not cutting off cars when you change lanes, using your arm signals to indicate turns, stopping at red lights, allowing pedestrians to cross in front of you, etc. Do you think that red light on the one way street is for the traffic going THE OTHER WAY? I highly doubt it. So obey them before you get yelled at and/or hit. Also, wear a helmet.
Opening Doors: When you go into a building, look behind you to see if anyone else is coming and hold the door for them if they are. If not, no biggie. When you're following behind someone, there's nothing more annoying than having them squeeze through the door, allowing it to slam in your face. I take that back. What's more annoying is when you politely hold the door open for someone and they walk right through it, without acknowledging the favor you just did for them. I like to say, "You're welcome!" just to make them feel uncomfortable. It's pretty funny. Also, attempt to take over the door-holding responsibilities. Don't let the kind person stand there all day holding the door for you and the 15 other people going through. Most importantly, SAY THANK YOU.
We can't let politeness and common sense go to the wayside. Otherwise we'll all die in biking-walking-car accidents. And then where will we be?
-L
11.30.2011
Teaching is a privilege
As a teacher, there are (many) days when I'm exhausted and wonder why I chose to work in this field. The grading, the lesson planning, activity creation...the list goes on and on. On those days, I would kill for a 9-5 job; one where I could lock up at the end of the day and just leave my worries behind.
But, it only takes a brief moment to remember why I entered this field and why it is truly my calling. My brief moment came this past Monday when I received an e-mail from university housing, letting me know that I'd been nominated by a resident as an Honored Instructor and inviting me to a reception next Friday. Well, I was completely taken aback and flattered. I know I try my best to help my students enjoy the class, but I can only do so much. It was so nice to see that they had gotten something out of it.
And then today, I checked my mailbox at school and there was an envelope from university housing with a congratulatory letter and a certificate naming me as an honored instructor. They also included the comment from the student.
"Leah is an exceptional TA. She makes our class very enjoyable and understandable and cares about every individual. She extends her office hours to give us more help outside the classroom. She is always available by email for questions otherwise. She explains our material in a way that is comprehendable to everyone's learning styles. Besides that, she is very personable in that everyone feels very comfortable around her and that she is very easy to approach. Even though she is a Michigan State fan, I approve of her and I wish I could have her in the future!"
I was truly touched by this comment and, quite honestly, tickled pink about it! It makes all the preparation, grading, extra office hours, study sessions, and countless e-mails worth it. I know that I won't affect every single student in this way, but one out of 23 is good enough for me!
After getting this little reminder, I thought back to other similar experiences. The note my HS student wrote to me, letting me know how grateful she was that I was so understanding of her situation and not judging her. The out-of-the-blue e-mails from past students, asking for a letter of recommendation because "I'm the only professor who actually knows them". Hearing, "I'm going to be so sad next semester when I don't have you as a TA." It makes you reflect a lot too. There are so few career fields where you get to have such a profound, direct impact on young people. We're so much more than "passers of information". We're counselors, a shoulder to cry on, a person to look up to, a non-judging adult, etc. As teachers, we should always be in awe of this; if we forget such an important aspect of our career (arguably, THE most important aspect), we've lost part of who we are.
Teaching is truly a privilege.
But, it only takes a brief moment to remember why I entered this field and why it is truly my calling. My brief moment came this past Monday when I received an e-mail from university housing, letting me know that I'd been nominated by a resident as an Honored Instructor and inviting me to a reception next Friday. Well, I was completely taken aback and flattered. I know I try my best to help my students enjoy the class, but I can only do so much. It was so nice to see that they had gotten something out of it.
And then today, I checked my mailbox at school and there was an envelope from university housing with a congratulatory letter and a certificate naming me as an honored instructor. They also included the comment from the student.
"Leah is an exceptional TA. She makes our class very enjoyable and understandable and cares about every individual. She extends her office hours to give us more help outside the classroom. She is always available by email for questions otherwise. She explains our material in a way that is comprehendable to everyone's learning styles. Besides that, she is very personable in that everyone feels very comfortable around her and that she is very easy to approach. Even though she is a Michigan State fan, I approve of her and I wish I could have her in the future!"
