Grad Fab

IN THE TRENCHES

It’s official, I’m in the trenches trying to fight my way out.  The one thing that no one tells to until you’re in grad school is that it is incredibly difficult to get out.  Professors tend to like to keep their minions around. Once a student becomes comfortable in grad school, it is time to leave and so they prolong the change…and faculty are okay with it.  No one has graduated from my program in two years in a VERY long time. It has been my goal since I began, as both my advisor and I believe a Masters degree should only take two years.

We’re in the final days now.  The last possible day to defend is April 12th. So I’ve set my defense date for April 10th, which means I have paperwork due March 27th, which means a draft is due to my committee on Friday morning. YES. THIS FRIDAY. 

So I’m in the trenches. 

There is no assurance that I will get done on time, but Jeff is optimistic (and so am I-knock on wood).

I’ll keep you posted.

M

Lonelyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Everyone is gone! Jk, not everyone…but a lot of my “everyday people” left this week. My bestie Emily left to take a job with Golder Associates in Philly, after 1.5 months Ruth left to return to Purdue, Mike Rowe left to take a job in New Zealand and my advisor, Jeff, is off to France for a month….needless to say it has become quite quiet around here. The good news is that will hopefully be good for my productivity.

Molls

The Unknown

It seems as though I just arrived.  I just road-tripped out to Pullman with my parents: literally going across the country from West Virginia to Washington in 5 days with a stop-over at home. I still remember being intimidated to talk to my advisor (oh wait, that lasted a year). Aren’t I still a NEW grad student? Aren’t I still wide-eyed?

The answer is no. I’ve been here 1.5 years. I’m supposed to be finished at the end of the semester and by some miracle, it looks like it might happen (PTL)! Regardless, sometime this year, I WILL GRADUATE.

But the most exciting part is also the scariest part: the unknown.

Where will I be a year from now?

What will I be doing?

Will I enjoy my job?

Where will I be living? When will I move there?

Who will my friends be?

I’ll keep you posted world. But the good news is, it will always be fabulous…as long as I just keep smiling and remember who I am.

Procrastination Central Over Here

Hello Blog Family!

If you have been on FB lately, you know that I am suffering from the affliction known as procrastination. I only have 2 assignments left for classes…..yet I can’t find the motivation to do either of them. Whoops! (Don’t worry Dad, I’ll do them and they’ll be great.)

Finals week is one of my favorite times of the semester! There are definitely positives and negatives:

Positive: No classes!

Positive: Lots of coffee!

Positive: I have time to do things such as go out for a Holiday Happy Hour with my girlfriends.

Positive: It’s Christmas, which is my favorite holiday and season EVER!

Positive: I get to see my family soon.

Negative: All my friends leave. Including ones that won’t be coming back because they’ve graduated :(

Negative: The coffee shops become overwhelmed with undergrads.

Negative: I realize all the things I didn’t get accomplished this semester.

Negative: There is no motivation left.

Negative: Grading finals.

I don’t trust people who don’t like cheese.

It’s been a couple months now. I’m sorry…I’ve been really busy. LIKE REALLY. BUSY.

Emily is over and we were both going to have a productive night; so naturally we watched “A Time To Kill” and are now procrastinating. 

Since I last wrote:

• I’ve been buried in school work (not fabulous).
• I presented at the national Geology conference in Charlotte (fabulous).
• I’ve been working constantly in the lab (not fabulous).
• One of my friends and mentor Diane defended her thesis (fabulous).
• I didn’t get to go home for Thanksgiving (not fabulous).
• We had a Pullman Geology Family Thanksgiving (fabulous).
• Diane and I rushed the field when the Cougs won the Apple Cup (fabulous).
• I house and dog sat for my advisor while he was gone (fabulous).
• We have to go back to school tomorrow (not fabulous).
• The semester is almost over (fabulous).

That’s all stuff you probably already knew if we’re Facebook friends. Pictures to follow.

Also, Emily would like me to convey to the blogging world that she doesn’t trust people who don’t like cheese.

Yesterday

It seems like yesterday I was in Arizona living the dream.  Alas, yes alas, it was not. After an amazing summer (fabulous, if you will), my co-workers AKA friends threw me a wonderful going away par-tayyyyyyyy.  I got up the next morning and drove 12 hours to Salt Lake City. Slept. Drove 12 hours to Pullman. I had a day in Pullman to accomplish all sorts of little and big things. After they were accomplished I flew home to visit the family for a few days and am now currently sitting in the Denver airport waiting for the second leg of my trip back to Pullman. Class starts tomorrow.

I associate Pullman with stress and drama. However, I am resolved in making this year the best yet!  It’s not getting off to a great start as I’m having some “scheduling/technical difficulties,” but I’m choosing not to worry about it. Jeff said it will all work out and I believe him.  Here is a quote a friend of mine recently shared with me:

“Do you remember the things you were worrying about
a year ago? How did they work out? Didn’t you waste
a lot of fruitless energy on account of most of them?
Didn’t most of them turn out all right after all?” – Dale Carnegie

So here is your tip of the day…and of the semester: Worry less. A lot less.

I may disappear a little this semester as I jump more into my thesis but I will try to keep the fabulous updates coming!

Molly