Monday, April 2, 2012

Rules of the blogging universe...

Since giving up Facebook for Lent, I've found some other blogs to take up my time (I know, not such a great "sacrifice" now that I put it that way).  Lucky thing, many of the blogs I found actually repulsed me and frightened me, rather than cause me to have a certain stuck-to-the-screen-ness.  I stumbled upon one particular blog that was really something.  One of the posts contained some rules for blogging.  As I read these rules, I realized that I am not following many of them.  For example, one rule was to maintain complete anonymity.  Well, while I don't state my first and last name, social, and family member's names, I still post my blogs to Facebook (when it is not Lent) and share it with friends.  In fact, the purpose of the blog was to share about my doctoral course load.  But by doing this, I have to mention work and family, and then it becomes hard to maintain whatever anonymity I had left.  Another one of her rules was to share everything.  She praised over-sharing, calling it a way to get readers (or whatever it is called when you have a lot of people go to your blog).  And while I can appreciate transparency and openness, I can't go so far as to "tell all."  Transparency, while enticing, is just not my thing.  (If you want me to be transparent, sit down to a meal with me!! haha!)

So what's new?  And what's acceptable to post?  Last week, I had my final discussion about the readings required for this cornerstone course.  Now, as I have mentioned, I am on to designing the next two years or so of coursework.  So, the only discussion I have left is the one where the university tells me whether or not my proposed design is any good, and what changes I have still to make.  My first course ends May 4.  I am so excited that I have made it through this with minimal meltdowns (I have had plenty of meltdowns, to be clear, but fairly unrelated to the doctoral program).  So now, I get to finish the course, and get a tuition reimbursement.  These last three months have been financially quite tighter than usual because we have to make tuition payments without the help of a reimbursement check.  Once I mail my transcript to my county of employment, I get a check, which will cover about 3/4 of the tuition payments for my next course... thank God!  This doctoral endeavor has a hefty price tag.  My husband has been a saint for putting up with this... I mean, we both work, but he balances the checkbook, so he has to look at reality a bit more closely than I. 

This week I am on spring break.  I'm using some of the days to organize my house while I can still use daycare.  Call me a mean mom, or whatever you want, but when husband has two jobs, and I'm in school as well as teaching it, and I have pretty much two toddlers... my house is a wreck (in fact, I could do an entire post about that alone!)... so we snapped into survival mode about mid-March, and I promised I'd make a dent in this pit of a house over the break. So, here I am... blogging.... haha... and having a cup of decaf starbucks.

And on that note (and almost the end of my coffee), I'm out.  I'll probably write more this week.  But hey, let's be honest, if I'm not over-sharing, making my audience uncomfortable, or being totally anonymous, who's gonna read it?  :)

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