Tag: grad school

Drabbles

Weekend Update

Denise @ Life With No Plot1 Comment

Hello all! Last week was a tough one, which is why I disappeared for three days. The stomach flu hit our house pretty hard. Everyone is back up and around again, thank goodness, so we can all get back to normal. Or what passes for normal around here.

Some updates from the past weekend:

  • Uploaded the 17th episode of Bibliophiles Anonymous, where we discussed the book Sabriel by Garth Nix. What was really exciting about this was that when we updated our Twitter with a link to the new episode, Garth Nix RETWEETED IT TO HIS FOLLOWERS!! It’s so exciting to receive replies from authors with what we do! Luckily we really enjoyed the book, so his fans won’t be angry with us. I’m planning to run to the library and see if I can find the other books in that series this afternoon.
  • I have officially survived week two of grad school. This past week was harder than the first one, but I think this week looks a little easier. The calm before the storm, probably.
  • Against my better judgement, I started watching a TV show and now I’m hooked. Like I have the time to devote to a TV show these days, but that’s why I like being able to watch episodes online and on my Kindle. And it is great. I can now say that I understand what all the fuss was about, and I am now a huge fan of Downton Abbey. It’s such a good show! I’ve been a big Maggie Smith fan for years, and she is wonderful, but the whole cast is great. I love these characters (except for the few that I really hate) and since many of them are fighting in World War I right now, I’m on pins and needles.
  • I’ve been playing a little bit of Lord of the Rings Online (again, because I have sooooo much free time). I’ve had two characters on there and both of them finally got to level 25, which is pretty good, I think. So much so that I’ve started a third character, who is now at level 13. She’s a little hobbit girl and she’s so cute!

I think that’s all the news fit to print from this neck of the woods. My regular blog schedule should continue through this week, barring any catastrophe.

Drabbles

Grad School Update

Denise @ Life With No PlotLeave a comment

Last week was my first week of grad school. At first, it feels so exciting. The possibilities are endless. You meet lots of cool people on the icebreaker forums on Blackboard. Your teachers seem really nice and interesting. And then it hits you.

They expect you to work.

This first week was a bit of an eye opener and has shown me that I really need to be more responsible with my time. Not that I wasted a bunch of time really, but my original goal was to have everything done for the first module in both classes on Friday. I was still finishing things up yesterday. Which is fine – the modules run from Monday to Sunday, so it wasn’t as if I was late turning anything in. But I don’t like leaving things hanging over my head like that. It makes me even more anxious than I already am.

I’m taking two classes. The first one is a study of the English language, how it’s evolved and is continuing to evolve. My other class is studying race and ethnicity in American literature. We have a lot of really cool novels and authors that we’ll be studying.

It’s going to be great. I just have to get used to the new demands on my time. And I haven’t even started revisions on my novel yet.

In other news, I am currently listening to the Now. Here. This. soundtrack way too much. I am addicted to the song “More Life.” I think it’s going to be my mantra for the year. I’m also finishing up the last book in Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series (or the last one that’s out right now), City of Lost Souls. I’m also reading Sabriel by Garth Nix for the book club over at the Mallorean Tavern. And reading Deadline by Mira Grant with the folks over at Mark Reads. It’s really not as much as it sounds.

Drabbles

Fresh Beginnings

Denise @ Life With No Plot2 Comments

So . . . . grad school starts today.

AAAAHHHH!!!!!

I’m a little nervous.

I sat down last night to list all the things to try and get done this week. The list is fairly long and it’s only the first week of class. To say that I’m feeling the pressure would be an understatement. At the same time, it’s incredibly exciting. The classes seem very interesting so far. Here’s what I’m taking.

1. Graduate Studies in English Language – This is a linguistics course discussing how the English language has changed. This week I get to look at various examples of English, from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales to the new vernacular that has risen due to the Internet culture.

2. Race and Ethnicity in American Literature – I thought this would be a survey course in American Lit, but turns out it has been narrowed to specifically talk about ethnic literature and the way race has been portrayed. We’re reading a lot of African-American and Native American stuff, judging from the novels we had to buy. Good stuff.

So that’s going to be my focus for the next three months. That, and everything else I have going. The podcast. The reading groups I’m in. Singing with the Chorale (which also starts back up today). Editing my novel. And, oh yeah, I do have a family to take care of. I guess I’m going to be a bit busy.

Drabbles

Announcement Time

Denise @ Life With No Plot1 Comment

Greetings all! My day today is really hectic, so this will be just a small post. I wanted to keep everyone in the loop with my writing progress, but before that, I wanted to announce something exciting. At least, it’s very exciting for me.

Come January, I will be starting graduate school at Southern New Hampshire University. They have a really good online program that has everything that I’m looking for. I’ve tried grad school before in the past, but had a hard time making time for the classes. I’m hoping the online option will give me more flexibility.

I have no idea how I’m going to manage this. I have so many things going on in my life right now, and this is just going to another big thing to work in. But I’m excited. Really excited. And nervous. But mostly excited.

Writing Challenge Update:

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