What is She Up to Now?

The “she” is me. Sometimes, I refer to myself in the third person. Andrea finds this endearing sometimes… but other times she thinks it’s just plan craziness. This has now become one of those times for her that it's more crazy than endearing; but she can’t stop. Why can’t she stop? Andrea! STOP!

…

Oh. SO! As you know (mainly because it’s all I talked/whined/gloated about for 2 years) I finished my Master’s program in August. What joy! What rapture! Thus, being an inquiring sort of Internet people, I’m sure you’ve been wondering, what is she doing now? I’ve thought about that too. Two full months school free, what HAVE I been doing with my oodles and oodles of free time? Naturally, this requires a list. I have produced said list for you below.

What I’ve been Doing Since I don’t have to Worry about *&%$^! School Anymore!

  

1.       Realizing I don’t really have oodles and oodles of free time – then wondering how I even fit school into my life. Then realizing I'm just compensating for not having school by still starting essay's and then leaving them half finished or showing up in classrooms confused as to where I am and what I'm doing. I've just now started getting over dreams of deadlines missed and tests not taken... and showing up without shoes or socks on. It's been a slow detox.

2.       Crafting. I participated in a craft night! I know what you’re thinking, “but Andrea, you don’t craft!” Well guess what Debby Downers!! Turns out I DO when I have the time and energy and mostly time. I’ve also noticed that school has cultivated patience within me. Something required if you are to craft. My crafty Halloween banner is supposed to look something like this:

Most of the way through I got pissed off it was taking so long and kinda haphazardly just glued the rest of the duck-forsaken banner together without trimming the edges. Screw the edges! Roxy, if you're listening, I have a new found respect for your craft... pun intended. I promise to trim the edges soon though and show you a real picture of MY banner! The anticipation!

3.       Watching the X-Files start to finish. Progress? Season 4, Episode 22. Mulder and Scully have progressed both in their quest to debunk government conspiracy to cover up the existence of extra-terrestrial life, AND in their “relationship”-  meaning the sexual tension is blissfully TANGIBLE. Little story line for the ladies ;) AND! Scully is looking much hotter this season than in seasons past. I guess they finally realized that large, shoulder-padded suits don’t really flatter 5 foot 2 inch petite frames. Go figure.

                                 Scully the Football Player                      Scully the Hottie                      

Also, the last episode I watched made me want to date a man over 6 feet so we could hug like this. I being ALSO 5'2 (ish) and am shoulder pad intolerant.

Wait! Here's another one. You see the chin placement upon the head? This is what I'd like. I don't mean to weird you out, but I like hearing "their" ("the mans") heartbeat. And the 5'2 vs. 6'2 woman man ratio is perfect for this... Stop being weirded out! Geez.

 So if you know any over 6 feet Mulder looking types – go ahead and send them my way. 

4.       Having a Zooey. Turns out, having a Zooey is like having a kid. Not only do you have to feed and water it, but you have to clean up its poop and pay attention to it as well.  And like a baby, I feel guilty when I’m not paying attention to it and wonder if my neglect will cause her to get into the wrong crowd or start smoking pot. Or both! Sigh. At least she’s in a two parent household – and a very progressive two parent household at that. Alex, Me, and our fuzzy baby. Now that's going to be one ridiculously awesome Christmas Card.

(Disclaimer: Alex, I didn't make you the fat one I made you the taller one... I swear)

5.        Leisure reading. I say, Leisure Reading! I’ve joined a book club and am reading novels that have nothing to do with anything but enjoying the ride. Some novels I have read since August: 

a.       Miss Peregrines School for Peculiar Children
b.      Have a Little Faith 
c.     Book of a Thousand Days 

6.       Enjoying such things as movies and social activities without the nagging feeling in the back of my head that I have something I SHOULD be doing. That’s really been the greatest relief of my life.  I get to fully enjoy the activities I want to do rather than knowing I should “probably” be doing “this other thing for *&%! school.” 