I was truly touched by this comment and, quite honestly, tickled pink about it! It makes all the preparation, grading, extra office hours, study sessions, and countless e-mails worth it. I know that I won't affect every single student in this way, but one out of 23 is good enough for me!
After getting this little reminder, I thought back to other similar experiences. The note my HS student wrote to me, letting me know how grateful she was that I was so understanding of her situation and not judging her. The out-of-the-blue e-mails from past students, asking for a letter of recommendation because "I'm the only professor who actually knows them". Hearing, "I'm going to be so sad next semester when I don't have you as a TA." It makes you reflect a lot too. There are so few career fields where you get to have such a profound, direct impact on young people. We're so much more than "passers of information". We're counselors, a shoulder to cry on, a person to look up to, a non-judging adult, etc. As teachers, we should always be in awe of this; if we forget such an important aspect of our career (arguably, THE most important aspect), we've lost part of who we are.
Teaching is truly a privilege.
11.27.2011
Less than 3 weeks to go!
I just looked at my calendar and came to the realization that there are less than 3 weeks of class left to go.
H-O-L-Y M-O-L-Y!!!!
I can't even fathom that right now.
We spent our Thanksgiving break relaxing with my family, cutting down the Christmas tree, and eating cheese curds. Not too shabby of a long weekend :-)
But now I'm struggling to get back in the work mode :-( Ugggggghhhh.
Can't even gather my thoughts to write more on this post.
-L
H-O-L-Y M-O-L-Y!!!!
I can't even fathom that right now.
We spent our Thanksgiving break relaxing with my family, cutting down the Christmas tree, and eating cheese curds. Not too shabby of a long weekend :-)
But now I'm struggling to get back in the work mode :-( Ugggggghhhh.
Can't even gather my thoughts to write more on this post.
-L
11.22.2011
Missing the apartment? Weird.
I just finished a marathon cleaning session. 4 hours to clean all three bathrooms, my office, the guest bedroom, the living room, the family room, and the kitchen. Ugh. I never thought I'd miss the apartment, but cleaning 1,100 sq. feet takes a lot less time than 1,800. I'm not sure what the exact number is, since I didn't clean the basement, but it's a LOT bigger. I do still have that immense feeling of satisfaction, knowing that our house is really clean and ready to presented to my parents (for their 2nd trip out here!) and for my sister (her 1st!), but man, that took a LONG time.
Then I got the pleasure of giving the cat a bath. Yes, his incessant meowing is quite funny, as is watching him try to climb the shower door. However, it's still a pain. Now it's 10pm and I was just able to shower. I'm so glad my afternoon class got cancelled so I could get this done.
Can't wait to cut down the Christmas tree this weekend and decorate it!!!!
-L
Then I got the pleasure of giving the cat a bath. Yes, his incessant meowing is quite funny, as is watching him try to climb the shower door. However, it's still a pain. Now it's 10pm and I was just able to shower. I'm so glad my afternoon class got cancelled so I could get this done.
Can't wait to cut down the Christmas tree this weekend and decorate it!!!!
-L
11.17.2011
The Little Things
When it seems that you're entire life is occupied by school, you learn to appreciate small chunks of time and the small pleasures in life. 24 hours in day is never enough, so those extra 3.5 minutes you have to breathe can sometime make all the difference in the world. For me, those extra precious minutes are especially valuable on a Tuesday, when I leave the house at 7 and get back at 7. Adding to the already stressful, time-consuming demands of the PhD is taking care of the house and working at one of my additional two, part-time jobs. The house is the biggie, though. General cleaning and maintenance alone is a monstrosity. And now with the holidays here, all I want to do is decorate and be festive. Instead, I get to spend my time (haha, I almost wrote "extra time") reading various SLA books that are on my preliminary exam list, doing regular homework, applying for funding positions, lesson planning/grading, etc. Then, if I have any spare time, I get to clean the perpetually unclean house. Ugh. What a vicious circle.
