Well almost..  I finished up the first edit of my final research chapter today.  Need to re-read it another couple of times and then read it out-loud... and send it off to my editor.  I combine 43 pages into 32.   I think it is better than before.  I hope that your days have been good.  I am only accessing the web and my email every other day.  My ankle is creepingly getting better.  I am not a good patient.  nor am I patient... hmmmmm 

Swam and saw Judy P. today. Only did 700 yard... and was careful to not jar my ankle. 

I made plane reservations for Dec 5th to get divorced.  Then I will come back on Dec. 10th to Virginia for Elizabeth's graduation on Dec 14th...
Hope to finish revising this chapter before I leave for Michigan.  Sorry not much is going on... writing, writing, writing... Love and Kisses, Marilyn

Tao's response had me laughing out loud in Bolo's.  She said working on my dissertation with a sprained ankle was a double pain... I barked out a laugh... and everyone turned to look... Well the girl next to me turned and looked... I was cajortling with my hand over my mouth....

I went to the Chi*nese Medic*ine Man on Sunday night and he gave me some stuff to heat up and soak my foot in twice a day... It is for the healing of legiments.  It really reduced the swelling and the pain.  I am still hobbling around, but feel as if I am on the mend.  It would have been so much worse if I had not treated it so aggressively with homeopathic stuff.  I don't think I have ever sprained something this badly.

I went swimming yesterday.  I didn't kick, just used my arms... but it really helped my mind and spirit.  Today I am looking after K for Elizabeth for a half an hour or so.  I think if it were much more, I would have to get someone else to do it.  I don't think I could chase after the active three year old for two hours.  

I have edited and revised about 24 pages of my dissertation.  Worked five hours a day for the last four days. Today the power went off in Kristin's apartment, so I came out to blog.  I am trying to blog every other day because I have to go to a coffee shop to do it.    

Hope your day is grand.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

Well here I am in Blacksburg, ready to start again working on my dissertation and I sprain my ankle... Sprain it BIG TIME!  The story goes that I was shopping at 4:00 am on Black Friday and got in a fight over a ne*ntendo  game and sprained my ankle...

The real story is I slept in and went to access internet at Bolos and the try to find a place to write... I wandered around VT for an hour and found nowhere open to work... so when those struck out.  I went to try to get my passport renewed... and they were closed too... so I went to a resale shop in Christiansburg... and after finding three pairs of pants... I fell down the stairs.  I heard a big snap when I went down... and I thought I had broken my ankle.  I was rolling around on the floor for ten minutes trying to not pass out from the pain.  I finally got on my hands and knees with my butt up in the air and my head on the clothes I was trying to buy... and my head cleared.  The woman kept on saying do you want me to call the EMS... and I would say no give me a minute to assess the damage...  Finally mother nature took over (I had to go to the bathroom) and that got me off the floor and once up, I found the ankle would hold my weight.  So with help I hobbled off to the john.  I found I could stand on my own... and took my purchases and drove back to Kristin's to put ice on it.  Two hours later Ellen came over with Arnica pills, cream and we doctored me up... she also loaned me the chi machine to treat the sprain.... and then I went to the chiropractor to have him put the bones back in place.  Then my massage therapist fit me in and did some muscle relaxing techniques and worked on the sprain area... all of that and the ice and chi the swelling was drastically reduced... the baseball sized knot on my ankle was half the size.  I have continued icing, chi'ing, taking Arnica and aspirin... and I seem to be able to hobble around a little.  Yesterday I wrote on my dissertation with my foot raised and intermittent icing and chi machine. 

Today I have ventured out to access the internet and to come out to talk to you all... and tell my story.  My ankle still hurts and I cannot really stand for more than five minutes without it hurting, but I feel I am on the mend.  It is swollen and kind of blue, but not half as bad as it could have been.  I really think the, chiropractor, massage, Arnica, ice and chi really made a huge difference in my mobility and pain. 

Yesterday I was able to work on editing my dissertation fro about five hours, which was good.  So... once I finish here I think I will got back to Kristin and sit on my bed which I will convert back into a sofa and edit with my foot propped up.  Hope your day is great. 

Love and kisses, Marilyn

We had a marvelous Thanksgiving yesterday.  The turkey was great and the rest of the food amazing... friends terrific... what more can a person ask for.  I am off to the library to try to work on my dissertation. 

Kristine and Sarah in far away places you are very much in my heart these days.  Michelle, Deb, MA and Kathy I will see you soon when I am in Michigan
next week.

Hope your days is great.   Love and kisses, Marilyn

Hmmmm I have been having a wonderful time visiting with my friends.  Last night Kristin cooked curry chicken for dinner.  Noelle came over and we stuffed ourselves.  It was so yummy I could not clean my plate!!!  We watched Er*agon the dragon movie... it also was good, but I love science fiction. 

