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This is where I spend most hours in my days...on the second floor.

I'm teaching again for the summer session, starting tomorrow morning at 8:40 a.m.  Here's to a fast four weeks!

 

This is my friend's new Great Dane.  Isn't she a beauty?  She's about 10 weeks old here.  We came dangerously close to buying her merle sister, but talked ourselves out of it after reminding ourselves that Trooper's vet bills have cost a bundle just in his first four months.  We are dying for a Dane though, and being exposed to this beautiful, calm baby, we are very certain that a Dane will be in our near future in the next few years.

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Well folks, I want to give a hearty thanks for staying with me as I took a blog break in order to focus on my exam.

The exam was just as long as an exam could be, a full eight hours of re-written sentences, sore fingers from typing, a headache, and a nagging sense of discomfort.

But, I made it through and I will resume my quest for blogging awesomeness without further delay.

Oh, and Troops had his neutering surgery today.  The vet's office called and said he did fine.  So, yay for de-balling. 

 

Well folks, I'm channelin' my inner Texan, gotta git some of my bidness done for what we call them durn preliminary exams. I won't be around these parts for a week, but I'll be seein' y'all over yonder on the flip side. Let's git er dun! Load 'em up, move 'em out!
And as we who do some serious hoss ridin' say, gotta COWBOY UP!

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Winery dogs are always essential components of a winery.  If I ever open a winery, I will most definitely have a few hanging around.  Here's a gigantic one with a gigantic head at a local winery:

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I was thoroughly impressed with his ability to wait patiently on us while we tasted.  Afterward, he was rewarded with plenty of head pets and lots of love.
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This is the daily wrestle that happens once every 47 seconds.

 

I am now at the point in my graduate school career where I have completed my last round of classes and am preparing to take my preliminary examination.  This is the exam that will admit me to doctoral candidacy, which means that I will be all but dissertation (ABD) in my graduate career. 

I've taken my comprehensive exams (same concept as prelims) at my masters institution already and passed them, so this is beginning to feel a little old.  I'm tired of cramming everything I've ever learned in my graduate career into my head so that I can sit for the exam and spew out all the knowledge and references upon request.  When I say "sit for the exam," what I really mean is a period of self-flagellation as I ponder every question about every class I've ever taken, write an appropriate response, and pray that I haven't left anything out...for eight hours in one day, in a room, by myself. 

Don't expect to see much of me over the next eleven days as I go into final crunch mode on studying.  I'm already studying 6-9 hours a day, and have been for the past two weeks, but I'm about to move it to about 12-14 hours a day as the date draws nearer.  I can't promise much surfacing activity during that time, and unfortunately, the Monday after I take prelims I have to be back in the classroom to teach at 8:40 a.m.

Graduate school.  There is a reason there is a 50% (or more) attrition rate.  It's hard and after a while it doesn't matter how smart you are; what matters is the determination, the ferociousness, the work ethic, and the bravery required to complete this degree.  It's astounding how much work goes into this degree, and sometimes it's not even about work -- it's about your personal life, your family, your friends, the isolation of it all can be overpowering.  Without a doubt, enrolling in a doctoral program is like being able to only run a mile, and then signing up to complete a triathlon, training for it, doing it, being completely exhausted and bone-tired, but still dragging yourself over the finish line, amazed that you had the audacity to complete the dang thing.

I'm at the 20 mile marker right now -- got a few more miles and milestones to go.  Wish me luck -- but I'll see you at the finish line.

 

I thought I'd start your day with some really cute puppies!  These are FRICKIN' adorable!  So cute I want to put them all in my mouth and gobble them up, and then carry them around in my arms all day long.