Tomorrow, I'm taking advantage of an extra hour (yes, a whole hour!) of sleep that was granted to me through the cancellation of a group meeting. I'm giving a quiz, so class is prepped, and I don't have class on Fridays anyways. I'm so excited to be able to go to Starbucks tomorrow morning before another group meeting and use my giftcard I received from a swim lessons family (thank you, Russells!). Saturday, no swim lessons for me, which means I might actually be able to hit up the winter farmer's market. Orrrr, I may just sleep. Saturday night, out with the departamento de español and Sunday begins the eager anticipation of my family arriving for Thanksgiving!!!
Ahh, it's the little things in life that get me through...
-L
Tomorrow, I'm taking advantage of an extra hour (yes, a whole hour!) of sleep that was granted to me through the cancellation of a group meeting. I'm giving a quiz, so class is prepped, and I don't have class on Fridays anyways. I'm so excited to be able to go to Starbucks tomorrow morning before another group meeting and use my giftcard I received from a swim lessons family (thank you, Russells!). Saturday, no swim lessons for me, which means I might actually be able to hit up the winter farmer's market. Orrrr, I may just sleep. Saturday night, out with the departamento de español and Sunday begins the eager anticipation of my family arriving for Thanksgiving!!!
Ahh, it's the little things in life that get me through...
-L
11.14.2011
Common Courtesy
I can't stand it when people aren't polite. I was raised by my parents to say my "please and thank you's", and I (too often) assume that everyone else was raised that way as well. However, my experience so far, particularly at UW-Madison (and I have no idea why) has been relatively bad in this respect.
More specifically, I get really irritated when I hold the door open for someone and they don't say thank you or if someone is directly ahead of me and they don't even make an attempt to hold the door open, and it gets slammed in my face. I ALWAYS say thank you if someone holds the door open for me, whether or not they look at me to acknowledge it. I even do it twice if it's a double set of doors, although I feel kind of dorky saying thank you within 10 seconds for the exact same thing. However, I do it. It's common courtesy.
Common courtesy, people, common courtesy.
More specifically, I get really irritated when I hold the door open for someone and they don't say thank you or if someone is directly ahead of me and they don't even make an attempt to hold the door open, and it gets slammed in my face. I ALWAYS say thank you if someone holds the door open for me, whether or not they look at me to acknowledge it. I even do it twice if it's a double set of doors, although I feel kind of dorky saying thank you within 10 seconds for the exact same thing. However, I do it. It's common courtesy.
Common courtesy, people, common courtesy.
11.13.2011
Procrastination-Productivity
I wouldn't necessarily call myself a procrastinator. I'm certainly not the person who holds off writing a 20 page paper until the night before and then stays up all night finishing. I'm not willing to sacrifice quality (I don't believe writing a 20 pg. paper in one night can result in your best work), and I'm even less willing to sacrifice my sleep! It's rare enough right now as it is, so I have to budget for it.
However, I do certainly procrastinate (who doesn't?) Take, for example, right now. I'm writing a blog post about procrastination because I don't want to finish this presentation. One would think that "finishing" vs. "starting" a presentation wouldn't be so bad, but this article is 40 pages of dense, detailed analysis and it's taking me forever to finish. Then, of course, there's that lovely project abstract that's awaiting me as soon as I do finish. And I keep getting whiffs of corned beef cooking downstairs, which distracts me, too.
In the midst of my procrastination, I have these sudden bursts of productivity where I can whip out 15 slides in 20 minutes, or 4 pages of writing in less than an hour. My procrastination seems justified when that happens, only promoting my bad behavior. What a vicious cycle.
Ok, back to Henriksen, Geeslin, and Willis.
-L
However, I do certainly procrastinate (who doesn't?) Take, for example, right now. I'm writing a blog post about procrastination because I don't want to finish this presentation. One would think that "finishing" vs. "starting" a presentation wouldn't be so bad, but this article is 40 pages of dense, detailed analysis and it's taking me forever to finish. Then, of course, there's that lovely project abstract that's awaiting me as soon as I do finish. And I keep getting whiffs of corned beef cooking downstairs, which distracts me, too.
