March 09, 2014

Here I go again...

I abandoned this blog a long time ago and keep thinking that now is the time to revive it for a diary of the next adventure in education and writing.  I was just accepted into a Ph.D. program.  I start that officially in 178 days.  Then it will be approximately five more years of education and a whole lot of money spent to put a few more letters after my name.

So why am I back?  Maybe to have a record of the next five years.  Maybe to vent and have a place to do so.  Maybe to just offer insights as someone doing a Ph.D. who already has tenure as a Senior Instructor at a top notch international university and has taught writing skills to graduate students. Maybe to do this degree differently, but then again, who doesn't say that when they start this whole adventure out?

I have 178 days to get ready to start on the right foot here.  Over 25 weeks.  That is a lot of time to be sure I am ready to go when I start.  Though keep in mind that I am doing this work while holding tenure and all the obligations within that position.

So what do I need to do to ensure I am as efficient and successful at this degree as possible?
*finish the course I am in
*start compiling a reading list
*take another course over the summer
*set up routines to ensure the important daily things get done (workflow, exercise, bills, sleep, relaxation, dating, hobbies, etc)
*plan fun things to look forward to
*eliminate unnecessary obligations
*revamp and tweak budget to accommodate tuition costs
*teach excellent courses
*plan fall and winter courses well in advance to ensure the least amount of last-minute stress (Ha!)

So it looks like I will still need to write something all over again.