Normalcy

Wow, I forgot life could be this way. I mean like... normal. It's odd because I have as much to do as I did a year ago when I thought I was buried and yet it feels like utter freedom compared to the past few months! This isn't what Einstein meant when he talked about relativity, but it IS a good example of things being relative.

Not all the way normal though, I can't quite go there. I have a creepy case from my NON-forensic practicum in which an intake has come back to haunt me. The couple is very unhappy with the recommendations and referrals they were given and somehow got my cell number and are trying to circumvent the agency director by harassing me. There's a strong element of domestic violence in the case so I'm pretty freaked out. HOW did they get my number? If they went there will they find my house and come knocking on my door? Yikes! Wishing match day was long over and I was moved to one of the out of state sites I ranked.

Speaking of ranking, I did that this morning. After triple checking with AR that he won't leave me if I make him move to a town of 3200 people just east of Nowheresville, I went ahead and ranked that one first - the sex offender site - and the local one second. Honestly, the local one offers the poorest training of all those I ranked, but that's relative. All of them will give me amazing experiences, and not moving after 13 years in this house and 18 years in this part of the world would be ok with me. One site was ikky, so it's not on the list, and one is just flat disorganized but all the elements are there to learn, so I ranked it last and will just have to be exceptionally proactive and set clear boundaries if I end up there. Still haven't quite been able to bring myself to finalize the list though. I have until Wed.

Flattery will get you everywhere

Today the girl at Starbucks told me I looked "just like Kate Hudson" Um... right. Ten minutes spent in front of the bathroom mirror checking every angle left me quite sure she was just trying to sell me a pastry with my coffee, but it was still a fun lift to my day. LOL!

My two couples sessions went really well today and I'm pretty caught up on my reading for school, even if on the writing assignments I'm still struggling a bit. I have them worked out in my head though, and that always makes me feel in control; just have to get the content out of my head and onto the paper. My supervisor, who is also my dissertation chair, promised me he'd spend as long as I needed on Thursday helping me get back on track so I can meet the course goal (we have a dissertation course this term) of having my proposal through the IRB by the end of the term. Truly if I just have it in to the IRB at term's end I'll be happy. If I can't defend by the time I start internship, at least I'd like to have all my data collected and my analysis done by then. I can handle the idea of just having to do revisions on internship, but not doing data collection or primary analysis. I haven't given up the goal of being completely finished, but I'm prepared to take a big bite of reality sandwich in that department if I must.

So I'm feeling back in the groove again at last. Not really on top of everything, but at least not utterly buried and despairing. I might actually get through this quarter without having to take an incomplete in anything; something I was seriously wondering about since my interviews ate three whole weeks of school out of a 10 week quarter!

Yours truly,
Kate

Chapter Closed

Well I'm finally home from The Interviews and feeling utterly wiped and a little bit despondent. The last two I was very sick and while I didn't perform well on the first, it was a good site. I rallied yesterday and did do well, but didn't like the site. Bother. Being ill and tired cast a pall on the whole trip this week and I can't quite decide how much of my impressions were tainted by that. I'm going to give myself a little bit of space before I rank. Or I'll rank my top 4 and then give the two marginals some time. I have until Feb 4th to finalize.

I'm weary of not being able to breathe and always feeling a little sore in the chest or a little nauseated. That, coupled with the news from my boss that my students are whining about electronic readings I assigned them (which they VOTED for and never told me there was any problem with) and have been heard whispering unhappy words in the hallways, is leaving me feeling very discouraged tonight.

I got some homework done though, and am taking off the week from school (well the two classes I could have scrambled to make) to catch up and try to heal. I'll work tomorrow afternoon, but that's it until Monday, when I have one client, and I think two on Tuesday. Not so bad.

Still Standing

Barely standing, but here. Four interviews down and two to go next week. AR and I both got sick on the trip to IL and sicker still on the way home. We got home at 10pm and I was back out at 5am driving a long three hours to my next interview, then driving south a long 4 hours to teach my class. Managed all that somehow but crashed the next day during classes and the only reason I went to school at all on Friday was because I wasn't well enough to drive yet. Got home and fell into bed and pretty much been there ever since. This SUCKS!

Today I feel a little better, but the stupid antibiotic I'm on is making me sicker than the illness it's supposed to protect me from. Because I had heart surgery as a child I am susceptible to endocarditis if I don't take antibiotics when I'm very sick, and because I am allergic to the two major antibiotic groups, I am stuck with Doxycyclene, which has all kinds of nasty side effects. Still and all, the actual flu virus is abating a little bit, so I'm hoping that with a good sleep tonight and lots of airline dozing (with airborne for what it's worth) I will be presentable for two more interviews on Tue and Wed.

So far my profs have been really supportive, and that's a good thing since I've done almost nothing at all in the way of reading or assignments. I even managed to lose one book as a result of carrying it around trying to get my stuff read. Sigh...

So far the interviews and my classes have been going great. One site was a poor fit and I don't know if I'll rank it, but I have learned a bunch from all of them.

Sorry this is such a blah update... no spunk whatsoever in me today, but I was tired of looking at the old news.

A Week of Milestones

Well the first interview was last Monday and it went well. The interviewers were great, the program was excellent and there was a fascinating and extremely varied client population. So lots of learning opportunities! This was a "reception center" as well as a regular prison, so much of the work would be processing incoming convicts in order to determine where they should serve their time. The geographic location is bleak, cold and miserable. In summer it will be bleak hot and miserable. I have to determine what percentage of that was the prison and what was the geography and climate. I think today's interview, here locally, will help. My friend who worked as a guard at this local prison says it's physically the same layout as what I described to her, but our environment is lovely here, so I'll be able to parse out my feelings about the other place in comparison.

So that was milestone number one! They seemed to like me, I didn't struggle with the questions (some of my fellow interviewees were unsettled by them) and overall I felt it was a good, solid interview. Not stellar, but solid.

Milestone number two was my class last night. Went great! I have 9 students, with two being international, so they add some cultural spice as well as the challenge of understanding thick accents. Predictably, I had some AV adventures. Someone had torn apart the primary computer setup and there was another one on a cart that sat smack in the middle of the room where it blocked everyone's view and made it very hard for me to get comfortable. And then someone else with a radio mouse in another room was taking over my powerpoint so it raced forward and backward insanely. LOL! the students seemed to have fun and it's a very interactive group, so they made it easy for me to teach.

So all this leaves me in a lovely state of mind for my next interview! I was going to miss my first two classes and then drive down for the night class after the interview, but the prof from that class fortuitously had a family emergency and canceled class. W00T! I hope his emergency wasn't a tragedy or anything, but I'm very grateful not to have to drive down until tomorrow.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

My resolution: to get through this year mentally intact.

It's a bright sunny morning on this side of the continent with green landscape graced with yellow and orange leaved trees sparkling in the sun. Nice way to start the year!