Today I swam with Ellen, Elizabeth and K came too so I threw the ball for K to chase after I swam my 800 yards.  It was fun.  Kristin and I talked all morning over coffee so I had to come to Bolos this afternoon.  It was really nice to relax and just be.  This afternoon she and I are making three kinds of pie.  Ceylon and her fieance (sp?) and Luke and Ellen are coming to Kristin's for Thanksgiving...  I have so much to be thankful for... hope your day is wonderful and filled with good food and friends.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

Well I am back at Bolo's drinking coffee and blogging.  Hope your day is great.  I have been having a wonderful time visiting friends and eating great food and drinking.... hmmmmm watching movies and basically relaxing and enjoying myself.  Yesterday Elizabeth, K and I made a gingerbread house.  It was really fun, but we all had a sugar high when we were done.  K kept on licking the frosting off of the snowmen cookies... Mamu wasn't very good at swirling the icing to look like snow.  Elizabeth can you send me a photo so that I can post it here.

Made fajitas last night.  Nicole, Kristin II, Kristin I and I had a great dinner.  We watched Ev*an Almig*thly... it was a fun girls night in. 

Tao just left me a message saying hi... and I am sure Sarah and Tao wish they could be joining us.  They are here in spirit.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

Hmmmm I am not sure that I can explain how angry I was on Friday night when I got home... there was a letter from my lawyer saying Oh I have a conflict so I have rescheduled your divorce hearing for December 6th... I called them and said what the heck... mmmmmm am is supposed to do with my plane ticket for tomorrow.  I was so mad I could have bitten off the head of a nail.   My massage thearperist showed up ten minutes later and half way through my massage... I went... I wante dto go to B'burg and be with my friends rather than going to Michigan to get divorced... and that is what I got my fondest wish.  So celebrate the gift... and besides I also had purchased the ticket insurance.  hmmmmmm so I am not really out any money.  

Once I got here and made the rounds seeing everyone... I don't want to go back to Savannah... I am thinking that I can work here as well as at home.  Hmmmm  I am calling the court today to find out if I need to even go for the hearing.  Although I do have clients that want to see me. 

Got my grading done on Friday.  I am slowly recovering.  My internet was down for the last two days I was home... so luckily it is working here.  Hope your day is grand.  I will be blogging when I can.  I am currently sitting in Bolos... cheers, Love and kisses, Marilyn  

for the last day of class.  I will grade this afternoon and tomorrow if I need to... to get done.  Then Saturday I head off to Michigan.  Hope your day is grand.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

Hmmmm My students handed in their work and I took it home to grade, but came back to school last night for a presentation of another class.  They had a client and  The client loved what they did, but I didn't get home until 10:30 which is past my bedtime.  I still had to stay up a while because if I don't give myself some down time before bed I can't sleep.  So I saw some of the 11:00 program on PB*S.... at up at 6:30. Since I was exhausted yesterday... today is really going to be a challange.  Yes Rambling grading is the not fun part of education. Hope your day is grand, only two more days and I am done with classes until the new year.  Love and kisses, Marilyn 

I updated my paper work for SCAD yesterday.  Attendance sheets, quarterly report on my activities, peer review, and grading sheets. It felt good to get those done.

Today I am getting my first two sets of grading.  My students have a presentation tonight at 7:30 and my other class hands in their document package again this morning for regrading.  Hmmmm Tomorrow I get two more sets and a final set on Thursday morning.  Hmmmm My belly is girded.  Hope your day is grand.  

Love and kisses, Marilyn

Well this is the last week of classes for the term, and I am girding myself for an onslaught of grading. Today is okay, I will finish my other paper work things such as my peer evaluation, my term report and writing comments about each of my students.  Tuesday my senior re-hand in their blueprints.  Tuesday night my First Term Masters hand in their presentation work.  Wednesday Final Masters hand in their presentations and their whole term packages blueprints, and  programming books.  And the First Term Masters hand in the rest of their work programming and blueprints.  Then Thursday the Seniors hand in their Presentations.  Saturday I have to leave to fly to Michigan so I better be done.  Most schools I have taught at give you a week to complete the grades, here you have to have them in by Monday.  Hmmmm I probably will not write here much. 

Yesterday I went for a walk on the canal with Matthew, he teaches in Architecture and is a newbie from Midland, Michigan.  Then I frosted cookies most of the afternoon and made Scotch Short Bread.  I also wrapped all four batches of cookies I made yesterday and today.  I will try to put up some pictures soon.  Hope your week is grand.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

I put a week of photos up on my blog... in three of four parts.  It wouldn't let me load the last part.  You can see how beautiful the trail is...  and I have finally had time to write and photograph stuff down here.  I am looking forward to school getting out next week, although I will be kiting around the country.  This horoscope was pretty amazing... Hope your day is great.  I will probably write more later.

