Grad School Accomplished!

I can cross these off my to-do list: find a good program for grad school, apply to grad school, take the pre-requisites, get into grad school, work hard at grad school, graduate.  Check!

It's been a rough past few years.  From not getting into the grad school program I wanted, to finding a better suited program for me, getting laid off, applying and actually getting into the grad school program I wanted, back to school for me and finally graduating.  This is my third career and I'm hoping this one sticks.  It definitely was not easy.  I don't remember what I thought library school and ultimately emphasizing on archiving would be like, but whatever that was, it was so much more difficult.  I somehow not only survived, but passed.  It's strange to think I now have a Master's degree.  And it's a degree in which I can use to get jobs I want.  How cool is that?  Well, I'll tell you, it's pretty amazing.

It's been a long road and I look back and am unsure how the past decade has gone by.  It has not been an easy one for me and I have not made the best decisions on certain things, but all in all, I've come out of the past ten years with a lot more than I began it with.  I've learned a few things along the way and could not get paid enough to go back to do any of it again.  I'd rather that all stay in the past.

I certainly wonder about many of the people who graduated with me.  Many of them just graduated from their bachelor's degree just a few years ago.  I wonder if they will end up changing careers and be upset that they went to grad school so young?  I definitely was not ready for this directly after undergrad.  However I also wish I went back a little sooner than I did.  I don't think it would have made it any easier for me, I just think that I would've liked to have had this degree a few years ago.

Just as I decided after undergrad that I would go to grad school (just needed to find what I wanted to do) I have also decided that I don't ever want a PhD.  I think this was just the right amount of schooling for me.  If I ever go back, it'll just be to get a certificate of some sort to further advance my career.  But no more loans and craziness of schooling for me.  That was wild.

Now the fun starts of working again and paying back these loans. Of course I also need to clean, something I've been putting off for about 2 years.  It's a lot easier said than done though.  I've had time, but have only cleaned off my desk I used for schoolwork.  I keep saying I'm going to tackle other parts of the apartment (there are lots) but it has not happened yet.  Instead, I've been running errands and watching movies.  I just feel so tired!  Pretty crazy, right?  I've rested and rested and then rested some more. 

I did get through a few books though.  I read Birthday Stories, a compilation of short stories by Haruki Murakami.  It was wonderful.  Then I read Happens Every Day by Isabel Gillies, which I loved.  I decided to go with memoirs and then read Kitchen Privileges by Mary Higgins Clark.  That one was great too.  I read Mount Vernon Love Story some years ago and think Mary Higgins Clark is awesome, although I have not read any of her mysteries.  I'm now reading Who The Hell is Pansy O'Hara? by Jenny Bond & Chris Sheedy which is a compilation of short stories all about 50 of the world's best loved books.  It's chronological by fiction and then non-fiction, which is really cool and I've read some really awesome things about writers like Mark Twain, Dostoevsky, HG Wells, Tolkien, Steinbeck, etc.  It is actually a really fun book about other books and their authors.

Grr and I are just basking in the fact that I don't have to write anymore papers right now.
Over and out,

Wow & In Other News

The LA Kings just made history and won the Stanley Cup.  Pretty awesome!  They won the first 3 games, lost the next 2 and actually won game 6 with a score of 6 to 1.  And the first 2 games went into overtime.  It's really exciting.  Now, I'm not a big sports fan, but was introduced to hockey a few years ago and really love going to hockey games.  It's really fast moving, intense, camaraderie with other fans and really fun.  I actually did see the Kings and Jersey Devils play few years ago, here in LA, and they even went into overtime.  It was a really good game, so it is definitely fitting that these 2 teams were up against each other.

Tahoe at Sunset

In other news...I technically finished grad school a few hours ago.  I uploaded my last paper.  Now I just hope that I did well in all 3 of my classes (as I need all 3 to fully graduate) in order to receive my diploma in the next few months.  Graduation is on Saturday.  But, so far, it all seems really anticlimactic.  I didn't expect fireworks or anything, but there isn't even a sense of relief...yet.  I suppose that will come in the next week or so.  I'm now going to be Elizabeth Eiben, MLIS.  I like it!

