This summer...

...I will not be having fun. At all. Ok, maybe that's a little bit dramatic. I will have fun, but it will be tempered with hard work. This will not at all be the "last crazy summer before work starts" that I imagined. And it's all my fault.

You seen, I brilliantly decided to have a more relaxed last semester and write my thesis over the summer. Consequently, I have to write my thesis...all summer long. And in order to keep the teaching jobs I so amazingly managed to acquire, I have to finish my thesis before the fall term starts. :(

So this summer, I will not be having all the fun I had intended on having. I will be writing. And writing. And writing. The pressure is on, I HAVE to finish. Please, God, help me finish!

What I wish I were doing:


What I will be doing:

I've graduated! (kind of)

Yesterday was the commencement ceremony for CSU Sacramento, and I got to walk! The whole experience was amazing and overwhelming, all at once. I participated in commencement with my friends, Michael, Lisa, and Nicole. Out of the four of us, only one was really done...Nicole. The rest of us have finished our coursework but will be working on our theses over the summer.
That means that although I've "graduated" and gotten some job offers, I still have a summer full of work ahead.

Commencement was at Arco Arena, home of the Sacramento Kings. My dad and sister came, and being that they are hard-core Laker fans, I think their skin was crawling a little. However, there were some serious perks to having graduation at the arena, the biggest being that we were inside an air-conditioned building (score!). There was also plenty of seating, and they had cameras all over the place, putting people on the "jumbo-tron" screens hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the arena.

All of the master's students got to go first, and since Communication Studies is alphabetically the second major at Sac State, we were among the very first people to walk. I think I was the fifth person to go overall. I definitely sat in the front row :) The procession went like this:
1. Walk up to a professor and take a picture being "hooded"
2. Take a picture in front of the CA & US flags
3. Take a picture in front of the Sac State Seal
4. Take a picture getting your "diploma" and shaking the hand of some Sac State bigwig
5. Go sit down

Funny thing: in the past, the Master's students have hooded each other, rather than being hooded by an actual faculty member. So my advisor and I came up with a plan that if the students were hooding each other again, we would simply walk out to the front corner and he would hood me himself. Luckily, that didn't have to happen. I get really nervous about breaking rules.

Since we went first, my friends and I had the pleasure of zoning out for the rest of the commencement, which lasted about two hours total. Afterward, we went outside and took pictures with each other, family, and faculty members. It was an amazingly fun experience. So fun, in fact, that I'm going to do it all over again in the fall. Also because, for some reason, the commencement program didn't have my name in it. I really need a program that lists me as getting a Master's degree!!!!


Me and Michele, one of my committee members. She is going to be awesome enough to read through the drafts of my thesis this summer so that I can finish up and keep my jobs :)

A new chapter

Last night I had my last class as a student. Ever. I had worked so hard to finish everything up that I didn't realize what was happening until it was almost over. Yesterday I received a call from the human resources department at Cuesta College and was told that they have approved equivalency for me so that I can finish my thesis over the summer and start teaching courses in the fall. And in just over a week, I will go through the commencement ceremony for my master's degree.

It's just started to hit me that a chapter of my life is closing. And although there have been parts of this time that I've desperately wanted to end, I'm starting to feel a bit melancholy about leaving this place, these people, for good. Don't get me wrong, I still am not a fan of living in Sacramento, and there are definitely people here that I will be glad to escape. Despite that, though, I can see good things as I look back.

By moving here I really became and independent person, free from the strictures and emotional trappings of my family. I know that because I left for a time, I'm now much healthier emotionally and will be able to deal with them in a much more productive way.


(I went to fun conferences)

By moving here I also got the chance to meet some wonderful people: my church family, the office staff at school, my committee, and even some fellow students. I will miss them. I will also definitely miss my times hanging out with my old roommates, Amy and Laura. Amy and I have had lots of good times exploring along the river and playing with the ponies. I'm going to miss that.


(I went to the Rivercats Game and all kinds of fun places with Janna)

By moving here I was able to become part of an amazing volunteer opportunity, Saddle Pals. This organization provides therapeutic horseback riding for people with special needs. In volunteering there I've gotten the opportunity to rediscover my love of horses and see how they can be used to help others. What an amazing organization!

So all in all, there are some things about Sacramento that I'm going to miss. I wish I would have done things differently: volunteered sooner, explored the river more, taken more time to be outside and appreciate the beauty of the foothills. But I guess that's one of the things that happens when you get busy and wrapped up in yourself: you forget to recognize the beauty around you.


(I got to work in a building that looks like a spaceship)

Everything right now is reminding me of a song by Trace Adkins:
"You're gonna miss this, you're gonna want this back,
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast.
These are some good times, so take a good look around,
You may not know it now, but you're gonna miss this."


(I got to experience the beauty of Sacramento in the fall)

So, Sacramento, I'm going to miss you despite myself. But here is my pledge:
I am going to enter this new chapter of my life determined to appreciate what I have no matter what the circumstances or how busy I get, because I know that one day I will be able to look back and see just how wonderful it was.

Yes, I'm going to miss this, but I'm excited about the future, too!

I couldn't help myself...

This is TOTALLY what I've been going through lately. In fact, last night I was up working on a paper until 4a.m. Tonight may be the night of the all-nighter and subsequent crash. I can't wait until summer so that I have the chance to "re-set." Teehee.