In the midst of my procrastination, I have these sudden bursts of productivity where I can whip out 15 slides in 20 minutes, or 4 pages of writing in less than an hour. My procrastination seems justified when that happens, only promoting my bad behavior. What a vicious cycle.
Ok, back to Henriksen, Geeslin, and Willis.
-L
11.09.2011
Spring 2012
I just realized that I haven't posted on ANYTHING academia-related, so I figured I should do that...
I just finished finalizing my schedule for the spring semester, a normal 9 credits, as follows.
Spanish 544: Applied Linguistics for Teachers (taught by my adviser, for my doctoral "strand")
Educational Psychology 761: Statistical Methods Applied to Education (I already shudder when I think about this class)
French/Italian 821: Deep Language Learning with Educational Technologies (taught by Francois Tochon)
I'm actually really excited for the 1st and 3rd classes; pedagogy and its effects on SLA is my research focus and I'm particularly interested in online and technology-based learning, especially since so many colleges and universities are switching their language classes to hybrid or fully online versions.
I also can't help but think what would have happened if I had not continued on with my PhD. We got an e-mail about job openings at MSU for some language coordinator positions awhile back. All it required was an MA. My first thought was, "Are you kidding me?! I could have worked with Bill VanPatten just with my MA?!?!?!?!" But then I thought, "But I was so utterly unhappy in that language department, I probably wouldn't apply anyways." I guess things happen for a reason.
Oh, and please keep your fingers crossed that I get some funding for next semester!
-L
I just finished finalizing my schedule for the spring semester, a normal 9 credits, as follows.
Spanish 544: Applied Linguistics for Teachers (taught by my adviser, for my doctoral "strand")
Educational Psychology 761: Statistical Methods Applied to Education (I already shudder when I think about this class)
French/Italian 821: Deep Language Learning with Educational Technologies (taught by Francois Tochon)
I'm actually really excited for the 1st and 3rd classes; pedagogy and its effects on SLA is my research focus and I'm particularly interested in online and technology-based learning, especially since so many colleges and universities are switching their language classes to hybrid or fully online versions.
I also can't help but think what would have happened if I had not continued on with my PhD. We got an e-mail about job openings at MSU for some language coordinator positions awhile back. All it required was an MA. My first thought was, "Are you kidding me?! I could have worked with Bill VanPatten just with my MA?!?!?!?!" But then I thought, "But I was so utterly unhappy in that language department, I probably wouldn't apply anyways." I guess things happen for a reason.
Oh, and please keep your fingers crossed that I get some funding for next semester!
-L
B&B? DDD inspired!
I think someday I'd like to own a B&B. I'm obsessed with Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on the Food Network, and I love to cook, but I'm not sure I'd want the full time commitment of a restaurant. Maybe someday, after I've worked long enough in academia to make getting my PhD worth it.
But I think a B&B would be nice. Just a small one, maybe 6 rooms. Somewhere in northern MI along a lake. Only open in the summer, at least to begin with, especially since I'll probably still be teaching at that point. And I'd like the highlight to be the food. So in addition to the B&B part, I think I'd make it a restaurant too. I'd probably keep breakfast just for guests, since that's one of the main reasons you stay at a B&B, but I think lunch and dinner would be a great option. And, I like cooking lunch/dinner items better than breakfast, anyways.
I'd still do a wine/cheese tasting hour for my guests, and restaurant visitors could add that to their meal, if they so desired, for a small fee. I would love to get creative and use seasonal summer produce, bought fresh at the local farmer's market, and go crazy with different combinations.
Yeah, I think a B&B is in my future...
But I think a B&B would be nice. Just a small one, maybe 6 rooms. Somewhere in northern MI along a lake. Only open in the summer, at least to begin with, especially since I'll probably still be teaching at that point. And I'd like the highlight to be the food. So in addition to the B&B part, I think I'd make it a restaurant too. I'd probably keep breakfast just for guests, since that's one of the main reasons you stay at a B&B, but I think lunch and dinner would be a great option. And, I like cooking lunch/dinner items better than breakfast, anyways.
