i think i'm good at this

today i saw quite a few students who were either making-up tests or picking up their final papers and stuff. a lot of the students who were picking up stuff commented on how much they liked the class, asked me if i'd be teaching more, and in general had some good things to say about the semester. one of them was a non-traditional student and my class was her first one. she was so excited to find out that she got an A. her first A in an undergrad class as a full-time employee and mom of a college-aged student. :) i was genuinely happy as i entered 200 grades for my intro class to see that some of the students that have been showing up and working hard all semester did well.

i also talked with a student for about a half hour today. i never knew what to make of him in class. he always had this shitty grin on his face and sat in the back, so my impression was that he wasn't taking it very seriously. i was wrong. very wrong. he told me last week that his younger brother died unexpectedly and he was thus behind on things. today, he turned in missing homework and lamented that he only got a 92 out of 100 on his last test (which he took during a stressful time). just goes to show that some students really care and are willing to bust their asses. in fact, i wish more students were like him...rather than giving me some b.s. excuse when the fact of the matter is that they are just slacking, they work through a difficult time. i'm truly proud of that student and hope he is also proud of himself.

so, even though i still have lots of grades to calculate and will inevitably hear some gripes about grades, i can say that this has been a very positive experience. the more i do it, the more i think i'm really cut out to do this. the administrator/teacher/small college path seems to be the right fit for me...just as i've always suspected. perhaps that makes me a quasi-academic...but i don't care. :)

time for bed.

quick wit

a few weeks ago i was watching the HBO show big love with a few friends of mine. the show is weird and addictive and makes me want to get hbo for sunday nights only. at one point in the episode, a group of 4-5 high school guys are driving around in a wood-paneled station wagon and the driver...for reasons that i still struggle to understand...pulls out his wang and uses it to steer the car. if i remember right the boys ended up in an accident. what i do remember was an instant barrage of jokes from me and my friends.

b: "he was a little 'cocky' with his driving skills."

me: "well, he was driving a 'woody.'"

d: "it was a 'head'strong lane change."

we were all very proud of ourselves. as i think is clear that we should have been.

:)

commense wine drinking

today was a hectic day. so hectic that instead of grading tests right now, i'm going to bust open the botttle of gewürztraminer wine i bought a few weeks ago. my methods courses starte presentations about their research proposals today. overall, i was very happy with how they did, though the transitions from presentation to presentation could have been smoother. we were crunched for time though due to course evals and had some technical difficulties. i did learn that a video project will still work after taking a dive off of a desk. it was neat though to see that the students had such good ideas and they really pulled the projects together.

my office hours were also crazy today. lots of visitors wondering about grades, a few make-up tests, and a lot of grading to do. i'm sure there are not many undergrads who read this blog, but in case there are, here's a piece of advice to you. do NOT throw away homework or tests or anything you got a grade on until after you see your final grade. with TAs and crazy instructors all trying to keep track of shit, it is inevitable that mistakes will be made. and you will be a sad puppy if you find out that someone didn't enter a test grade for you and because of your expediency of recycling paper goods, we have no idea what your grade was. get a folder and put everything in that sucker.

i'm happy and amazed that the week is half over. next week will be a mad dash to get grades in and trying to find a freakin' job still. you guys are praying and crossing your crossable parts right? maybe profs will still fund me and i could just work on my dissertation all summer. doubtful, but maybe?

love yas!

not to complain yet again...but

okay, so i promise i will post a happier entry soon. but first i have to vent a bit. yesterday was may 1st and i forgot to pop by the office of my stupid apartment complex with my rent check. didn't figure it would be the end of the world, since hey....it's not even 24 hours later. i was totally wrong. i stopped by with my check to find out that i have to pay with a money order AND pay an extra TWENTY-FIVE dollars. maybe this is standard practice and i am just naive about such things. i did have a great landlord before who was very laid back (thanks mike). but still...even my last apartment experience was nicer about rent day than that...and they were stupid about most things. you had until may 3rd to pay before they started charging you extra and they still would take a check. it was a giant pain in the ass to get a money order, but luckily the post office people were very helpful and nice. anyway, the rant is mostly to talk about how stupid the policy of not taking a check is because of one day late rent. i mean for god's sake...they would take my check yesterday?! i was bringing them a check in person. what's the problem?!! it makes me anxious to get out of this building...though i would need a job to do that, huh?

rant over.

pray for employment for me soon!

ah...the rivalry

so i'm in texas recruiting people to participate in my dissertation research. i've been really fortunate because a number of faculty members here have allowed me to talk to their classes about the research in order to get in touch with students who might be willing to do an interview. i have a lot of names so far and hopefully some or most of them will actually follow through.

