First and foremost, I am officially getting my PhD at UT. I passed my comprehensive doctoral qualifying exams (woo!) and now it's smooth sailing... Yeah right! It's actually research and work my life away until I'm too old to get a job, but at least I'll emerge with a fancy piece of paper and some nuggets of information. Like three.
Reflecting on P nasty (as I've lovingly nicknamed Prospectus), it was one hell of a ride. The student I was last fall compared to the student I am this fall seems like two different people. I have learned and grown and sweat and suffered and cried and stressed-then, I sang (eek) and danced and made friends and got hugs and laughed and played soccer and took baths and drank wine and did yoga and drank 7,578,678 diet cokes and gained 3 pounds. Or maybe 10. Whatever. The point is that it was a journey. The point is that one year is a long time. The point is that one year is a short time. The point is that I'm done.
And, all at once, my world has changed. For starters, my house has new beautiful floors. You probably can't tell from my crappy laptop camera pic, but they are lovely. My dog and cat are still trying to navigate them. It's funny to hear the tap tap tap of the pets' nails on the flooring as they approach. No more sneaking up on me, Tabitha, and attacking my shoes! Speaking of nails, I got a pedicure today. They, too, are lovely and were slightly less expensive than my floors. Also, my kitchen walls look green, but they are not. Just in case anyone is judging right now. :D
Other new developments: Bobby and I got a roommate (our friend Bryan). This is very new, so what I have to report thus far is: I live in a constant man-cave with feminine decor. Last night I forced them to sit down with me and watch Gossip Girl. I think they liked it, but were afraid to admit it. :) Bryan is an excellent cook and inspires Bobby to create culinary wonders, so my 10 lbs may stretch to 15 soon. At least these next five will be from home cooked made-from-scratch biscuits and not cortisol-induced stress!
I am teaching 2 new sections (one at UT, one at ACC). The grading is killing me already, but I love my students. I always do. It's so much fun getting to know 28 new students every semester so well that I remember every student I've ever had. I still remember some of their majors, interests, life experiences, too. I feel very fortunate that I've had such incredible students. Speaking of which, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the recent shooting at UT. What a horrific experience for anyone, and especially hitting us so close to home. A testament to my students, though. They seemed to possess compassion when reflecting on the experience, unlike some of the other responses I observed from other students and members of our community. A distasteful Facebook fan page was created for the student who committed suicide (Colton), and several of my students protested the page, arguing that his family and community needed prayers, respect, and love instead of what this page was representing. Another proud moment for me. A very sad day for UT-Austin.
I would like to end on a happy note, since I hope this is one of many posts for this semester. In my Mindfulness class today, my professor showed us a clip and a quote. I'm including both for whomever reads this.
"A human being is a part of the whole, called by us "Universe", a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security." -Albert Einstein
