Monday, May 17, 2010

Final Updates Before I Discontinue this Blog

l hadn't posted in a while because I wanted to wait for the entire process to play itself out. As many of you know, I was in the process of completing my dissertation and applying for jobs. Now that that process is complete, let me offer a final post briefly reflecting on the process:
  • I defended my dissertation April 1, 2010 and passed with distinction. The revisions are complete, and I am now ready to deposit at the graduate school. The dissertation is DONE!
  • I now have a job! I will be Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Writing Studies, and Director of First-Year Writing at Western Michigan University starting Fall 2010.
  • Mr. C and I are expecting our first child--a little girl! We've know about this for quite some time obviously since I'm 7 1/2 months preggo! I'm due in July, so I'll be starting the new job shortly after she is born. Crazy, I know. But I've never followed any path in life conventionally. Pictures of her 21st week ultrasound are posted below. In some of the shots, you can see her flexibility--she must have been practicing her yoga along with Mama! LOL!
Obviously the above events indicate why readers haven't heard from me much. As any academic knows, going on the job market is a very stressful and grueling process. My process was especially unique with its own set of challenges because I found out that I was pregnant early on in the job market season. I had to go to the MLA Convention shortly after a serious battle with morning sickness that left me hospitalized because I couldn't keep clear liquids down. As if MLA interviews aren't nauseating enough! I also had to hide my pregnancy while interviewing and going on campus visits (which I was able to do until the third trimester--I think!). I especially thank my Mom for letting me borrow all those tunic tops! Hiding the pregnancy was also challenging because I was small and petite pre-pregnancy, so any subtle change in weight tended to show up quickly. It didn't help that I am carry a baby that measures larger than weeks gestation. As you'll notice in the ultrasound pics, her femurs are long: the doctor told us that she'll probably have dad's height (he's 6"2), which means she might be taller than me by the time she turns 10 (I'm 5"1)! LOL!

That is all; I thought I'd end this blog with a happy post. I'm closing it because I basically don't have time to keep it up, in addition to the fact that I originally started the blog to get me through my dissertation. And I've fulfilled that goal.


Thanks for reading,
Prof. PC



Saturday, February 6, 2010

An Update on Stuff

What I've been/will be up to for the past couple of months:

  • Publishing stuff
  • Winning stuff
  • Eating Stuff
  • Thinking about the stuff I'm not ready to talk about at the moment but will once the process is said and finished.
  • Finishing dissertation stuff. We've now set a tentative defense date for sometime in early April.
More updates to come...