in one class, the professor announced me and that i was from A&M, which at this particular school is a strike against me. i always make fun of myself a bit and assure them that i'm coming at this research from an objective standpoint and won't be calling the university TU or bleeding maroon all over them. when i was done with my usual spiel, i handed out flyers and two sign-up sheets to the class. as those were going around, the prof proceeds to tell two stories about bad experiences he's had with aggies in the past and how that has shaped his (and his family's) impression of them. now, i will be the first to admit that aggies can have their moments, especially when interacting with austinites. it can get ugly. it can even be dumb. but i was a bit frustrated that this was the moment he told those stories. i'm trying to build some credibility and get undergrads from our rival school to trust me enough to give me an hour or two of their time...and stories from their professor about how aggies are dumb does not help my cause.

so...even as a grad student, trying to do my dissertation research with the assistance of my future colleagues...i encounter the rivalry. and it was dumb and ugly.

a glimmer of hope?

i asked our department head about his advice regarding finding a job at the university. before he gave me his advice, he offered me 2, possibly 3, courses for the fall. SO...that is a good thing right? the bad thing is that i still would rather find a full-time position. you know, one that would pay me enough to get out of debt and would come with benefits. i'm grateful and i took the classes and told him i would let him know if anything changes. if i teach again i would need to find something else anyway...or see if profs want to keep giving me money to do research.

a bit of good news on an otherwise uneventful day.

actually...that's not quite true. a bunch of profs at UT are letting me talk to their classes next week about my research which will TOTALLY help me get interviews. party time...excellent!

a different kind of easter ascension

look what i did today:







have a happy easter kids.

lost post

so i had half a post written before and suddenly it was not "saved as draft" and thus gone forever. :) i think it will be inspired at some other point though, so no worries.

i don't have too much to say right now. just a random post. pretty good day. made tacos. yum! i think i was inspired by the show top chef. :) i should go on that show and make my tacos.

okay....i just spaced out which probably means its bed time.

night kids.

what the..

so how is it that april is almost half way over? i must say i'm sort of happy about that because that means it will soon be pay day again. and that i will soon be going to texas to visit friends and do more interviews for my dissertation. i'm looking forward to that trip, even though it will mean a long ass drive. :)

i registered for research hours for next year. its weird that i'm two hours away from finishing the course work on my degree plan. my hope is that i can collect most of my data this spring/summer so that i can just write in the fall and hopefully graduate next spring. that's the goal anyway.

things in ABQ are good. the weather has been great lately which makes it hard to be inside. can't believe teaching is almost over for the semester. everyone cross your crossable parts that i find a job soon. or else i'm not sure what i'll be doing. :(

okay, i'm done rambling for now. :)

sunny day jealousy

it is beautiful outside today. the temperature is in the low-60s, it's sunny, the mountains are still hanging around. *grin* as i walked to my office this afternoon, i found myself feeling jealous of the couples who were cozied up together on the grass near the fish pond. i was always jealous when i saw people doing the same thing on the grass near the academic building at a&m too. i think my jealousy is because i think that'd be an awesome way to spend an afternoon, or even an hour, and i rarely get the chance to do anything like that. and if i did, the person i'd want to cozy up to is likely to be at work during the day too. seems like it would be a good thing to do one of these days though. take an afternoon, and a book, and a lucky boy, and just be.

jobby job

so, i've been a little more stressed about this job thing, though i realized that the application closing dates for some of the jobs haven't happened yet. i'm really hoping one of the positions comes through and not only so i can pay rent and eat food and stuff (though that is nice.) i also miss that office feel and having work friends. part-time instructor life is pretty isolated. i get to interact with students one-on-one occasionally, but that's about it. i'm getting anxious to be a part of a team again which i think all of the positions i've applied for would include. plus, it will be good for my ego and my sanity to know that i have a job that will have some stability, benefits, and all that stuff. it might make dissertating more challenging, but honestly, i don't think i'm the type of academic who functions well with just one task. in fact, i know that i'm not. i don't need to be (or want to be) as busy as i was last semester, but i need a minimal amount of stress to stay motivated. some might take that to mean that i love being stressed. i don't necessarily. but i work better under pressure and at the moment the pressure is a bit low. i do need to get my ass going on data collection though, since there are some potential publications being thrown around (a book and an article). so, i have a little pressure, but not enough to really get my shit together. and i feel too hermity. (yes, i said hermity.)

so cross your fingers that i will get a shot to show various UNM offices how cool i am and that ultimately i'll get to be an advisor or coordinator or something soon.

good signs?

so i checked my email today and UNM job finder told me about three positions that would be perfect for me. i, of course, applied for all of them.

