One month into classes.

Well, we're on four weeks of graduate school. I think that is  pretty good milestone. :] Things are going well so far.

It's Saturday, so I guess it's as good a time as any to reflect on my week.

Hmm. On Monday I was up early assisting with the general psych class. Funfunfun. A representative from the Arctic Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Training Center came by my psychopathology course. I'm super glad I got to experience that. I think I learned a lot from it. Although I have some knowledge of FASD, I think my knowledge was expanded greatly. I definitely think it is something I'll keep in mind- apparently since without any visual indicators FASD can appear as a variety of disorders.

Tuesday was ethics- interesting but uneventful. Well, we were assigned our first critical analysis paper and reminded that our topics for the powerpoint presentations will be due. Originally they were set to be due this coming Tuesday but that due date has since been extended (thank goodness). I would like to examine the dilemma of services that typically serve one gender more often, and the duty they have to still provide help to everyone else. For example, a shelter that helps women dealing with intimate partner violence- the shelter is obligated to provide a safe space for women, but men who also experience IPV are basically screwed. So there is the balance of acting with beneficence to one population-- but also acting non-maleficence. It's tricky. Everyone deserves to feel safe after all. (I realize this world does a lot to convince us otherwise.)

Wednesday, is when I realized I was getting sick. I was at school at 8 to assist with administering an exam. Later, I basically was falling asleep in my Psych testing course. I felt so bad for my professor, who is super duper awesome. I had to grab a coffee before running to office hours (which my professor requested I come to her office for). Apparently my professor is having issues with a student that she believes is acting in an inappropriate manner (probably best not to get into that too much here). So, she had me come to her office in case he came by my area- and he has come by twice.

I went to the graduate student resource fair that was put on my the graduate student association- got some free stuff! And while I was enjoying the pizza and conversation I started to feel that tickle in the back of my throat. Yep. Definitely a cold. Things went down hill from there.

Thursday I felt like a blob. Intervention was helpful and interesting as always, but I was way off my game. My attention and cognitive abilities were...below my norm to say the least. I went and met with my advisor later though. She is always wonderful. Now I guess I have to get going on my lit search though. No excuses!

Oh my friend brought me beer and mead- homebrewed! Nomnomnom.

Aaaand yesterday was just recovery day. Sitting around, writing a little, working a little on grade stuff. Lots of being a bum because I was sick.

Today I feel so, so much better. That said I am currently coughing up a lung. The virus seems to have kicked it but now my body is getting rid of all the excess mucus. D: Gross. Painful. Better than the sluggish feeling of being sick though.

Anyways, I need to go back and rework the essay I worked on yesterday, and get a head start on some other things. Maybe make bacon. So, tata!

Getting settled

I'm posting on a Saturday. I feel like normally I do this on a Friday.

As long as I sit down to type something out, I guess.

Lets see...over the past week. Hm.

Well, on Sunday I submitted my first writing assignment. I think it was pretty rough. I was still struggling a bit to really organize my thoughts. I got some great feedback though and I think it will help me a lot for my future assignments.

I guess it was a good first run to get my brain really kickstarted and producing things.

As of Thursday, I have finally used the gym at the university. It's actually pretty convenient for deadlifts, as they actually have bumper plates. The gym on base has two deadlifting platforms, but they don't have bumper plates. (Definitely makes sense, right?) So, they have this awesome space to deadlift, but the plates they provide are excellent for moving around so the bar lands wonky- back tweak city anyone?

A friend of mine wants to make it a weekly thing for Thursdays. Which is fine for me. So on Thursdays, we deadlift. And by we I mean just me.

That makes me happy though. Even though pulling bumper plates off of the bar can be awkward and annoying.

Oh and on Tuesday I actually did some hip thrusts. Yay! Gettin my booty muscles workin in Alaska!

Today I attended a Community Psychology Research Collaborative meeting. That was nice. I learned a lot about refugees, their needs, and specific challenges they face. So, that was informative. I'm excited to continue my involvement with that group. :]

Mmm. Plus I got a dirty chai. It's been a while since I had one. Perfect drink for gloomy weather.

Still considering the direction I want to take with my thesis. I have to submit an idea for my Lit Review by Monday. I was considering something like trauma interventions with transgender individuals. Unfortunately it's a pretty narrow area of research, but there is definitely research in related areas that I could pull in.

I guess we'll see!

Week 2!!

Well, I've done it.

I've made it through my second week of graduate school. Yay!

I suppose it's a good sign if I didn't give up after the first week.

Although, I should note- due to the labor day holiday, I really only had two days of class. Is that cheating?

Maybe I should wait until I get through another FULL week of classes before celebrating my amazing accomplishment. :]

Although I had a short week, I suppose I do have a couple of things to reflect on.

