Woo Woo Elizabeth defended her dissertation yesterday and passed... so she is not Dr. Elizabeth.... what a great job!  Your friends didn't expect anything different.  Again... we need to celebrate when I am in town for Thanksgiving.   I am embarrassed to say, I forgot it was yesterday or I would have called, emailed or done something to encourage her...

My sister and her friends Allison came to dinner last night... I was fun.  We ate out on the deck and talked from 5 to 8:30.  This time I asked questions of Allison and of Connie to find out what was happening in their lives... Connie went to a retreat last month where she didn't talk for a week.  She found it wonderfully enlightening...

Hope your day will  be grand.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

Our weather changed this week.  Since I have been down here we have not had many days under the 80s yesterday it was in the 60s.  I wore winter clothes.  I was also warm in the classroom with winter clothes. Hmmmmm

Students are frantically working to finish their projects in the next 15 days... I think most are in pretty good shape.  I have one student who is really behind.  She is still working on her floor plan when she needs to be working on the four other drawings that are due for the class.  I worry about her. 

Yesterday I went back to Pi*er One to get the mirror I was thinking about all weekend.  I got my neighbor to help me hang it.  It looks teriffic.  But I was so excited about how great my dresser and mirror looked that I had problems sleeping.... greeehhhh  6AM came early. 

Tonight my sister Connie, Allison, and Mike are coming for dinner.  Hope you have a great day.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

It was hard to buckle down and grade yesterday.  I wanted to nest.  Saturday I took the day off, did household chores and relaxed.  Yesterday I unpacked my last suitcase into my new dresser... I felt the need to reorganize it... but I stuffed stuff into drawerw... I have one drawer for jammies, one for accessories and scarves, one for swimming suits, one for nylons, ets... I love having such a huge dresser.  One drawer for each rather than cramming it all in two drawers... but I need to move things around and get them just right. I will do a photo soon.  So instead of grading I wanted to get my dresser just right.  I desisted and graded two projects.  Then I went to school and worked with my students... for my make up class for going to the conference. 

I then left school and went out to Willmington Island and had dinner with my sister Connie and her friends, Allison and Mike.  It was really nice.... but was pretty much the Marilyn show as I caught Allison up on 35 years of life.  Hmmmm tomorrow they are coming here for dinner...so I am going to get them to talk about what they have been doing.  I had a great time seeing them. It is so hard to believe that we are so old.

The sunset on my drive out was beautiful... I think the forest fires out west are making our evening sky glorious.  It is hard to believe something so terrible could give us something so beautiful.    

Hope your day is great!  Love and kisses, Marilyn

Hmmm It was nice to do the last post because I feel as if since I have been here, I have not even had time to reflect on things.  I miss that.  Just having time to process everything that is happening. 

I got bad news this week... as soon as school gets out, I need to drive to Michigan to finalized my divorce by going to court on November 20th.  I figure I will drive so that I can go to my old house (which will belong to my ex-husband on November 20th) and pick up the last of my things I left there when I went away to school in Virginia.  I am sorry to my friends in Michigan... I will come in on Saturday or Sunday and leave Tuesday after the hearing... so id we want to get together... we need to do it Monday November 19th.... I have already committed to doing Thanksgiving at Kristin's... with Ceylon and her fieance, Ellen and Luke, but now I will not be able to get there until sometime in the afternoon of Wednesday after 37 hours of driving in five days... greeehhh...

My nice relaxing week off for Thanksgiving will be about as stressful as you can get... In addition I was going to J's in DC November 17-19 to help him select furniture for his new digs...  a boat.  Hmmmm so I will have to change that sometime later in my time off from school. 

This is all important because I need to finish my dissertation during my six week holiday break... because next term is going to be worse that this term... with four lecture classes with about 50 students total.  I currently have three studio classes with 18 students. Hmmmmmm 

Just when you think you have everything wired... NOT...

