A December Update

So a month ago I said I'd make the effort to write more often. Yeah, well I fell apart again. This time I have no good excuse except my lack of attention span. I actually have most of part 2 of my multi-part series about what I learned from the internship application process saved, I just never concluded and posted it. Maybe I'll add to it after interviews.

So, a lot has happened since I last posted, yet not much. On the academic front, I have been awaiting internship interviews. Slowly the invitations are coming in, and by Wednesday I'll have heard from all 11 sites. So far I am very pleased with the outcome, and am anxious to get the rest of my news so I can make travel arrangements and plan out my January. I'm excited to visit sites, get to know the prospective supervisors, and compare my current impressions with the feeling I get in person. I am ready to move forward and see where my life is going. On the dissertation front, I hit a data setback and am finding time to do calculations that I thought were complete. I'll still meet my goals, I'm sure, I'll just have to work a little harder. The semester is otherwise mostly over. My classes are complete, and I am just writing reports on two children who I tested. I stopped my practicum at the high school, and ended up picking up some work doing bilingual assessment. It's been great experience, much needed but definitely learning on the job. Outside of school, I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family that I don't get to see nearly enough, and I have had great time with great friends.

Unfortunately, as is the story of the last year, my physical health has created an obstacle. This time it's not migraines, but sinus problems. I'm glad I caught it early- I started feeling pain in my right cheekbone, and I remembered that my MRI in August had indicated a cyst in my sinus cavity. A month or so later, and I'm having surgery Thursday to not only fix my sinuses (which are apparently infected and not responding to antibiotics), but to repair a deviated septum. I am in a lot of pain, ranging from directly in my sinus (the "punched in the cheek feeling") to the area from my sinus and up above my eye (the "black eye feeling") and then spreading out further (the "I fell onto concrete feeling"). I am also very tired and have suddenly started desiring naps after strenuous activity. So I am just trying to hold on until Thursday, when I have been assured I will be repaired to my normal, perky, positive self. After a quick recovery I will go home for Christmas, then return home to prepare for the interview travels.

That was probably a very boring blog, especially to those who already know what I'm up to. But because of my current lethargy and upcoming time of recovery I feel that it will be a good time to catch up on blogging and write about the little things that are floating around. In order to get those out, I had to lay the foundation. So here it is. I hope I don't disappoint you and vanish for another month...