Kathy had a party last night.  It was really wonderful to spend some relaxing time with newbies.. great food and drink...

Today's Gemini Horoscope for November 11, 2007

Your life circumstances may have altered so much in the past few months that you could be in an entirely different space than ever before, dear Gemini. Success and good fortune have increased your self-image, and business and money matters should be going well. Today you should pause to take some time to assess your situation and decide in which direction you want to go. You now have it in your power to make dreams come true.

Wow I remember writing that so often in Virginia... so happy and content in my life with my friends in Virginia...  and now here in Georgia I finally have had time for a breather this week...  well two evenings of breather and... actually... most of this weekend as a breather too... before the next onslaught of grading... so I am sitting on the sofa with coffee and it feels really good.

Yesterday I found a hiking trail... well make that walking trail in the woods.  The Ogeechee Canal was built in 1830 to move lumber, fertilizer and other things more easily on barges from the Ogeechee River to Savannah River. They stopped using it in 1890s and now they have a park and hiking trails along it.  The trails are in the woods, on a tidal plan... and I can actually almost hug some trees... AND It is about three miles from my house.  It goes back in the woods far enough that I can no longer hear the traffic sounds.  I had forgotten how nice it is to not hear constant buzz or make that roar of traffic here.  I think it is one of the things that bothers me the most living in a big city.  Ha... my friends from Denver and Boston are complaining about how small Savannah is... and I am dieing for a nature fix.  I found it last night... and I am very happy.  I am heading out there again today for a walk. 

I have had the last two evenings off and I started making Christmas cookies  It also helped to make me feel more at home... baking in your own house for the first time and filling the house with the smell of chocolate makes it feel like love.  hmmmmmm  Last night I made carmel corn.   It is so yummy all buttery and crunchie.  Today I will finish making my sugar cookies.  They have been in the refrigerator for two nights ready for rolling, baking and frosting.  It is a long progress to make these cookies, so making them in the evening is really hard because frosting takes so much time.  I also need to make Better than Se*x brownies, Scotch Short Bread, and chocolate fruit cake.  Hmmmm I really love baking and have to get this done before school is out so that I can share with students... and don't eat 10 batches of cookies myself. 

I did finish my syllabus yesterday.  Tomorrow I will write my peer evaluation and my quarterly report of what I did this term which I have to finish by the end of the week.  All this paper work.  Hmmmm  I am nervous about the end of the term with all the grading and getting the grades in three places on the computer.  
 
I hope that your weekend is great.  Love and kisses, Marilyn     
 

Hmmm that is nine weeks.  Only one more week of the term... and grading, grading, grading. I have the weekend off.. Just need to finish my syllabus  for my lighting class.  I am girding myself to do about 40 hours of grading next week.

Some baking maven has been taken occupancy in my house.  Last night, she made three batches of Christmas cookies (Granola Bars, Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars, and Ooey Gooey Chewy Bars) and put roll out sugar cook mix in the fridge to cool off... and even a big pan of Ch*eks Mix.  She couldn't go to bed last night until 10:30 because the Che*k Mix wasn't finish baking.  Hmmmmm  Tonight, she made Date Bars and Turtle Bars and wrapped last nights haul in groups of three to four cookies of each kind and wrapped them in foil and popped them in the freezer. 

Today my massage therapist came to my house to give me a massage.  It was very nice to have her come here.  We did a lot of work done on my  back and feet.  Hmmmm  

I finally started making calls about going to Michigan the week before Thanksgiving.  Michelle if you are reading... I will arrive Nov. 17 and leave Nov. 20.  I have to testify for my divorce on the 20th.  Then I should be a free women.  I also called my clients to let them know I would be in town. 

Hope your day was great.  I am really looking forward to an unbusy weekend.  Love and kisses, Marilyn 

Had a good day today at school... after my relaxing evening last night.  I have a few more things to grade, but I worked on two syllabi tonight.  Rather than grading.  I have a few more things to grade... Jenn is right it just once you get things done more comes up.... Anyway I did the schedule part of the syllabi and hopefully I will put them all together tomorrow and get them to Sandi a couple of days late.  Hmmmm 

I mowed the lawn when I got home.  This morning I picked up the gas can, and filled it on the way home from school.   Hope your day is great.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

Well last night I purely relaxed.  With my grading done for a few minutes, (I was able to grade my final classes work during class time).  So last night I watched TV and actually cleaned off my dining room table that was filled with tax papers and bills... and all those little pieces of paper that clutter our lives... I still have a little more to put away.  But it really felt good to get rid of the piles of paper and pay bills.  Jorge I paid my biggest credit card off...  so I am starting on our decisions over the weekend.