Today I am relaxing.  The faculty meeting yesterday was interesting for me.  I now know the track the studio classes take.  Tomorrow I will grade in the morning and then do my make up classes in the afternoon.  Then in the evening I will go out to Tybee Island and see my sister who is visiting friends out there. 

I just read my horoscope and it said that I need to relax and maybe go for a walk in the country and even go shopping.  I want to get a new mirror for over my new dresser/shelves for my bedroom.  So I might do that and then go for a walk on a country road, west of here. 

I hung my valances in the bedroom and attempted to do the same thing in the bath... but don't like what I did in the bathroom, but it took me about three weeks to figure out what to do in my bedroom, I tried a couple of things and didn't like it, but it gave me an idea that I executed today and they look great.  So I will let the bathroom valance percolate for a while until I come up with an idea that I will love.  I also sorted out paperwork... the impetus is my sisters visit for dinner on Thursday night.... need to clean my house or at least pick up the papers that piled up as I did taxes last week.  Also I was looking for paper work for my friend Jorge who his helping me with my investments.  I couldn't find the original copy of the mortgage. Hmmmmm

Hope your day is great.  Love and kisses, Marilyn     

and I am sitting here on the sofa with my lap top in my lap drinking coffee... trying to catch up on other peoples lives... and the world in general.  We have a all day faculty retreat to talk about classes and how the sequence can be tweaked to improve the flow of information. 

Carole said that week that I was complaining of the same things I was complaining about when she first started reading me two years ago.... Students these days had a tendency to learn things to pass the test... and then feel that they can let it go and not apply that information to the next class.  Kristin was complaining yesterday to me that her students weren't even taking the information they learned in the first project and applying it to the next.  Most educators complain about this.  Jenn I think you agree. 

In my opinion, (but I did not think this one up, I read or heard it somewhere) In K-12 we have gotten so that rather than encouraging students to think and reason out something we give them the answers and unfortunately said... "This is on the test, so you need to know this."  Not that you need to know this for life or because you might need this information in the future. So todays students don't seem to understand the big concept of what education is... it is to prepare you for life.  It really worries in that children in the US are not going to be Global thinkers in a Global marketplace.  I am not sure that other cultures do it a whole lot better... because internation students I have taught seem to struggle with grade and advancement issues.  But I am sure we used to do it better.  What is not good about this is student then feel that have checked that item off their list and they know it and move on to the next thing, forgetting the first crushal information or not tieing it together into a whole. 

I remember that I was amazed when I am in my sophmore year in college and I discoved that the romantic movement was in art, writing, architecture and permeated society in the way they thought about life back then. The same things are happening now.  The way we think is affected by science, philosophy, culture, they economy, global events, global pressures, the flow of though time....  If we cannot communicate that to our students, they cannot see the grand picture and on a most basic of levels be caught in currents or eddies they don't understand where they come from, which make things much scarier in a unsure world. 

On a level of education for interior design.  They seem to want to be told every class what something is like a floor plan when they have been told this for each class before and it really hasn't changed... in each class they seem to want us to explain what we want on it so that they won't make a mistake... and it affect their grade...it means we have a big problem as educators being stuck in minutia and not able to really push the cultural /global (not as global economy but global thinking).  If interior design is a profession, (which is what my dissertation is about) it is inherently complex and there is not one answer to a problems we give our student... And my concern is students are looking for the one answer that will give them the A and not thinking how can I convey my ideas so that they are understandable for my clients.  hmmmmm

It is the problem I am having right now... I am so busy in day to day minutia that I don't have time to do any global thinking and I am so tired that I can't think when I have a few minuts... hmmmmmm
 
Wow pretty philosophical  for 7:08 am... Hope your day is great. Love and kisses, Marilyn