I'd still do a wine/cheese tasting hour for my guests, and restaurant visitors could add that to their meal, if they so desired, for a small fee. I would love to get creative and use seasonal summer produce, bought fresh at the local farmer's market, and go crazy with different combinations.
Yeah, I think a B&B is in my future...
11.07.2011
Too many children!
Ok, to preface this, I am a self-proclaimed Facebook stalker. Ok, now that that's out of the way...
I was doing a little procrastination-stalking tonight and came upon a FB profile of two people I graduated from college with. They got married the summer after we graduated, like many other Hopers. A lot of people I know are getting into the baby time. The timing makes sense- 3-4 years years of marriage. Seems about right, I guess, for normal standards. Now, what I just noticed about this particular couple is that they now have TWO children. Lord, almighty. Not that that's wrong; to each his own, and good for them.
What really sent me into a panic was the idea that I've been out of college long enough to potentially have two children. That is insane to me. Not that I'm not happy, although I have been dropping numerous hints to a certain someone to put a certain sparkly item on my hand. I'm not that crazy "you have to marry me tomorrow" person, though. His family makes more comments about it than I do, that's for sure (his mom told him that if we broke up, they were disowning him and adopting me, just to put it in perspective).
I know we're not ready for kids, but it's just crazy to me that it was only about 4.5 years ago that we graduated and now people are all grown up and having kids.
Why is it that I still don't consider myself a grown up? Do I have to be married and have a baby to make that change? If so, good luck to me. ;-D
I was doing a little procrastination-stalking tonight and came upon a FB profile of two people I graduated from college with. They got married the summer after we graduated, like many other Hopers. A lot of people I know are getting into the baby time. The timing makes sense- 3-4 years years of marriage. Seems about right, I guess, for normal standards. Now, what I just noticed about this particular couple is that they now have TWO children. Lord, almighty. Not that that's wrong; to each his own, and good for them.
What really sent me into a panic was the idea that I've been out of college long enough to potentially have two children. That is insane to me. Not that I'm not happy, although I have been dropping numerous hints to a certain someone to put a certain sparkly item on my hand. I'm not that crazy "you have to marry me tomorrow" person, though. His family makes more comments about it than I do, that's for sure (his mom told him that if we broke up, they were disowning him and adopting me, just to put it in perspective).
I know we're not ready for kids, but it's just crazy to me that it was only about 4.5 years ago that we graduated and now people are all grown up and having kids.
Why is it that I still don't consider myself a grown up? Do I have to be married and have a baby to make that change? If so, good luck to me. ;-D
Monday, Monday
Mondays are unpredictable and can be extreme. Today was a good extreme: an extra hour of sleep from changing the clocks, morning meeting cancelled which let me go grocery shopping earlier, relaxing rest of the morning with a coffee-snuggly cat-grading papers combination, tacos for dinner, donating to the Hope Fund, and seeing one of my professors cited in an article.
Thanks, Monday. Let's make this a regular thing, ok?
-L
Thanks, Monday. Let's make this a regular thing, ok?
-L
Punctuality
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm extremely punctual. I detest being late. I actually even detest just being on time. I much prefer to always be early.
When other people are late, it really gets to me. I'm sitting outside of a group study room in College Library, and there's a group in there right now whose reservation ends at 4 (ours begins at 4). I gave them a courtesy few minutes, but now we're going on 10, and I think courtesy time is up. The conundrum always face is, how do I gently nudge them out of the room without seeming really rude? My group needs that time in the room (that's why we made a reservation, duh.) The girl came out to check the schedule and then walked back in; my feeling is, even if no one appears to be "waiting", it's time to go.
Ok, now she's realized that we're stalking the room and is leaving, past the 10 minute mark.
I guess it could have been worse.
