I can scarcely believe it is just over a month before the Fall semester begins. I have done so much and so little all at once.
In the absence of classes, I did continuing education units (CEUs) like I did last year. I attended a 7-hour research symposium. I did a 6-hour CEU conference based specifically on SPD. I attended three day, 7 hour a day writing group. Not once, not twice, but three times.
I did life admin: cleaning, yearly physical with my doctor, the establishment of a high-yield savings account to put scholarship money into. I packed and prepared the house for my mom who would be staying while we were out of town. I did the vacation, including getting very mad at the airline when they added a superfluous second layover that has us going north instead of east. This is NOT what we paid for and I tried to get it changed. A two-hour conversation with a rep trying to get it changed back. Four hours and three representatives later on the second day of getting it rectified only to be told that “Gee, it looks like you changed it yourself.” The fuck I did. They will be hearing from me when I get home; I have the original itinerary, plus screenshots from when I was online/hold/robot.
Oh, and I did teaching assistant for six weeks, twenty hours a week. This was invaluable to me as a continuing grad student. I’ve never had the opportunity to do that before. The report is due to my supervisor on Monday and I will get it off to them. I only wish I could have engaged more with the students, I think that would have been good for them, and for me.
Strangely I got invited to a curriculum-building two-day in-person class. I do not build classes as of yet. Or curriculum but it was interesting and information I will be needing in the future. I hope. Everywhere I read there is a deepening shortage of nursing instructors and to fulfill the grant that is paying the lion’s share of tuition, I have to secure a teaching position within 18 months of graduation and keep it for 4 years.
I have been assigned as a research assistant to a new doctor. They are more in line with what is my interest in improving processes and improving healthcare workers’ lives. I will email her on Monday and introduce myself and ask for guidelines. I hope this is a good fit; there is nothing I hate more than being paid for being useless.
The PhD cohort and I will be getting together in person before the beginning of classes. That will be a lot of fun and also a way to get my head back into the game. Since the university changed the curriculum in January, I ended up having to take one less class. In the original plan, there were three elective *** (word) classes that we got to choose what we wanted to take. The new curriculum drops that down to two, and I’ve already taken them in my first year.
When classes do resume, they will be online. Except for the first class of the semester, which is a meet and greet with the instructors, plus class. This is advantage me because it won’t matter if I’ve worked all night the night before, I can do class from home. This will be a huge help.
I want to write about the massive right swing the Supreme Court is currently doing, but this is not the space. Come back later for that!
Dispatches from the Evening Shift 