summer?

i'm on summer break which has been a bit busy so far and definitely not totally a break. i'm teaching a class in the first session and it's going well. i was hopeful that i'd have five people in it so i could get paid close to the full summer salary, but sadly when we started i ended up with three. luckily, the course itself has been pretty fun to teach and the students are great. remarkably we're almost halfway done!

i also finally made my giant list of things i want to do this summer and luckily i think i can get a lot of it accomplished. at least i hope so. :) it's good to have a plan at least and a schedule for when things need to get done. kate needs deadlines. it's a fact.

one of the big things i need to start doing soon is working on publishing my dissertation. i've been getting mixed messages about what avenue to pursue (book vs. article) so i think i'll try to get a book proposal written and an article and then go from there.

i also need to get my january term course figured out and my fall courses put together. those are all the top priorities. as well as getting another research project off the ground.

and, because it's a break allegedly, i'm trying to make sure that fun is being had as well. i think it's fair to say that the last few weeks have been really trying personally, so it has been great spending time with friends here in dubuque. i'm also going to charlotte, nc to visit my friend jody who i have known since we were 15 and taking moped class together. i think we might even go to the ocean and hang out on the beach which sounds so awesome. maybe i can lose 15 pounds before june 20? :) can't wait for that trip!

there is probably a lot of other stuff i've been meaning to blog about. i have been composing blog posts in my head when i can't get to sleep at night. but now that i'm actually blogging, i can't think of any of those ideas.

hope this post finds you well and happy. and hope that next time i write i'm more articulate and enthusiastic. lacking that second one lately, but hanging in there.