I can't believe that how busy I have been.  I am only able to catch up on other blogs on Saturday or Sundays and once during the week.  It  I don't like not having some down time to re-tox and just plain think.  I thought once my presentations, taxes, and grading were done, I was hoping that I would have some time to re-group.  But I have more to grading and oh yeah... we need to have our syllabi done by November 2 and then school gets out on the fourteenth  so I will pretty much be grading those last two weeks. Hmmm

Then I may have to drive up to Michigan to finalize my divorce on November 20.  Uncontested no fault and I still have to go up there to do some kind of deposition... What you have got to be kidding.  It is two days before Thanksgiving... I called the lawyer on Tuesday and his assistant said yes I had to come so today I called the courthouse to confirm that... Boy I really do not want to do that.  In no way will that be relaxing... to drive 24 hours and then 13 back to be at Kristins for Thanksgiving.  Greeehhhhh I need to relax before tackling my dissertation.  

I finally went grocery shopping today.  Really haven't had time or energy since I got home from Virginia.  Had to buy breakfast and lunch today because I had no food to take with me.  Hmmmm

Hope your day is great.  Love and kisses, Mairlyn

Need to grade today and work on the syllabi for my classes for next term.  I was hoping to get some down time, before the final push for the end of the term, but that is not going to happen.  SC*AD has you prepare your syllabi early so that they can be reviewed by the dean.  Unusual and interesting.  I didn't sleep great last night.  Hot flashes woke me up three times and one I was a wake for a while... I am tired and probably crankie. 

I was hoping to go see Hannah and her new baby today, but I am already too tired.

Last night I got my new "dressers"  they are really shelving units with drawers... from Pi*er One.  I had to make individual trips to get them home... It was pouring rain which turned a 20 minute ride into a forty five minute trip for the one... and I have one more to get.  They look terrific and function perfectly for my book laden life style. 

The moon was spectacular last night as I was driving home the last time.  Pink cirrus clouds, white white almost fog clouds below and the big almost full moon... gorgeous and very unusual.

Hope your day is grand. Love and kisses, Marilyn

Worked again with another set of students...  hopefully they are in good position to finish the project.  I was so tired last night that I could not blog.  I have faculty meetings on Friday and a make up class on Sunday so it will be hard to catch up for last weeks conference.  Love and kisses, Marilyn 

The students in one class were still a little confused about what is expected for their assignment due in a week.  I tried to not give them a list of things they needed to do and explain that they need to figure out what would communicate their projects the best.  I gave them a list the middle of last week.  Finally when I said that this list was a minimum and they they probably would need to do more to communicate... I think they finally got it.  These are Masters students and they need to be thinking for themselves about what is going to communicate their ideas.  But boy they were resisting.

I talked to another instructor Katie and she has the other section of this class and they are complaining about the amount of work.  Do these students think we have never taught before?

My other class the Final Masters Studio... most the students are doing great.  They handed in their assignments and I corrected them with them in class with the student... so that they could be updated before they were handed in.  I stayed over and extra hour to go over their stuff.  I felt as if they had sucked my brain right out of my head.  They seem excited and motivated.  Amazing how different the classes can be.

I came home and my friend, colleague, and former boss called me.  She finished up a project for me when I went to school.... The I*S miss read a 1099 I gave her in 2003 and thinks that rather than 3,000 she made 31000.  They read the comma as a 1.   So I had to find and copy the checks I wrote her, a copy of the 1099 that that both numbers on it.  They are threatening to take considerable money from her savings account for penally and interest.  If only we made 30,000 in four months of work rather than 3,000 I would still be doing interior design. Hope this helps her.  We already did this exercise two years ago and for some reason it still is a problem.

Hope your day is great.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

I decided to try to sleep in seven minutes more... so of course woke up at the same old time.  and waiting seven minutes... actually twelve minutes because I always wake up five minutes early.  Greeehhhh

It was nice last night, I got home, ate dinner talking  Kristin on the phone, watched a little tv while I blogged and then took a bath.  I was sore yesterday from swimming.  It has been two months since I have swum at all.  So my muscles were sore. hmmmmmm  Anyway I relaxed all night and went to bed at 10:00 for my early morning rise.  It was nice to be home relatively early and able to relax before I had to head off to bed.  I was not able to check my email (except once) while I was gone, so I had many emails to plow through. 