Katie and me

This past weekend, I had a job interview at Cuesta. The outcome was that they want to give me a job teaching (hooray!) as long as I finish my thesis over the summer. After the stress and craziness of the interview, I reallyreally needed to relax. Nothing relaxes me like busting out my camera, so we decided to do a little re-shoot for Katie's senior pictures. Rene also took charge and got a few shots of me for my graduation announcements.
Take a peek :)

It's Mother's Day!

In honor of mother's day, and because I ran out of money and couldn't buy anything, I rallied my rudimentary video-making skills and created a fun video for my "other mom," Rene. I got the idea from a video that Chris made for Emery a year or so ago. Rene said she's never gotten anything like it. I'm so glad she enjoyed it :)
Take a look!

Distraction

I am bored. I have a term paper and half of a thesis to write, and I'm unable to focus because I'm bored. It seems like at this point things should be easier. I mean, this is my fourth and final semester of grad school, and I've been able to get all of my work done before. So why is it that now, when I'm so close to finishing, I can't seem to put my nose to the grindstone and write the papers?

I blame senioritis. The weather is warm, the semester is almost over, and the beautiful beaches of SLO county are beckoning me back to them. I can't wait for this semester to be over so that I can move back down south and spend some time relaxing. Ah, relaxation. Only two more weeks. I can do it...I hope ;)

CMT does it again

I have just found a new favorite show. CMT, the creative force behind such television gems as "Trading Spouses" and "Can You Duet" has come up with a new show. This is seriously the TV program to put all other TV programs to shame.


"My Big Redneck Wedding" is a show hosted by Tom Arnold that follows a redneck couple in the weeks leading up to their wedding. Right now I am watching "Gail and John" who have decided to decorate their wedding with an archway made of beer cans (their flower arrangements are also in Budweiser cans). Their wedding is in a swap meet and the groom proposed by peeing "will you marry me?" in front of their car. I am ROLLING!

Here's a sneak peek of the groom's vows:
"I wish I could put your love in a locket 'cause you're hotter than a hot pocket. We did it in the back of the car, we did it in the zoo. I don't care where we do it as long as I'm with you."

This is so good it's almost DVD-worthy. I'm contemplating recording some episodes to show if my graduation party gets dull. Check it out!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Today is the fifth of may, which means that literally hundreds of thousands of people are celebrating with tequila, dos equis, and any other fun Mexican alcohol they can get their hands on. Today is a day of consuming yummy enchiladas, chile rellenos, and massive amounts of chips and salsa.

So in honor of this amazing day that happens to involve some of my favorite foods, I've decided to clear up a little misconception regarding cinco de Mayo.


You see, most people think that today is Mexico's independence day. Not so. Cinco de Mayo does celebrate independence for Mexico , but its actual "independence day" is September 16th. Cinco de Mayo celebrates the success of a major battle against the French:

"Under Napoleon III, French troops began at the shore and tried to make their way to Mexico City. Before they could get to the capital, they were stopped at the state of Puebla, where a major battle took place on May 5, 1862: La Batalla de Puebla.

Outnumbered and outarmed, the Mexican soldiers at Puebla, under the command of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin, managed to defeat the French forces. Ultimately, the Mexican victory at Puebla only delayed the French invasion of Mexico city, and a year later, the French occupied Mexico. But the Mexican men who fought at Puebla nonetheless defied the odds to defend its independence. Cinco de Mayo celebrates that bravery and determination, and commemorates Mexico's fight to ward off imperialist forces" (http://people.howstuffworks.com/cinco-de-mayo1.htm, retrieved 5/5/08)."

I hope this enlightens you a little more about this wonderful cerveza-drinking, enchilada-consuming day. Have a happy Cinco de Mayo, and watch out for those chiles!

Katie

This past weekend I was asked to take my friend Katie's senior pictures. We had limited time, but I think we managed to get some great shots in. Take a look!

That student...

Everyone has known "that student" at one point in time. You know, the student who doesn't follow through, winds up with a bad grade, and consequently blames the instructor. I admit, I've had a crack or two at being that student and I'm willing to bet that everyone has once or twice. So when my students have one of "those days" I try my best to cut them a little grace and do my best to help them accept responsibility for their actions.

But every once in a while I get to meet a student who has made their academic career by being "that student." These types of people are horribly frustrating to deal with because no matter what you do, the student refuses to admit that he or she is in any way responsible for his or her actions. Grrr!

I had to deal with one of these students today. We'll call him Pete. Pete screwed up big time on a recent assignment and when he received his grade, he insisted that it was my fault. I had a hard time being sympathetic because he performed his assignment last and so had numerous opportunities to observe the other students performing their assignment. He also got to see an in-depth demonstration and had everything in writing. So really, there was no reason for the heinous error he made in his assignment.

No matter how many times I explained things to him, though, he refused to believe that it was his own fault and not mine. What makes matters worse is that he has a learning disability, but has not taken advantage of ANY of the resources available to him.

So I'm at an impasse. He wants a higher grade, but I feel like he should deal with the consequences of his lack of attention to the assignment parameters. However, I also feel a bit sorry for him because he is dealing with a learning disability.
What do I do? Should I bow to the desires of my guilt complex and allow him to make up some of the points? Or should I encourage him to "man up" and do better next time?

A little help, please!