THEN, my google home page word of the day this- metier: an occupation, especially in which one excels.

i'm hoping this a good sign that one of these positions will pan out. :) cross your fingers for me.

google home page also had this quote from the former mitch hedberg (awesome comedian): "I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask them where they're going and hook up with them later." -Mitch Hedberg

not a bad philosophy i think. check out more mitch wisdom from the link i posted.

back to the grind

so, my two week hiatus has come to an end. i had a great time catching up with people and hanging out with friends in texas. heck, even the road trip with mike through exciting oklahoma and west texas was fun stuff. it is good to be home and sleeping in my own bed and not living out of a suitcase (well....once i unpack that will be true), but it was nice to be obligation free for a while.
it is also nice to be able to go to the gym again. vacation was not kind to my ass. :( but that's what vacation is for right? i think i ate queso more days than i didn't while in texas.

not much else going on. trying to get my apartment cleaned up. decided to cancel my match.com subscription. not really into it and no need to pay dr. phil for his "services."

trying to figure out my employment situation after classes end. cross your fingers and say some prayers that something works out.

nobody knows that i'm a lesbian on extasy

okay, so i'm not really...but i am wearing an 80s style button that says that. if only i had my jean jacket with me. :) i'm in austin, texas at the moment hanging out with mike at south by southwest. one of the bands we saw the other night was called lesbians on extasy. they were awesome and covered an indigo girls' song which made me quiet happy. if you want the low down on the bands and stuff we've been seeing then check out sooshie.org

overall it has been a very fun trip after a successful and fun trip to chicago. i officially started my dissertation data collection which is a great feeling. i have more interviews to do there, which is not a big deal since i enjoy chi-town and will get to catch up with great friends once again. :) i will also be doing interviews in new mexico soon and in texas in april. it's great to finally have started and its especially poignant since my committee chair was asked to write a book about racism in higher ed and an article. so hopefully publications will be on the way!

it has been nice to be out of ABQ for a while and to travel a bit. i'm not anxious to get back to work next week, but it will also be kind of nice to be back home and not living out of a suitcase. cross your fingers that one of the many job applications will pan out. i'm applying for a junior faculty position when i get back too. that would be rad.

miss you all. keep the peace.

good mail

i got this letter today:

dear ms. katemonkeypoop:

our records show that you have passed your preliminary examination, satisfied the residence requirement, submitted a satisfactory dissertation proposal, and completed all formal course work on your degree program...you are hereby admitted to candidacy for the degree of doctor of philosophy with a major in sociology.

sincerely,

dean of graduate studies


WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

renaissance woman

monday i felt a bit like a renaissance woman. i taught in the morning, advised students in the afternoon, worked on my dissertation, made a delicious salad, watched 24 (my new TV addiction) with friends, mocked mike's contra skills a bit, and then proved that i could beat super mario brothers and save the princess.

i have many tricks up my sleeve. ;) boo-ya.

"Ah, breaker one-nine, this here’s the rubber duck. you gotta copy on me, pig pen, c’mon?"

so this is another fun website that a few of my friends posted on their blogs: https://home.comcast.net/~josh.hosler/NumberOneInHistory/SelectMonth.htm

you can see what song was the number one on the day you were born. my was convoy by c.w. mccall. this fact will make dennis piss his pants. :)

"brownie bites would be like huge because there'd be eight brownie bits in every brownie bite...that's awesome.."

i haven't written in a while. i know...slacker. :)

so here's the update in a nutshell:

had a fun valentine's day. mike and i went on a progressive fast food meal this year..revived an old tradition or something. i planned our "menu" and it was a great time. ended with yummy sonic treats, hence the title of this post.

work is still going well. still like teaching quite a bit. my intro class is watching the breakfast club tomorrow. i love using films in class, partly because it's less prep time for me and mostly because i think it's such a good way to apply the material.

i'm also trying to find a gig for after may. i applied for a really cool position and i'm trying to not get my hopes up. it has been hard to even get a foot in the door at UNM for full time positions, so i'm not holding my breath. i think if i got this job though...it could be one of those futurey kind. it's not a faculty position, but i think that's okay with me right now.

i also FINALLY got started with dissertation stuff. i sent out a buttload of emails at u-chicago and u-new mexico and now i'll just wait for people to get back to me about doing interviews. i have a trip to chicago planned in a few weeks so i really hope to find some people to talk to. i feel like i'm getting some good support though from faculty and they are passing the word around. :)

i think i have two trips coming up to texas as well. i'm going to go to south by southwest and see a lot of good bands with mike. and i want to go back in april to visit people again and to do interviews at u-texas.

