I'm baaaaaaack

Another legit break from blogging as the term ended, I was away with DH and family on vacation, without computers or the Web ("Horrors!!"), and dammit, it was supposed to be vacation afterall.
Not that I wouldn't have loved to vent and blog my way through the vacation, but since they don't know I do this, and I'd like to preserve some privacy, anonymity, and oh yeah, my SANITY, I was NOT going to chance it. Again, not like I could anyway, without Net service; and I just didn't feel like writing it long-hand and then transcribing and uploading later. Besides, it wasn't Academic related, so I feel like it really doesn't belong here. Although this was supposed to be a place to vent in general, so maybe the intersection of my personal and so-called-professional lives earns air time here. hmmmm.....

So vacation time was short, not so restful (and rest was so dearly needed and wanted), but quite interesting...and alas, over. Done. Finito. (Wellllll....I did get to hop away for the holiday weekend with DH and play golf-- pretty course in central PA near MD. But really....it's over...back to work...no more play time...)
Classes started up again, and so thusly, the stress. But really trying not to stress so much over class this term, and I think it may be possible to have a semblance of a life along with my scholar-grind. Eeep. I hope I didn't speak too soon!

Said good-bye to my Advisor last week, as the last packing of offices was done, books gone from shelves, pictures taken down, and generally the space was left looking forlorn, denuded, generic. It really hit home that Dear Advisor won't be around whenever I'm on-campus, can't pop in to chat, and that I'm sort of on my own a bit here. Yes, Advocate will take over the advising duties, and may actually help kick my ass in gear more. Yes, I love Advocate too and look forward to working together.
But still....

However, as much of a downer as that is, I take the parting words to heart..."get it done. finish"
Not that Advisor was truly worried I think that I would quit, or wind up ABD. But more that the track record of my dept. at Metro U isn't so hot at turning out PhDs in my field, or my specialty. So much disfunction it isn't even funny. So more worried that the resources aren't there behind me to get me done, finished, out-- and in some kind of reasonable time frame.
But I WILL "get it done". No matter how much I whine, complain, bitch, moan, whatever-- I refuse to lose sight of what I feel I'm meant to do, meant to be, and what I have to do to get there. (i.e. if I want to teach in my field apparently I MUST have the magic letters, so therefore I will get the PhD) And I will not let my buddies drop out, quit, end up ABD, or anything else short of 'finished' and graduated either. Mambo and Astro are keys to my sanity, and hopefully me to them, and so we have to push each other, pull each other, and do whatever it takes to 'get it done".
And so the next step begins...