2012: The Video

Moving pictures! I'm stepping it up for the year-end review.

The Year, 2012

Merry, Merry

Though It's Been Said

Auntie Cassie is here! That means it's officially holiday break time. The only hangup is the fact that I did not quite finish the chapter. But I will sneak in some time today and tomorrow to make it happen. So let the reindeer games begin!

You Better Watch Out

I did not stay up all night, but I did get up a six a.m. to work on the writing. It's freezing in my office so I'm sitting here wearing a coat and hat. I'd turn up the heat but Dave is still sleeping and the radiator is crazy noisy. Sacrifices, people. Let's get this chapter done!

The More Things Change

You can measure my stress level by the number of peanut butter chocolate rice krispie bars I've consumed this week. I won't even give you a number.

But I am making progress on the chapter. Is it possible I'll have to pull an all-nighter? That just seems wrong at my age. And yet so necessary.

Horizon

I had a great meeting with my writing group last night. Those ladies are an inspiration. They both just turned in full drafts of their disses. That's very exciting. I'm next.

Semantics

I've been using a new strategy with Sam where I frame my requests with the word WHEN instead of the word IF. The difference is subtle but important, I think. Check it out:

If you eat some chicken, I will give you more mac n' cheese. 

VS. 

When you eat some chicken, I will give you more mac n' cheese. 

The first one implies that Sam may not eat his chicken, and then I will punish him by withholding mac n' cheese. The second implies that I believe Sam will eat his chicken, and then we will all be so happy about him having more mac n' cheese.

I can't say if it works because, chicken or not, Sam gets more mac n' cheese. I'm a total pushover. But I do feel better about myself saying it this way.

So I'm applying it to the dissertation too.

When you finish this chapter on Friday, you will schedule a massage. 

See, it feels good.

Again, I'll schedule the massage either way, but at least I believe that I have the potential to earn it.

December 14, 2012

When I was a kid of about ten I used to get sick to my stomach watching the news. If I learned about a car accident or a disease, I was certain that someone in my family was about to get hurt or die from a similar tragedy. I just felt so helpless and sad knowing that bad things could happen to people I love.

As I got older I outgrew this physical reaction to the news and learned to see things with a little perspective.

Yesterday's news, though, has me feeling like the ten-year-old girl I once was.

I am sick to my stomach once again. Feeling so, so sad.

This did happen to people I love. In a place I hold dear. Children. Students. Teachers.

But I'm not ten anymore. And I am determined to not feel helpless. It must be possible to make this world a safer place to let our children be children and to watch them grow.

It simply must be.

I am searching.

One Horse Open Sleigh

I've been into taking pictures of trees lately. I usually snap away while Sam buries various toys in the snow and waits for me to dig them out. We haven't lost one yet, so it's a game I'm pretty good at. We're not burying toys today because we've been to the doctor and back for Sam's latest illness. This time it's tonsillitis. Did he have that before? I can't even keep track. Whatever it is, I'll surely get it next. Of course, Sam's refusing to take the prescribed amoxicillin. I don't think he's against antibiotics or anything. He's just two. Almost, that is.

Tree Sequence: Three

Tree Sequence: Two

Tree Sequence: One

It's Beginning to Look . . .

Yesterday was the most beautiful weather day I've experienced in a long while. I just couldn't get over how gorgeous everything was under a thick layer of newly fallen snow (although after the twelfth hour of nonstop snowfall it didn't feel so new). I loved every minute. Even the third round of shoveling. It doesn't look like it, but these are some of the best days of fall so far.

Alpha Pig, To the Rescue!

Some two-year molars are working their way into a small toddler mouth at our house. This makes for a grumpy Sam and a grumpy mom. We've all been up since the 5 o'clock hour, and before anyone even took a bite of breakfast, yogurt had been thrown across the room. I believe I responded with an animated, "What the hell?" I can assure you this is not an ECFE approved response. Also not approved is the fact that Sam is on his second episode of Super Why! And I am drinking my second cup of coffee. This gives us some time to take a few deep breaths and hit the restart button. It is, after all, only 8:15.

Hard Angle To the Moon

I just made a calendar of writing events to happen in my life pretty much everyday until the end of January when I plan to finish writing this dissertation. It's possible, people, I'm telling you. And with Mercury finally out of retrograde, I am feeling the motivation. Mercury, you were really getting on my last nerve for a while there.