First-- on Tuesday I was able to finally meet with my advisor. Namely, because I actually got my advisor. I guess it's important to actually HAVE one before you can meet with one. My advisor seems to understand my interests and the direction I want to take. I'm pretty excited about that. I think that she will be able to help me immensely. I'm excited to see how this relationship can help me in my development in the field of psychology.

Second, I'm finally getting work done with the other professor I am TAing for. I was only able to get work started with one professor last week, and was stressing out a bit about not hearing anything from the other one. I'm happy to finally get work started with that. Fortunately I am working with another grad student with this professor, so we're on the same page with our worries and whatnot. I'm happy to get crackin' with that. Being busy can kind of help me stay on track.

Third! For my intervention class, I was able to do a little practice therapy session with my partner. We both talked for 20-25 minutes, while the other listened. It was an exercise in non-verbal communication, so while we played the role of therapist, we weren't actually allowed to speak. Just listen and encourage, facilitate the session through nonverbals. Weird...but ultimately enlightening. I had an experience at a women's conference in Chico in which we did a similar activity, but for a shorter period of time. It can be difficult to just listen without interjecting your own thoughts.

So often in conversations we're not really listening, we're just waiting for our turn to speak. Completely eliminating the option of speaking and taking of the conversation is kind of amazing in how it allows the other person to fully realize their thoughts out loud. During those moments of silence especially. It gives the speaker a chance to reflect, and possibly expand further. For the listener, it can bring to light how in other situations you're not really listening. It gives you a chance to focus your attention so much more on the other person.

So, overall that was a very interesting experience. I am excited to further experience these little practice sessions.

Unrelated to the academic stuff- my leg is killing me. I don't know why, but as I was sitting at home working on putting things into blackboard and reading, I felt a really deep strain in my leg. I went upstairs and used my foam roller and that seems to have helped, but ding dang! I can't even find the tylenol. :c

We'll see how I feel in a bit. I'd like to do yoga, but I don't want to further exacerbate this achey leg thang.

Anyways, those are my thoughts concerning this past week.

Gotta get back crack-a-lackin' on this reading and assignment mess!

Graduate School- Week 1

I am officially a current student in a clinical psychology program.

I should note- this has been a goal of mine for a number of years.

Back when I was 12 years old, maybe a few months after I moved from Misawa, Japan back to Charleston, South Carolina, I decided that I wanted to be a therapist. I came to this conclusion due to my status in my peer group. Seventh grade is a difficult period in one's life. As such, my friends put a lot of trust in me. They disclosed their fears, their frustrations, their heartache-- all to me. I remember musing, "Man, if people are going to talk to me about these things, I might as well get paid for it." 

At some point though, my interests shifted. So much change occurs during middle/ high school. Definitely not surprising. During my sophomore year of high school I became more interested in pursuing marine biology. I lived on the coast and that seemed like an ideal route to take. I loved (still love) science. And animals. The study of marine life seemed neat! 

Then I moved to Oklahoma. Although Oklahoma has it's share of lakes and river systems...it is, obviously, land locked. I was angry enough being 17 and moving to the not-so-exciting state of Oklahoma (sorry Oklahoma...kinda). Beyond that, though, college applications and decisions toward my major would be coming up soon. I was at quite a loss...UNTIL! 

I took a course in psychology. 

My high school in Oklahoma assigned me to a psychology course. Funny thing- I was trying to take photography. I was placed in psychology, though. And that old spark of interest that I had formed as an adolescent was rekindled. I decided what my major would be once I attended college.

That's the course I've been on ever since. And now I'm finally working on the graduate portion of that...and I will be on this course for quite a while.  I still have a lot to accomplish. 

On a different note: 

During the first meeting of my intervention course this afternoon, we discussed self-care routines. Self-care is definitely an area I should work on. I am aware of this. I frequently immerse myself in what I am doing to the point of losing track of my own sense of self. Hopefully this course helps me in not doing that though.

In fact, this blog will be part of my self care. As a way to reflect on my life, on my thoughts, and to digest my own feelings perhaps. 

Anyways. Perhaps once a week I can post something new. 

In closing, I also want to note that my final review of my first week of graduate school is: things seem interesting and overall it went well! 

We'll see how that evolves over the semester. 

:)

Until next time.

I made it.

I'm actually in Alaska.

Not only am I in Alaska, but I also have a place to live! After a few days of shinanigans, my husband and I found a place! Funny thing about this place, my bedroom will be on the bottom, but the kitchen is up top. Two things I care about very much- food and sleep. So, my legs better get strong from all of the stairs I'll be climbing.

We don't have any of our things though. We're waiting for the movers to call us so that they can deliver them. I would really, really like some furniture. Possibly more importantly, I want my pots and pans. I am craving some stew or mashed potatoes or something. I really want to cook.