7.       Cooking and baking and eating it. 

8.       Exercising more. It’s actually true! Cause I think, “well, I don’t have anything else to do – so I might as well exercise my tubby self!” Which works out nicely because along with a Master’s degree, I also gained 8lbs. School makes you fat kids. They don’t tell you that when you start. It's all about "opportunity" and getting a "good job" and shaping your "character." Well, you'll get a little tubby too. So consider THAT when you submit those college applications!

9.       Contemplating things I could do with my time and then researching those things: taking a Spanish class, taking a sewing class, and volunteering a couple nights a week somewhere. The fact I have the brain room and energy to consider these worthwhile goals is an accomplishment in itself. Who knows? Perhaps one day I will actually DO one of them! Maybe when my X-Files nostalgia wears off. 

(not likely)

10.   And finally, the 10^th thing I’ve been doing now that I don’t have &*$! school is NOTHING! Absolutely 100% nothing. Mwaahahahahah ha ha HAW! And that’s been the best thing I’ve done in 2 full years. My advice to you? Make nothing your friend again and feel good about it – because you never know when nothing will suddenly not be there. Fickle little fellow.

That's Master Cox to YOU!

Well I finally did it everyone! Last Saturday at approximately 3:02pm I walked away from the OSH building forever! Well, forever as it pertains to graduate classes for my MPA degree. I am now a Master of Public Administration! I won't lie, I definitely shed a tear or two as I drove away - contemplating the last 6 semesters slash full two years of my life and everything it took to get there. What a long and painstaking road. But now, it's done and I'm done and IT'S ALL DONE! D-U-N, DONE!

I even got an email last week confirming that the University of Utah had indeed posted my degree to my account and they were sending it to my listed address. The moment I get that very costly piece of paper I'm getting it framed and tacking it to a wall! Any wall! Including virtual walls! I am taking a picture to post for you, dear Internet, as PROOF!  I wonder if there's a way to strategically swab some tear, sweat, and blood stains on it. The degree that is... not the wall(s). What?... ... ... it was hard. Arduous. Painstaking. Intense. Destroyer of social life. I gained 10lbs! It's true. After work and school and homework and having no time - you tend to eat crap and not care... and then subsequently have zero energy for exercising. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Master's degrees make you fat..ter.

But they also (ideally) make you smarter.

And poorer...

But more educated...

which is another way of saying smarter.

Hmmm... ANYWAY!

Do you want to know what I've done with my first school-free week?!?! Let me tell you! It got really crazy really fast.

FIRST! I did NOT do homework, rather, I went to Family Home Evening ( a little Mormon get together every Monday night intended for "family" togetherness... but as I am a single person, i.e. not married with children, , my singles ward meets together as a "family"... aw), AND exercised. I can't waste a moment getting rid of those 10 "Master" pounds. On Tuesday I played Ultimate Frisbee with no qualms of how I shouldn't be neglecting my Wednesday night class readings. Why? CAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE ANY! Ah ha! I then made some banana bread. Wednesday I DID NOT go to class. And that's all that needs to be said. Thursday, I went to the Twilight Series concert in Pioneer Park; Friday I spent with friends watching the Movie Under the Stars at the Capitol; Saturday... oh man Saturday... all my Saturdays in the past have been filled with either hours and hours of homework or hours and hours of class. THIS Saturday, however, I went to boxing class, did LAUNDRY, cleaned the HOUSE, GROCERY shopped, got a little crazy and went to a matinee alone, and THEN a graduation party for an hour. Also note that before bed every ONE of these nights I congratulated myself with an episode of the X-Files. I've started watching them all over, you see. And I'm on Season 2, Episode 9. What I wouldn't do to Agent Mulder. Grrrrowel. 

And now it's Sunday. For 6 semesters Sunday evenings have been the hardest evenings to endure. It's when I think of all the assignments still to finish and the reading yet to do and all the schooling hub bub that lies ahead. But not this Sunday. This Sunday I churched, watched more XFiles, took a 2 hour Scooter ride, applied a chocolate facial (Target), and now here I am telling all you fine people about my crazy school free week like you're still listening.