It was so nice to see my friends.  Sarah and her family are going back to Egypt at the end of this month.  She has invited me to come to visit in June.  Her son Bidou has said that I can stay in his room when I visit and they will meet me at the airport with a sign so that I can find them... so I guess I need to start saving pennies to be able to go.  Oh and get my passport up to date. Kristin wants to go with me.  That would just be wonderful.  We both have never been to Egypt and love its art and architecture.  With Sarah and her family as a guide what more could anyone want.  I miss her already.

K. looked as if she grew another two inches while I was gone.  Her face and body have lengthened out loosing their baby look and moving her into a child look.  She is so pretty and bright.  Mamu loves her.  (I am Mamu.)

I talked in Elizabeth's  Methods in Architecture class.  It was funny because I was talking about  interpative narrative research methods... and I lectured in a narrative story of my journey of my dissertation with quite a few asides.  Neat when I realized that was what I did.  In addition, as you can tell here I am a natural story teller... so my research method for my dissertation actually complements that!  WOW!  I had not realized that before this week.   Very INteresting! Thanks Elizabeth for letting me present and realize that!  

Hope your day is grand.  Love and kisses, Marilyn 

Hey everyone.  I am back from Blacksburg.  I had a good presentation on Thursday...  I also enjoyed visiting with all my friends.  Kristin, Elizabeth and I went for a walk at Pan*dapus Pond.  I cannot believe how much I miss walking in the mountains.  I will try to write more later.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

I am going to a conference in Blacksburg Virginia today.  Will be gone until Sunday.  Probably will not have time or access to internet.  So will not update here until I get home.  Hope you have a nice couple of days.  Love and kisses,  Marilyn

What a marvelous day!!!  Wow I guess I am feeling better although my voice is still really really deep and sexy... tee hee or should I say ho ho and I am still coughing a little.  I only took two cough drops today.  I got up late after lazing in bed for a while.  I watched a little TV and started my laundry.  I was trying to put together the window treatment for my guest bedroom.  As I was standing on my guest bedroom and I thought that I needed to call Scot to tell him how to register grades.   As I said yesterday it is challenging and his department is not as friendly as mine.  When I called him, he was nearby at the flea market so I invited him over for lunch.  We sat on the deck the weather was perfect, warm and not humid... and talked about other things... than school... it was a really nice lunch and a nice chat.  He is pretty lonely and has had a hard time adjusting to the warm weather down here.  We were both happy it was in the high seventies...

I also talked to J and MA and N.  This afternoon I paid bills and this evening watched two movies.   It was relaxing and fun day.  I feel happy tonight.  Hopefully I can scooch down in bed a little more tonight.  Last night I was still having to sit up in bed to not cough, but I am defiantly on the mend.  


I think that I am finally getting used to being down here.  It is feeling like home.  I did not get lost this week and barely got caught in traffic.  I like my students and the rest of the faculty... and I even like the committee I have been put on.  I really like my house and am slowly making it mine.

I am really looking forward to going to Virginia to see my friends next week.  Hope that you have a wonderful day tomorrow.  Love and kisses, Marilyn      

I am sitting on my sofa with my computer in my lap celebrating that I made it through the week.  Mid term grading for three classes on top of trying to do a new IDEC presentation in Montreal in March... Was it just last Saturday that I finished the abstract for my presentation in B'burg... I finally gave up on trying to do the abstract for Montreal on Wednesday... (I did sent a copy of the presentation I am doing next week to do again with changes in Montreal)... hmmmm I finished grading and then entered my grades for classes this afternoon.

