I’m just off my blogging mojo or something. I have a lot going on but it’s all stuff that has me running around in mental circles. I’ll do bullet points.
- Julia sent me a pack full of Dream Dinners weekend before last and I can’t tell you all how much it meant to me. You may know the challenges she’s fielding in her own life with one child dealing with the emotional fall-out from a kidney transplant and another child facing her own kidney transplant in the upcoming months (god willing) and a family member who is staying with them while he gets the resources and support he needs but none of this dims her generosity and compassion. I hope to grow up and BE her someday.
- Then social networking connections got me tickets to see A Chorus Line this Saturday. Tenth row, center! I took my sister whose week was going about like mine and we cried all the way through. We loved it! And we loved the parking guy who took pity on us for only having a check card when the lots all take cash — he let us park anyway. It was a wonderful, wonderful night!
- They are cutting over-time at Brett’s job. This has me really scared but I’m trying not to freak. I don’t know if we could manage another lay-off. I’m going to pull a Scarlett O’Hara and choose to think about that tomorrow.
- I am thinking about grad school. No, I’m not thinking, I’ve decided about it. Not an MFA though — too self-serving in this economy plus I have no idea what the hell the publishing industry is going to do next and I need to find a way to be my own writing patron, which means creating a career path that will let me write even if no one ever wants to pay me. This is what’s driving my grad school decision. I missed the program cut-off for this fall so I’m looking at 2010. That’s all I’m going to say about that. Oh except that the GRE scares me. Now that really is all I’m going to say about that.
- I’m continuing to like work, most especially my co-workers but am feeling concerned about funding (what non-profit isn’t in this economy?) even though my boss isn’t fretting and she certainly knows more than I do. I am really tired of living with so much uncertainty and with budget spreadsheets driving my insomnia. Never mind. I don’t want to talk about it.
- I’m on week 5 to Couch to 5K and it’s kicking my ass. I hear weeks 4 & 5 are when people really start feeling challenged (veterans among you? true for you?) and yesterday’s run was the first time I heard myself think, “I don’t know if I can do this.” Fortunately it was just when the running interval ended so it was all good. My shin splints were killing me but a quick google gave me some good information on the kind I have and what I can do about them. Mine is in the tibilais anterior in my right leg. This is also the hip I have trouble with and the leg that turns out more so I’m pretty sure it’s my stride. I’m trying some strengthening exercises and learning some more stretches. Meanwhile, ice after my run. It doesn’t generally hurt the day after but this past time it was hurting during my run and when I stopped it cramped up so bad I almost threw up. Still I don’t want to quit because I like running. I mean, when I’m not in the middle of doing it. Ha! Now I just have to figure out how to stretch the budget so I can get some new shoes (mine are *cough* eight years old. I know — I need new shoes but the car needs breakpads, too so there you go).
- My kids continue to be adorable and bright and happy mostly although the youngest has been mouthing off as a social experiement. Lately she’s been screaming, “This is ALL YOUR FAULT!” when I tell her she has to brush her teeth before we can read a book for bed. I don’t respond because she yells it when she’s on her way to brush her teeth and I’ve already won the whole power struggle. Let her have her little victory stomp down the hall if it saves her face. Likewise the heated, “You’re MEAN!” as she heads into her room to clean it. Engaging her? Drags out the confrontation — meanwhile there are teeth that still need brushing and rooms that still need to be cleaned. What’s funny about this age is that once Madison does brush her teeth or cleans the room, she’s all bright and shiny and proud like it was all her idea in the first place.
Possibly related posts:
Me too. (Keep writing then deleting.)
Doing it now in fact.
The brain, she is fried.
Writing and writing but not posting. I have about twenty unpublished posts in Wordpress. Go figure.
I’m scared of the GRE too. I mananged to find a MSW program that didn’t require it since there is little if any evidence that good GRE scores = good performance in grad school or professional life. However, it IS required for all the PhD programs I’m looking into.
