What's Your Status?

Winter has certainly moved in to stay. We have enormous, solid drifts that keep us from parking in our driveway. We simply park in the lane and walk the rest of the way to the house. I am just pumped that the lane is clear enough that I can drive my little car and not have to sacrifice my schedule to A.'s all the time, or vice-versa.

It is 35 degrees outside and feels positively balmy. In fact, I drove in to work with my window completely down. Because it is so warm outside.

Winter.

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Things are moving along very well with the Non-Thesis-Bullshit-But-Masters-Crapola. I am taking an independent study with my favorite committee member, J., and the difference in how we work together is staggering. I don't feel like a goddamned idiot or nusuance; I feel like I have some really good ideas and questions to offer and that I come up with some pretty good prespectives. In fact, he's asked me to teach a couple sessions of his Fall food ways class. It is nice to remember I am bright and have something to offer.

For the independent study, I am looking at urban farming and the locavore movement. Pretty fun shit. This is what I read about on my own all the time, because I am a nerd. NERD. I am in good company. My professor, J., stole two books I brought in as suggestions for the course!

I am taking these 3 credits to have enough credits to finish a Plan B master's instead of a thesis. So far, I am very, very happy with my decision to switch to a Plan B and things are moving along a steady clip. I am busy as all hell, and read every night and should still be reading more somehow, but it is going well. I am enjoying the material again. I don't think our field is bullshit. I remember why I came back to grad school.

I working on revising my thesis into a 30-page, publishable essay. It is hard to rip out so much work.

My adviser is still mostly unhelpful, but I am working around him.  I plan to plop the essay in his lap after working with my IS professor on it. For my sanity. I deserve that much.

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I went to the doctor a few weeks ago to reevaluate my meds, as I was slipping. I am feeling better, but not 100%. I am trying, and I think have been successful, to remind myself it is a process and not to feel discouraged.

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The dogs continue to be lovable idiots, and A. is still my rock star.


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How are you all?

Herd

This morning, after I dropped A. off at work, I slowed the truck down because I saw a black lab running his damn heart out in the field to my right. As I'd feared, he indeed ran across the road without a thought of the traffic. Happily, everyone else had noticed him and slowed to a crawl as well.

I watched him as he got to the field to the left and noticed that he was REALLY RUNNING. I mean - as hard as he could. He wasn't just running around, enjoying the snow and what was clearly his newfound freedom.

He was chasing a heard of 12 antelope. In the middle of town. Across two major thoroughfares. (As major as they get in a town that has a 12-head herd of antelope in it.)

I turned to follow him, to try and get him to back off and see if he had owners I could call. He was pooped out, and turned around and began trotting back in his original direction. The antelope just stared at them, not even out of breath. I could catch up with him, but called Animal Control. I didn't want the pup getting hit by a car, and I didn't want the antelope to be stressed further.

I was wide awake by the time I made it in to work, that is for sure.

Happy Thursday to you!