-L
When other people are late, it really gets to me. I'm sitting outside of a group study room in College Library, and there's a group in there right now whose reservation ends at 4 (ours begins at 4). I gave them a courtesy few minutes, but now we're going on 10, and I think courtesy time is up. The conundrum always face is, how do I gently nudge them out of the room without seeming really rude? My group needs that time in the room (that's why we made a reservation, duh.) The girl came out to check the schedule and then walked back in; my feeling is, even if no one appears to be "waiting", it's time to go.
Ok, now she's realized that we're stalking the room and is leaving, past the 10 minute mark.
I guess it could have been worse.
-L
11.06.2011
Thanks, Frank
I just got a message from a friend of mine about her ex-boyfriend who always comes back to her. Her message reminded me of my ex from college, and it brought back some wretched memories.
This guy, we'll call him Frank, was a piece of work. He thought he was "getting what he deserved" and that he was supposed to "settle" for me. He would tell me that I needed to lose 15 (not 5, not 10, but exactly 15) pounds, and that if I did, he could love me more. He told me about the waitress in NJ who was his ideal girl and that she was much prettier than I. We'd lay on the couch and he would grab my stomach and just hold it, to help me remember that I needed to lose weight. He told me that he felt like hanging himself in his closet when he thought about my "past". He then proceeded to punch three massive holes in his wall. What a treat, right?
When I finally got enough courage to end it with him (after 2.5 years of tumult), I was scared. I was terrified that I wouldn't ever find anyone else, but I knew it had to be done. In fact, I hardly shed a tear over the breakup. My best friend said that my lack of tears was the indication that this was the right choice for me, so she never even attempted to convince me otherwise.
I then allowed myself to be me, date, flirt, and hang out with my friends, from whom I'd been isolated for quite awhile, thanks to Frank. I re-connected with my best friends, and I'm so thankful for that because I don't know what I'd do without R, N, and E in my life.
Then, out of the blue, I went on a date at Starbucks over 3.5 years ago, and have never looked back. I can't imagine my life without J in it.
My friend's story made me remember those bad memories, yes, but it also helped me remember the path that brought me where I am today: a 20-something with her BA, MA and en route to her PhD. I have the best family and friends anyone could ask for, and a boyfriend who is over the moon for me. So in a way, I have to thank Frank. I might not have ended up here had it not been for him.
So thanks, Frank. Thanks very much.
This guy, we'll call him Frank, was a piece of work. He thought he was "getting what he deserved" and that he was supposed to "settle" for me. He would tell me that I needed to lose 15 (not 5, not 10, but exactly 15) pounds, and that if I did, he could love me more. He told me about the waitress in NJ who was his ideal girl and that she was much prettier than I. We'd lay on the couch and he would grab my stomach and just hold it, to help me remember that I needed to lose weight. He told me that he felt like hanging himself in his closet when he thought about my "past". He then proceeded to punch three massive holes in his wall. What a treat, right?
When I finally got enough courage to end it with him (after 2.5 years of tumult), I was scared. I was terrified that I wouldn't ever find anyone else, but I knew it had to be done. In fact, I hardly shed a tear over the breakup. My best friend said that my lack of tears was the indication that this was the right choice for me, so she never even attempted to convince me otherwise.
I then allowed myself to be me, date, flirt, and hang out with my friends, from whom I'd been isolated for quite awhile, thanks to Frank. I re-connected with my best friends, and I'm so thankful for that because I don't know what I'd do without R, N, and E in my life.
Then, out of the blue, I went on a date at Starbucks over 3.5 years ago, and have never looked back. I can't imagine my life without J in it.
My friend's story made me remember those bad memories, yes, but it also helped me remember the path that brought me where I am today: a 20-something with her BA, MA and en route to her PhD. I have the best family and friends anyone could ask for, and a boyfriend who is over the moon for me. So in a way, I have to thank Frank. I might not have ended up here had it not been for him.
So thanks, Frank. Thanks very much.
11.05.2011
Communicative Method, really?
Having been a TA at MSU and now at UW Madison, one thing hasn't changed: the "Almighty" Communicative Method.
"Our goal is COMMUNICATION. Our students should be able to express their wants, needs, and desires."