Sigh.  I guess I finally need to clean the apartment.  First I think I'll finish up my internship this week, graduate, revel in finishing grad school, maybe veg out in front of the TV, read some fun books, (I'm a little surprised that my list is so long already), play with Grr, and more!

I finished A Covert Affair by Jennet Conant.  It was okay.  Interesting book and interesting nonfiction.  The writing was just okay and I feel it is marketed all wrong.  There are major parts about Paul & Julia Child, but more about other people who were in the OSS with them.  I think I may have liked it better if I knew that it wasn't only about Paul & Julia Child.   I'm now reading a wonderful collection of short stories selected by Haruki Murakami called Birthday Stories.  It's wonderful.  I love short stories, my only issue is that there are not enough!  I want more.  I know, it's selfish of me, but I am enjoying it.  Only one author that I couldn't get into the story and kinda skimmed it without reading it thoroughly.  I won't tell you who it is because the rest of the stories (so far, I only have a few left) are really great.  And I think I'm going to read a memoir after this.  I have Happens Every Day by Isabel Gillies sitting here.  Not sure where I got it from, but it sounds like it'll be good.

Anyways, I should go make dinner.  Go Kings!!!!!  And yay to no more grad school!!!  No more papers!!!!!!!  I'm so relieved. 

Can You Have Senioritis In Grad School?

There are doves roaming our balcony again.  Grr wouldn't know what to do with them if she caught them, but she still hunts.  She's also allergic to feathers, so it is a good thing she hasn't caught one yet.

I've got a bad case of senioritis.  The portfolio still seems so unreal.  And I still am unable to grasp the fact that I passed.  Thankfully I got a letter in the mail a few days ago officiating that I passed it.  Phew!  It wasn't a dream!

Last night we went to the Dodger game.  I'm treasurer of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) student chapter at UCLA and our group decided to get people out & about at the Dodger game last night.  It was actually a lot of fun.  And a lot of people bought tickets and came out, so that was really great.  While there I was talking to some of my classmates who happen to be first years and they started asking me about the portfolio process.  It was strange to be giving that advice remembering last year when I was seeking it as well. 

Turns out that one of the girls was actually at my portfolio.  Even better is that I didn't even know it.  It is all such a blur to me.  I vaguely remember presenting and remember the discussion I had with my panel after my presentation, feeling good about it.  I then vaguely remember the next 4 people presenting and discussing.  I then remember us leaving and being told we'd know by the end of the day and all of us wondering what that meant as we know our friends who went before us all knew whether they passed or not within an hour after all the presentations.  We did say goodbye to the 2 outside viewers (of which this girl was one of them), but the funny thing is I remember saying goodbye, but cannot for the life of me remember who I said goodbye to.

She told me last night that she and the other outside viewer said I had raised the bar because my presentation was really great and they were worried about the 4 that would go after me.  That makes me feel really good, as I can actually say that all that practice and research and everything showed and did me a lot of good.  How nice is that?!  It's one thing to think I did well (but not know for certain) and another thing to hear that others thought I did a fantastic job.  Pretty awesome.  Thankfully the 4 after me did just as well.

I still have so much to do before the end of the quarter and have fallen behind in one of my classes.  It's really difficult to concentrate and do all that needs to be done knowing that I passed the biggest hurdle in my grad school career.  I suppose I'll get it done.  Ugh.

One more!

