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Showing posts from April, 2009

Sensitivity and Baseball

Last night I attended a baseball game at the Metrodome. I was fine with the noise inside the stadium, which is incredibly loud. I bought food (diet soda, two kosher dogs) before the game and never left my seat. I enjoy baseball, and was able to focus on the action. When people were playing with beach balls and tossing paper airplanes, I kept my focus on the field. For some reason, it offends me that people would pay to attend a game and then not watch — or even make it harder for others to watch. Ignoring the people though is better than what one moron did: he proceeded to get into a fight over the silly beach balls. Watching the game was good, despite the distractions. It's less annoying to have people act up at a sporting event that during a movie! What bothered me was leaving. The crush of the crowd, the smell of smoke (lots and lots of smokers), the traffic, and everything else makes me tense and nervous. I would prefer to wait a bit longer and let the crowds pass me

Too Many Interests...

I have too many interests, or I have too little time. Maybe both are true. When do people finish projects? The writing is piling up, a long backlog of things I hope to complete. I'm hoping this summer is all about finishing things, so I can start the next projects. I need a better routine, more focus on each project. I need a "one at a time" approach, instead of the scattershot one of my brain. I flitter about, story to story, project to project, leaving far too many incomplete stories in my wake. I want time to paint, to play music, to write... all while doing the things I must for school. Home renovations also have to be completed before we can sell the house and move onward in life. Then, there are the computer projects I'd like to tackle. Far too many ideas. Maybe once I'm done with the education, I can focus on writing like other professors. It's a dream. Plus, once I am teaching somewhere, the creative projects will carry some weight.

Steady Progress, Ph.D in Sight

On April 8, 2009, I completed my preliminary examinations towards my doctorate. The written and oral exams were during a busy, difficult month. There were family emergencies, personal medical nonsense, and the general stress of examinations. Honestly, I thought a lot more about my parents and my own health than I did about the exams. It has been a long journey to this stage. Knowing that I am now at the dissertation is nice. Ideally, I will complete the doctorate by the end of this year, December 2009. That would be great. I know that having the "Ph.D" after my name will matter to some people. I'm not sure I am any smarter or wiser, but I have proof that my wife and I are persistent.