I've also been to my university a couple of times. It's rather large. I am used to a smaller kind of school. One of the professors I will be TAing with was pretty awesome. I think we will get a long fine. I'll certainly have some work ahead of me though! I also still need to meet the other professor that I've been assigned to.

I'm kind of excited. I was given an instructors copy of a book. :D I feel so professional.

I've also gotten to see the gym on the base here. I heard so many things about how it's so amazing-- especially compared to the one at our base in California. Buuuut...it was over hyped. It had a few squat racks, some benches, a few OHP racks (I guess the one in California only had one OHP rack, but I never really did seated OHP.) and a lot of machines. The indoor track is convenient, but I hate running. :\ Overall, the biggest thing that made it better to me was the higher quantity of dumbbells and I guess it's cool that they've got cubby holes for gym bags.

So, we made it!

Alaska here we come.

The last few weeks have been incredibly hectic.

The last time I posted, I still had a house full of stuff.

Over the 21st and 22nd the movers packed up and loaded most of our belongings. We were were living on an air mattress for a little while after that. Said air mattress was surprisingly comfortable. Solid decision.

We had to have a repair guy come by to fix some water damaged base boards in our laundry room during that time as well. All of that worked out fine. More on that in a bit.

Had a going away for husband and our friend Jess (who is also moving, although somewhere different). I watched a friend of mine make a poor decision and try out the insanity wing challenge at our local wing place. There was vomiting involved.

Additionally, my little hyundai accent wasn't likely to make it through the mountains that we would be driving through up to Alaska. The jellybean of an Accent was a great car for driving around California, but this trip would likely prove too much. As a result, I have obtained new transportation. A Subaru! She's pretty sweet. Got a roof rack going, more space inside, lots of neato gadgets!

Took the cats to another air force base that's about an hour and a half drive to get health certifications. Java pooped on the way there.

Then, on my birthday I had to drive to San Francisco! Which, although usually a fun destination was for businessy stuff. (Though we did have a nice-ish lunch and we got some souvenir cups). I had to go to the passport agency to get a passport ASAP. The military people didn't send off my packet of passport materials until much, much later than needed. Although we'd submitted the materials mid-May, for some reason they delayed sending it until the last day of June. This action, proved to be quite the stressor. So, the husband and I braved both morning and afternoon bumper to bumper traffic getting on and off of San Fran. So much ugh. But I got my new passport. All should be fine.

One day following that my husband did his final out from the base.

Yesterday, we had our final housing inspection. The cost of the base board repair was far less than I'd expected. Definitely a weight off of our shoulders.

Then we made sure everything was loaded up and drove a subaru, a truck, and two cats up to Eugene, Oregon. That's where we are now.

The drive wasn't too bad at all. The mountains weren't too steep or crazy. It took about seven hours though, and we arrived after 1 am. My uncle (who is amazing) was kind enough to get us a hotel for two nights. So, we were able to arrive, check in and get settled without any problems. Upon speaking to him this morning, said uncle has invited us out to sushi! (I love sushi. Nomnomnom.) I feel very fortunate to have such a kind family. I haven't been able to see them very frequently throughout my life, but whenever I have they've been extremely generous and loving.

I've also spoken to a cousin in Washington and she is very excited to meet up with me. I'm glad we're getting to drive up the Pacific coast! I finally get to see my family! I'll have to call my grandmother up in Washington as well to let her know how things are going.

While in Washington, we're going to drop the truck off at the port to have it shipped the rest of the way. Then we'll just be one big happy family in the car, driving through Canada.


So, we've finally begun our move. No more California. Soon- Alaska.


Tata.

Moving-- almost

The movers are going to be at my house on Monday.



Pretty crazy.



I got an email this morning reminding me that shipping company would arrive in three business days or less. Goodness. I'm getting pretty impatient. I keep thinking, "I'm so ready to get out of California."

I don't even dislike California! My time in California has, overall, been a great experience. I've done a lot of wonderful things and I've accomplished a lot. I just want to get this move over with with, I guess. Agh.


The past few days have been spent cleaning, working on moving arrangements, and reading a little bit here or there. Also, I think I went a little hard at the gym cause I feel kind of cruddy today. :\


I've received all of the books I need for my first semester as a clinical psychology student. I really want to get started on this new leg of education. [More impatience.] I keep thinking that I need to look over the course syllabi and get cracking on the first assignments, but there aren't any sylllabi up online and my advisor hasn't contacted me at all. I'm probably going to contact her, myself just to make sure I'm not supposed to be doing anything.

Ugh. I feel like I'm in limbo- I'm on my way out but not quite out yet. Like, I'm trying to leave someone's house and my foot is out the door, but they just keep talking to me.

"Bye...yeah. Haha. Okay then. Well..see y...uh uh. Okay. Yeah, yeah..."

You know that feeling?

Awkward, right?

I'm sure the next few days will bring much more excitement.

Also, here's a kitty:

Until next time!