I got the blogging bug tonight.  Just wanted to post this fun video I took in December 2011.  Grr was scarfing down her food without chewing and then puking.  I told a friend of mine who has a dog and said that there are obstacle bowls which makes them eat slower.  I went to the Pet store and apparently they don't make obstacle bowls for cats, but I figured my cat is as big as a small dog, so I bought one for a small dog.  She figured it out pretty quickly.  Now it takes her awhile to eat, which is awesome:

Portfolio Lows & Highs

 

 To graduate from my program you can choose to do either a thesis or a portfolio.  The thesis is great if you like to write (and are good at it) and you want to be published and you may wish to pursue a PhD.  A portfolio is great if you are not a great writer (like me!) and would rather present a topic and are not interested in every going back to school again (like me!).  I guess it's rather obvious, but I chose the portfolio.  It's still a lot of work and research and there is writing involved, just not as much as a thesis.  You also have to add in a bunch of writing samples and whatnot and then get it bound.  And you have to get 3 bound copies made.  It costs a pretty penny and since I made mine fancy with tabs and nice paper, it was even more expensive.  Then the department randomly selects you to present to a panel of 2 professors and 1 outside professional.  You present for 15 minutes (no more or you are penalized!) and then there is 15 minutes for the panel to ask you questions. Then the panel decides whether all your efforts were good enough and decides your fate of graduating or not.  It's all very stressful.

Thankfully, I passed!  It means I am actually going to get this Masters Degree.  How crazy is that?!  3 years ago I was selling airtime in radio and now I'm getting a Masters Degree.  I still have about a month left of my last few classes and have to pass them, of course, but there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel (it was very dim before I passed my portfolio, but now I can actually see it).  Now, the really difficult part (aside from getting over my senioritis) is going to be finding a job.  I've already started applying, but it's not going to be easy.  I also really, really want a break from it all and just relax and maybe even clean my apartment before I get back to the real world of just a job instead of school, a job, an internship and trying to have a life outside of all that.  Maybe I can read some books that I want to again?  Wouldn't that be nice.

I have also had a crazy year with personal craziness.  Grr has been sick again, off & on with various things.  The latest is hyperthyroid and another bout with IBD.  Poor Grr.  She's a great kitty, but boy does she cost a lot!  And only the best for her.  I am really thankful for our nice vet who could have taken me for all I have and then some, but has been really nice about the bills (still very expensive, but not as bad as some other vets by any means).  Then I had a nice breast cancer scare.  That was fun.  I was extremely scared of my very first mammogram, but I have to admit that the ultrasounds were way worse than the mammogram.  Plus the technician was very nice.  I think your health is very important and again I have a wonderful doctor, so I am really rather lucky.  Although my health insurance sucks and I cannot wait to get a job that has benefits.  I think I miss that the most.  It turns out that I have a fibroadenoma.  Apparently it's just glandular tissue and fibroid tissue and most likely will go away.  My doctor & I have decided to keep a tab on it, but it's not in any way linked to cancer, so that was a huge weight lifted (it took about a year with my schedule & money situation to get this all squared away).  And then the normal personal stuff when you are getting a Masters degree while in your early 30s has been a lot too.  

All I can say is that I'm really glad that I'll be done with the school-thing soon.  Although it would be nice if I could have a job lined up to start in August or something.  That would make me feel much better.  For the time being, I'll probably volunteer some more, apply to a bunch of places and still work as many hours as my part-time temp gig will be able to give me.

I've already spouted a lot on here and have not begun telling you about any books I've read!  Let's see, I still have managed to read quite a few despite everything.  I finally received and read 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami.  Wow!  It was so good.  It's huge because apparently in Japan there are 3 books that came out one after another and they published all 3 in one for us Americans (thank you as I hate having to wait for series books).  I also read A Secret Kept by Tatiana De Rosnay (she wrote Sarah's Key which is fabulous) and it was another great novel by her.  And I finally read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skoot.  That one was great too!

I'm currently reading A Covert Affair by Jennet Conant about Paul & Julia Childs in the OSS.  It's an okay book.  I'll have to tell more when I'm done with it.  Parts are wonderful, but as a whole it's just okay so far.  I also have read and am reading a lot for school.  Some of which is awesome, some is really confusing and others are a bit on the boring side.  All in all not too bad.

Well, I'd better get back to my school readings, I just needed a break and realized it's been 10 months since I'd blogged and really wanted to.  

Happy Readings all!