Today we had faculty committee meetings and  make up classes for the classes I am missing next week.  Hmmmm

Tomorrow I am taking off... and Sunday I need to finish taxes and do my power point presentation for IDEC next week... Boy no wonder I am tired... I am going from one crises to another... well not really crises but things that have to be done every couple of days... hmmmm

I am looking forward to taking tomorrow off... Hope your weekend is great.  Love and kisses, Marilyn  

Well, although today I had two coughing jags in class so intense that that I had to go to the rest room and suck on cough logensens all day. 

But I when I got home I attempted to take a nap and when I laid down on the sofa I hardly coughed.   Wow... that was great.  I think I might actually be able to lay down in bed tonight to sleep.  It was hard to get out of bed this morning after four nights sitting up while I was trying to sleep and coughing.  But I think I turned the corner....

I got most of my grading done today.  Have nine test to grade and them put all of the grades on line. 

Tomorrow we newbies have our first College Council meetings.  They put me on the Athletics Committee... someone actually read my resume... hmmmmmmm  I think I am the only person excited about these meetings tomorrow.  Then I have two make up classes tomorrow afternoon.   Hmmmm   

It cooled off today and I had a lovely dinner on the deck.  I made chili. I hope that you day will be great.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

Not only was I coughing in the middle of the night... I had to leave class today for 10 minutes while I coughed in the bathroom.... I sucked on cough drops for the rest of the day.  Sorry Carole, I am not going to go to the doctor for the remanates of a cold.  I don't have insurance and know in a couple of days it will subside.  Doctors can't do anything for a cold.  I just need to make sure I keep myself doctored with over the counter drugs.

I graded most of my students work this afternoon and evening for one class... Still have another class to do.  Mid term grades are due Monday.  It is weird to have to record mid term grades.

Mowed the lawn tonight.  It felt good to do something active.  Didn't cough much after I was done. 

Hope the day was great.  Love and kisses, Marilyn  

Coughing in the middle of the night.  Last night was another night of cough... first when I was trying to go to sleep then later at 2:00 when my cough syrup wore off.... I hate coughing in the middle of the night.  The 2 am jag began to net some stuff to cough up...  which was a blessing when I wasn't gagging... (sorry but that was what I was doing,  hanging over the bathroom sick trying not to throw up as I coughed my lungs up)  I cannot imagine having TB and really coughing your lunges up... Boy.

As I lay in bed trying not to cough... I got a really good idea of how to frame my next presentation.  Hopefully I can write it down concisely and quickly and get it into IDE*C by Friday.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

I tried to work on taxes tonight and got a quezzie stomach.  Not because of my taxes, but my tummy wasn't feeling good again.  Think my dinner wasn't enough... I am having hard time eating enough at a meal then get really quezzie feeling... Had questions for Mike about what he did in relation to tax income on his farm... so I emailed him... think I will take a bath and go to bed.  I didn't not sleep well last night for coughing.

Classes were good today.  I have six projects handed in today... I need to grade in the next week.  I am tried.  I hope to be able to write another proposal for a presentation for the ID*EC National conference in Montreal in March... it is due Friday.  I need to prep for Elizabeth's class I am teaching next Wednesday... and my presentation on next Thursday.  Hmmm no wonder I am tired.  At least I don't have my students harassing me like Jenn's student does... my heart goes out to you kid. 

Hope your day was good.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

Worked on Taxes all afternoon and evening.  Hmmm I am happy because I am almost done.  I had completed more of my business taxes than I thought.  It was interesting.  I had problems balancing my check book to finish my counts receivable for last year. Had to basically start over.  Once I did that I was able to balance pretty easily.  Don't know why it was a problem, but it was.  Too many unusual things I guess.  I should be able to finish in a couple of hours tomorrow evening and get these things filed. 

Back to school tomorrow.  Hope I can get up at 6:00am.

Hope your day was great.  Love and kisses, Marilyn