Home Alone

Seth here ...

For those of you who don't know, Kiersten, Benjamin, and Talia are spending a few days in California. This is so I can have some focused time to work on my dissertation. It's been good to have some free time on my hands (when I'm not at work) and be able to work late at the library without missing time with the family. (When they're not there anyway, why should I go home?)

Unfortunately, the first two days they were gone were eaten up by a short summer course I had to take. This was my last required course ever, and now it is over! (A friend of mine said I "no longer have any class" ... I guess that's true in a way, but not the way I would have put it.) So this was a landmark week in my academic career: the completion of my final class. I am now officially "ABD" (All But Dissertation). Although it was a "thorn in the flesh" for the summer months, it actually was a helpful and practical course on what to expect in a career in higher education. We discussed things related to how schools function, what some of the unwritten rules are for faculty members, how to find your first teaching job, etc. It has gotten me thinking a lot about what I'm going to do next year when I am finally done with school. I'm looking forward to being paid to go to a campus each day instead of having to pay for the privilege. At the same time, I'm a little nervous because I don't know where that will be.

Once the class ended, I was able to get down to business. So far I have written and formatted the front material (12 pages long) and reformatted what I have already completed of the first 2 chapters (another dozen or so pages). The school's style guide is very particular and strictly enforced, so it's good to get on top of that now rather than later. Plus it is helpful to have a beginning to the dissertation. I'm no longer just writing chapters that exist in nothingness ... just parts of something that has no beginning or end. They now exist (at least in my mind) as a part of a whole. Somehow it feels more official now that it has a title page, an "approval sheet" (where my committee will place their signatures, Lord willing), a table of contents, etc.

Tomorrow I can get back to actually researching and writing. I will have a lot of time on my hands the next few days until the family gets back late on Wednesday. Please pray for me to make good progress.

Quick update on Kiersten and the kids: They made it through the flight to CA just fine. Kiersten said the kids were well-behaved and that there were "angels" all around them, meaning that people were very friendly and helpful. So far, the kids have seen all 4 grandparents, plus Uncle Ben, Aunt Vanessa, and cousin Katie, and Kiersten has received new glasses and a haircut. (Thanks, Mom & Dad N.!) They have already eaten at In-N-Out and will be going to the Long Beach Aquarium soon, so they are living it up. Unfortunately the kids have not done well with the time change (the first morning they woke up a little after 5:00 am), but they are slowly getting better. I'm sure Kiersten will have plenty of stories to tell (and pictures) when she returns.