Well, ok then. That sounds good to me, quite honestly. Oh but wait, we're not going to assess them with communicative assessments? Something seems fishy here...
"Oh, well we put everything in a context to facilitate learning."
Oh ok. So we're going to take them to markets, restaurants, stores, etc. to have them interact with native speakers? Wow, we're pretty progressive! Oh, wait...we're not doing those things? Then what's our context?
"Laura just moved to NYC and is talking to a friend about the move. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate vocabulary."
Um, how is that a context? Just because we slapped a little story on it does not a context make. And what about other acceptable answers? A half point? Is that supposed to mean it's only "half acceptable" in normal discourse?
As you can tell, I'm pretty irritated by the whole "We teach using the communicative method" mumbo jumbo. I've never understood this concept and how teachers, professors and TAs can not only hide behind this facade, but also seem to think it's appropriate!! Why, if we have language coordinators, are these people not REQUIRED to have a background in education?! Doesn't that just seem logical?
For the brand new TAs who have never written a lesson plan, dealt with classroom rapport, or graded an oral exam, why do we consider a 4-day "orientation" and a required methodology class the first semester as adequate????? And then they graduate and end up teaching lower level language classes at X university, still not really ever having learned how to work in a classroom. Ugh.
It really depresses me that this is the state of our post-secondary language system. Haven't we learned yet that we're SO INCREDIBLY far behind the rest of the world, especially for the teaching of languages? And why do the SLA researchers consistently fair to apply their research discoveries to the classroom? A place, I may add, where the majority of language learning occurs in the US.
Maybe, in another four years after a I graduate, I can take over the language world...
-L
"Our goal is COMMUNICATION. Our students should be able to express their wants, needs, and desires."
Well, ok then. That sounds good to me, quite honestly. Oh but wait, we're not going to assess them with communicative assessments? Something seems fishy here...
"Oh, well we put everything in a context to facilitate learning."
Oh ok. So we're going to take them to markets, restaurants, stores, etc. to have them interact with native speakers? Wow, we're pretty progressive! Oh, wait...we're not doing those things? Then what's our context?
"Laura just moved to NYC and is talking to a friend about the move. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate vocabulary."
Um, how is that a context? Just because we slapped a little story on it does not a context make. And what about other acceptable answers? A half point? Is that supposed to mean it's only "half acceptable" in normal discourse?
As you can tell, I'm pretty irritated by the whole "We teach using the communicative method" mumbo jumbo. I've never understood this concept and how teachers, professors and TAs can not only hide behind this facade, but also seem to think it's appropriate!! Why, if we have language coordinators, are these people not REQUIRED to have a background in education?! Doesn't that just seem logical?
For the brand new TAs who have never written a lesson plan, dealt with classroom rapport, or graded an oral exam, why do we consider a 4-day "orientation" and a required methodology class the first semester as adequate????? And then they graduate and end up teaching lower level language classes at X university, still not really ever having learned how to work in a classroom. Ugh.
It really depresses me that this is the state of our post-secondary language system. Haven't we learned yet that we're SO INCREDIBLY far behind the rest of the world, especially for the teaching of languages? And why do the SLA researchers consistently fair to apply their research discoveries to the classroom? A place, I may add, where the majority of language learning occurs in the US.
Maybe, in another four years after a I graduate, I can take over the language world...
-L
Decided to try this out...
I don't consider myself a blogger; I never have. However, recently I've found myself wanting for an outlet to vent my frustrations, good moments, pertinent questions, etc. Facebook and Twitter aren't always appropriate or allow me to write as much as I would like (who wants to read 25, 140 character posts?), so I've decided to give this a whirl.
I apologize ahead of time if we have a difference of opinion, but I will always try my best to keep my eyes and ears open to other opinions and always give them the respect they deserve. If no one ever reads this but me, that's ok, but hopefully someone will :)
I apologize ahead of time if we have a difference of opinion, but I will always try my best to keep my eyes and ears open to other opinions and always give them the respect they deserve. If no one ever reads this but me, that's ok, but hopefully someone will :)
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