But listen Internet, you only graduate with your Masters once (unless you're one of those crazy people who wants two Master's degrees... shudder), and I think its worth rambling on and on and on about. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an engagement with Agents Mulder and Scully and then later, a LEISURE novel. Just try and stop me! Mwahahahahahahhah! (lighting bolt... clap of thunder!).

One day, school won't ruin my life...

But that is not THIS day. I have ONE Public Budgeting class and a 3 weekend Capstone class that has hijacked my summer ONCE again. I know. Didn't I just post a few pictures of me decked out in graduation like garb spouting about how education is worth it and I am a Master and bleh blah ble ble blah? WELL! Sucker you and sucker me. I DID walk in graduation in May, but I have not "legitimately" graduated yet. I had two little superfluous classes left to round out and let me tell you something, I'm at the end of my pitiful rope. I can't take it! Get me out of HERE!!

August 3rd. There will be great rejoicing throughout the land when August 3rd approaches and ends. THAT my friends, will be the day I've been looking forward to for the last 2 years... 6 semesters... 560 days... And THEN... THEN... I will truly be... a Master's graduate.

Until then, I can't get enough of this cartoon. It's killing me!

Oh and don't think I've forgotten about walking you through the rest of my Oregon/Washington trip. I haven't. I just barely have time to use the bathroom lately so ya'll will just have to wait! Oh the angst!

Here, this will help. Technically it's called a pygmy marmoset native to the Amazon. More commonly termed they are finger monkeys - which name I, naturally, prefer. I'd like two of them; "Have you met my finger monkeys, Mr. Babbles and Janice?" Eh? EH?!?! Eh.

See you in 1 week and 4 days. Oh mercy.

To Begin...

 This weekend, my dream of continuing to further my education ascended one more ladder rung. On Friday, I commenced... walked... took the next step... evolved... graduated... proceeded... progressed, and any other word connoting "move forward." Mr. Webster defines the word commence as "to begin", which I find appropriate in every way. Though many of us (grads) felt we were closing a chapter, finishing our degree... it was really much more of a beginning of something else. It's a starting line. We are moving forward into the unknown. Rather than "finishing" my MPA I am "beginning" something new and can finally be part of that old fail-safe eye-rolling cliche "it is not the end... but only the beginning." And it really is. In a less ominous but still sort of free-failing type way. School is an anchor for me... and I guess it's time to pull up anchor and sail on. And I think I'm ready to move on... whatever "moving on" really means.

Here are some of the memories:

Ms. Kelsey and I, classmates and buddies. Both SO happy to be graduating.

I'm ready for my close-up... in the sun...

My madre and me. Aren't we a couple of hotties? I was attempting a SMIZE.

Left to right - Grandma Jo, Grandpa Petty, Nick (brother), and that hottie in the pink is yours truly.

Grandma Jo, Me, and Grandpa

 Honestly, I'm pretty proud of myself. Not an entirely encouraged Christina value, pride; but hey, turns out getting a Master's degree is HARD WORK! And anyone who embarks on the journey that is higher education, whether it be Associates, Bachelors, Masters, Ph.d (shudder), and finishes the journey, deserves to pat themselves on the back a little bit... and for some a lot. Particularly when I think back on this past semester; I submitted approximately 95 pages worth of written work. That's ONE semester. I wish I were exaggerating, but the twitch in my eye is a reminder of the many MANY late nights and 8 hour days working on paper after paper... 36 of those pages dedicated to my Major Research Paper (i.e. thesis to put it in perspective) which I submitted the day before commencement. In addition to those 90 some-odd written pages, I probably read a little over... oh man... 5,000 pages of text? Give or take? Wow. I think my other eye started twitching at the memory of all that. Calm down little twitches... it's over now... all over. Well... FOR now.