Oh and teethbrushing and room cleaning I get, but color me surprised when my niece (age 3) threw a full on trantrum at a suggestion that we go to the park. She usually tries everything in her little arsenal to get me to take her to the park but I guess yesterday was just not a park day. I said “okay, we won’t go to the park” and she was smiling and bubbly again…wierd…
I’m only writing in my head and not even getting to the delete point. I hear you.
Oh, so jealous of your attendance. I need more music in my life!!
Oh, I wish you’d write about grad school and the decision process about it. I’m on the fence about going and having a very hard time making up my mind. All my friends with grad degrees are trying to convince me to go and all friends without are telling me not to. hmmm…
GREs are conquerable. The more you prepare, the better you will do. You DON’T need to take a class. All you need is a book of recent practice tests. Go through a test and see how you do. Don’t be disappointed if you don’t do well. You’re just running a diagnostic to see where your weaknesses are. Get specific help for those weaknesses. For example, I had totally forgotten all my algebra. I did three tutorials with an undergraduate math major from a nearby college, and that’s all I needed to jog my memory. Then I just practised practised practised. I also studied the dictionary, and went through past tests for vocab words I didn’t know — they tend to repeat the words. I made index cards with about five words and their definitions on each side and I took those cards with me EVERYWHERE. Standing in line at the bank? You can get a few cards in. On the toilet (gross, perhaps, but I’m not kidding) you can get in a card or two. And the logic part–the only way to conquer that part is, again, practise practise practise. The more you do them the more you get used to them (they really require your brain to do some rewiring, but after a while you get used to them.)
This advice has worked for many people in the past few years, and it worked for me!
Ditto what Artemis said about the GREs – forgot to mention that I was able to download practice tests way back in 1998. I bet the web is full of such things these days.
Hey, I’ll even help you study.
You can do the GRE. There’s lots of good prep material out there, and you’ll be fine. Don’t let testing anxiety become your worst enemy!
I’m curious to know what kind of program you’re going to apply to, if you’re willing to share. Maybe a professional writing program? Though I kind of feel that at this point, you could probably teach in one of those with all your real-life experience!
Grad school… I can email you more specific thoughts, but in general I think MFAs are a good idea for fiction writers. I could also wax on about the future of publishing, but this probably isn’t the place to do it.
The GRE, however is a piece of cake. Buy one study book, take a practice test to see what you need to work on, study the sections you need for improvement, and you’re golden. I studied for about a month and kicked the GRE’s butt.
The biggest mental block and physical challenge for me during C25K was week 5. Especially dreading the third run of week 5. BUT, after I did it, I felt like I could do anything.
When I was thinking about grad school a few years ago, I used one of those GRE test prep computer programs with stupid games and got better than respectable scores. I hate hate HATE tests, so that’s saying something.
Been thinking about grad school again myself. I’d like to have teaching in the arsenal of possible ways to make an income, and an MA – no matter what it’s in – seems to be necessary for that.
Your local library probably has a selection of GRE prep books you can borrow – no need to spend money on your own copies. These days, most of them should come with CDs containing computer based practice tests and exercises. I always found that it helped me to know what to expect. Good luck!
Awwww…that was sweet. And so not necessary! You know how many times you have helped me out? A cazillion.
I am in an online MLS (library science) program right now and although it is really challenging it is so much better than things were years ago. #1 I can afford it and #2 I can do it from home when kids are occupied. I never took the GRE. When I went for my first masters (TESOL) in 1985 I went to a school that accepted the Miller Analogy test and it was not difficult. I don’t know what programs you are looking at but I am just saying maybe there are options to consider…
Re: the temper displays – my 4 yo has taken to shouting “IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!!!” when he means “it’s all your fault”. I have a hard time not laughing every single time. I’ll be sad when he gets that straightened out.
[...] So what are your tips? What did you do? (For other folks looking for ideas, Artemis left a bunch on a previous entry, which you can find right here.) [...]