got to spend some time with my mom and dad and my brother and his family this past weekend. went to st. louis and hung out with them. the only bad thing was that it was the coldest weekend since january 2005 so i came back to ABQ with a cold. luckily its starting to go away.

i also have been working out more. over did it on tuesday though and now my upper-leg muscles are really really really sore. i've been walking around like frankenstein and the three flights of stairs to my apartment are killing me. hopefully they will feel better tomorrow/very soon!

so...that's the scoop poops. sorry to be a shitty friend and not to be in better touch with people. i was in a funk for a while...sort of unexplained funk...and i'm snapping out of it now. love yas!

now i'm copying phil

sara's fiance, phil, had another series of questions on his blog and now i'm copying him. before i copied shelley. i'm a copier. call me xerox bitch! :) it's all in good fun though..and there's that whole imitation/flattery thing.

before i start the list though...i finally joined a gym and worked out today for the first time in a while. i'm proud to say that i did 2.5 miles on the elliptical machine and lifted some weights. not bad for the first time back. the only evil thing about my gym is its close (very close) proximity to the local krispy kreme. that's just mean. :) i will resist and where those f'in pants that i've been moving all over the country. it will happen.

so now..the fun.

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
i look pretty cute today...and a little tired.

2. How much cash do you have on you?
i think i have a shiny fiver in my billfold. :) it's not actually shiny.

3. What's a word that rhymes with TEST?
why was breast the first word in my head. wtf?!

4. Planet?
definitely saturn. love those crazy ass rings. plus i think it's my planet or something. capricorns and saturn...no idea. oh..and my car is a saturn. :)

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list?
probably greg.

6. What is your favorite ring on your phone?
i really like "the internet is for porn" ring (from avenue q) but it's too quite...so i'm sticking with "gonna make you sweat" by c and c music factory!

7. What shirt are you wearing?
sweaty red rugby t-shirt. just got back from the gym.

8. What do you label yourself?
hilarious, smart, cute, buck wild, nerdy, foul-mouthed, generous, humble (haha), a good friend, loving to a fault, fiesty, Catholic, liberal, sociologist, teacher, etc etc

9. Name the brand of shoes you've recently worn.
i love Clarks. LOVE.

10. Bright or Dark Room?
usually somewhere in between.

11. What were you doing at midnight last night?
i was watching Roseanne on Nick at Nite and entering grades into a spreadsheet (and consequently swearing at Excel.)

12. What did your last text message you received on your cell say? it said "World Market?"

13. Where is your nearest 7-11?
um...i wanna say there is one a few blocks east of my apartment complex, but i just moved here so i don't freakin' know.

14. What's a saying that you say a lot?
while driving: "what the fuck?! what are you doing?" in life: buck wild, cheetos, monkey ass, durkheim blah blah blah, random swears, rad

15. Who told you they loved you last?
dennis

16. Last furry thing you touched?
mike's face

17. How Many Drugs Have You Done In The Past three Days?
illictit---none. prescription--two

18. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed?
at least one

19. Favorite age you have been so far?
hmm....28 wasn't too bad.

20. Your worst enemy?
usually myself (stupid second-guessing.)

21. What is your current desktop picture?
my nephew luke

22. What was the last thing you said to someone?
"so call me later?"

23. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly, which would you choose?
show me the money! i would definitely choose a million bucks. lots of debt to pay off and fun to have. :)

24. Do you like someone?
yup

25. The last song you listened to?
some postal service songs while working out. i love "such great heights"

i might be watching too much law and order..and sex in the city for that matter..

so i haven't been sleeping well this week. not sure what the deal is, but last night i was actually awakened by a nightmare at 4 a.m. (which is probably why i was a bit of an emotional basketcase tonight..that and pms..yikes!) in my dream, i was about to be shot in a street shootout that was happening as i was walking by. it was scary enough that i couldn't get back to sleep right away. so i figure i've been watching too many zombie movies with mike..or too much law and order. or it's related to a weird incident last week. i was meeting with someone and while we were talking she learned that her child had accidentially shot and killed someone. it was a weird situation, especially because her child was only a teenager. so that might be still haunting me a bit. either way...stupid bad dreams. might need another glass of wine and some serious zzzz's.

some good news: my apartment is starting to look really good i think. almost everything has a place. just need a space to store my atari. maybe mike's house? :) then we could play basketball on the big screen (it's one of my favoriate atari games because the ball is a square.) :)