So I'm finishing... and also beginning. And I'll be honest, I'm not ENTIRELY done so I guess there's a slim chance I could ridiculously fail my 3 weekend Capstone course or my Public Budgeting class this summer, but I'm going to go ahead and say that's NOT going to happen. After a semester like this, lets just say its like signing up for a 5k after running a marathon. It's like going from a chain-smoker to slowly easing out of the habit so your body doesn't totally freak out. Right? Just got to ease on out of "school mode" and thus the summer classes will help me do that... begin filling in what was once "school time" with "leisure reading time... weekend movie night time... Boxing is for Girls time (MORE!)... training for half marathon time... volunteering time.... dating time (?? ha...er... yes! As soon as the eye twitches stop)... writing time... writing time... and enjoying the beauty of summer time." It's a fearful and exciting prospect to have such discretionary time! Even today, my first weekend WITHOUT reading or writing, I feel sort of lost... even bored... and a little anxious thinking there's probably something I should be doing or reading but really, there's not. There's NOT! There's really nothing I "have" to do... and I hope I don't discover that school being my anchor may have functioned in some way as my self-contained cocoon. A safety net of "have to's" and "sorry I can't's." For the past 2 years I of schooling, it was something to run to when I didn't want to face other things... it was steady and legitimate and understandable. It was accepting and validating. I put in the work and received the reward. There was little risk and a lot of solidarity. School made me feel valuable and contributing. But now, now I guess I'll have to face some realities that school helped blur a little. I may have to stop making excuses and start participating... an entirely new eye twitch.

There's also my future to consider. The question posited to every grad upon their commencements is "So, now what?" Hmmm, now what. Now what. Now what. I'll be honest, I've thought through some things - and being a planner and a doer - always having this or that goal to be working towards... I'm drawing a blank this time. The future for me, it's bright I know that, but it's also obscured. Now what? Hmmm, I dunno. I guess I just get to live and see what life chooses to do with me. Maybe let fate... or destiny... or God... or whatever force it is you believe shapes or paths, have greater control of the reigns for awhile and see what pans out. Ph.d? Well, yes... it's there. It's out there floating with other things and it will happen. Probably sooner rather than later unfortunately because as much as school is an anchor, it's also a key to the future I envision. One surrounded my classrooms and eager students and research and academia and cheese parties. The next great American Novel? Yep. Out there too. And I've never had such a thought as "I'm going to focus on writing" as I have this year. And I'm scared out of my mind to start taking writing seriously. But what better time then at the beginning? Career? That tends to shape its own course... and the shape right now is still where I want to be. Travel? Hell yes!! There's never soft edges around that decision. No not ever.

So even with all this future haze and a little fear and anxiety sprinkled with excitement, possibility, and always a dash of faith... I will continue to commence... to finish... and at the same time to begin. I guess it's time to get started!

(And yes... you may refer to me as Master Cox ;) if you so desire)

Almost there... so close

A little something for those of you who are sick of my school laments. LAMENT! LAMENT! But I'm close. So very close. That's why this little video is appropriate. It illustrates how close I am!

Though I must add... I keep forgetting I still have two classes in the summer to take before being "officially" graduated. Psh. Details. I mean, I'm walking in graduation this Spring, AND I'm handing in my MRP (Major Research Paper - it's a "thesis" in disguise) AND... one of my classes is literally only 3 weekends long. Those two classes will be a walk in the PARK after this semester. The Park I tell you! A walk! In IT!

View the Video... and join in the hope of being almost there.

I just want you to know...

FIRST - that I LIVE! I do. But you may not hear from me for awhile... a good long while... as school is in full blown heady massive harry gooey widespread roundhouse kick SWING and I will be buried in eye twitches, academic journals, bibliographies, and major research papers.

SECOND, I want you to know - that SCHOOL WILL NOT DEFEAT ME! As illustrated by this picture.

Carry on.

Look for me around May 7th. I'll be the one in CAP AND GOWN! GRADUATING! Well, I'll be walking... still have a little capstone class to round out. But that's kibbles and bits compared with the meaty wooley mammoths I'm chawing through now. What great imagery. Right? Hells ya.