I hope your day was fine.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

I got most of the drawings red lined but have yet to put grades with them.  Got my class from last week done.  I still need to fix grades on Blackboard because we changed the points for the last project.  hmmmm I think I will get caught up this week... only to be barraged again the next. 

I tried to mow my lawn but was out of gas.  Went to three gas stations, but on one had a gas can.  The last station was really nice and they will have a new gas can for me Tuesday.  So I guess I will mow on Tuesday. 

I did four loads of laundry and ran the dish washer and ... my toilets started bubbling... hmmmmm I think the pipe to the street may need cleaning out!  Greehhh Hopefully I can get away with not cleaning it out before break.  I will space my water use for the next two weeks.  That is it from here.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

I pretty much have been going full bore since... well since the middle of August.  But the last three weeks I have had to make up school time to be able to attend my conference... where I presented, which at regular universities is an important part of my job... This school is sort of run like a business... so we have to make up the time... so I have been pretty busy catching up.  Then in the last week two classes have handed in their projects so I had to grade.  And tomorrow my last class is handing in their drawings too.  hmmmm  Over the years I have always had the big part of the projects two two weeks before the end of the term... it allowed students to study for exams, but also so I could get the bulk of the grading done before the end of the term.  When everything piles up anyway and as soon as school is over I want to get back to my life. 

So it has been crazy and not being able to swim to relieve my stress... it has been hard.  I have not been able to walk in the neighborhood five nights a week because of playing catch up.  So my brain is not working as well as it would if I could swim.  (Pool is tentatively scheduled to open in December).

Well this week my sister Connie came into town.  She was helping her friends Allison and Mike move into their house on Wilmington Island.  But we were able to get together four nights this week and that pretty much fed my soul... This is pretty much for the first time in our lives we really connected.  It is amazing that we seem to be in the same life groove.  She has been studying Buddism for a while and is grounding her life in love and peace... connected by nature and friendship.  And that is also was I discovered in Virginia to stop striving for hmmmm (for me it was never money) but striving... now I am all about relationships (I think I was before too) but now I realize how the core of my life is filled with love and acceptance.  So Connie talked, had dinners together and walked on the beach twice we walked on the beach and talked about the here and now. 

Before we got together we agreed to not talk about our past.  We had a pretty bad childhood... no we had an abismal childhood.  Where our parents set up competition between us kids and the myriads of people who lived with us... My step father was a ped*iphile and had sex with most of my high school friends.  As adults they manipulated us until we all needed to pull away and not have anything to do with them.  I was the only child to go to my mother funeral. I don't say that with pride, but I needed to face the monsters and move on.  They inflicted so much pain and kept us competing against each other for their attention...  Even as adults.  So before, when Connie and I would get together we would talk about the past and leave in so much pain that we would not connect again for years.  So this time we agreed to stay in the happy present... and it worked!!!

I love her so much, but in the past have had to protect my heart.  It will still take some time to not take care about what I say and be totally open with her, but this was a great start.  We gently and lovingly talked about our current life and we are surprisingly in the same mind set.  She through Buddism, me through my wonderful friends in Virginia and Michigan. The important things in our lives, are a closeness to nature and people... in the most gentleness of loving kindness.....       

In addition, Friday, my swimming buddies Cos and Cara came from Virginia to the Virgin*ia Tech vs Geo*rgia Tech football game in Atlanta Thursday night and spend the night Friday night, here.  We went to the Seaf*ood Festival in downtown Savann*ah.  It was fun and I was so happy to have them visit.  Then last night my newbie faculty members got together for home made spaghetti at Scott's house... it was relaxing and fun.   So my last week ... I have had a amazing social life...  and it has really restored my soul.  I feel so much more at peace today... I know that it was a combination of connecting with nature by walking on the beach, seeing and connecting with my sister (the family that I care most about), and my new and old friends... the most important things in my life.  I am so blessed.

Hmmmm I also talked to my friend J Friday night... his new alter ego is Captain Fritz because he moved into his new house boat on the Potomac River in DC yesterday.  I am so excited for him.  It is his first home that he owned on this own.  I think it would be cool to live in a boat for a couple of years.  Again I am so connected with with water... I would love that.  I am looking forward to visiting him sometime during my holiday break to help him furnish his new digs... inexpensively mind you!

I also talked to Tao in Chicago, talked to Elizabeth, and Kristin...  My heart just sored when I wrote that... boy I love my friends...  Hope your day is great.  I am going to grade, and hopefully mow my lawn.  Talk to Jorge about my finances... and file for my new title for my car... tee hee.  Love and kisses, Marilyn   

I have had some great visits (three evenings) with my sister while drowning in grading... I made plane reservations to Michigan... I am leaving from
Charlotte... and coming back from Charlotte so I only have to drive three hours to get to B'burg for Turkey Day.  Got tickets at half the price from Savannah with an extra stop at B'burg ...    Love and kisses, Marilyn