Passed both Comprehensive Exams! This means I am officially a doctoral candidate, and in the ABD (all but dissertation) phase.
It’s been a month filled with phases. And, I won’t elaborate but I’m hoping that it’s true that all things pass. “It’s just a phase.” I suppose I should take that perspective if to grind this thing out inside a year, and grab that diploma in June 2023.
In the meantime, here’s a few pictures of my favorite Sierra Nevada foothill winery…going through phases of its own.
A nice day for a nice day…on the water
This month has brought change, and only two weeks have passed. Comprehensive exams almost compete. I passed Exam #1 and barely failed the other. Upside: I have another week to revise and resubmit Exam #2. No pressure, right? The successful completion of Exam #2 only dictates whether I can continue to my dissertation or wait out the summer semester and try again in the fall semester.
This past Saturday also marked the first Kentucky Derby my parents have hosted in their new residence. That is a big change, since they have hosted 100+ people for as long as I can recall. Rich Strike, the long-shot with 80-1 odds, won in spectacular fashion. What a change from years past when the horses who won had much better odds. It gives me hope.
I have been trying to change jobs, and I feel like Rich Strike. I feel like the long-shot, but I know there’s still a chance.
A day off work as Spring Break comes to a close, but not a day off of my doctoral program. I am still hammering away at the two comprehensive exams that are due by April 24. I've been slowly grinding out those two, 15-page papers...even blew them off for the four days I was in Palm Springs. And, I managed to pick up a head cold just before Easter Sunday. Good times.
Back at the writing today. But, I did take a lunch break and repotted the (Tradescantia fluminensis) Nanouk that I picked up at Trader Joes's a few weeks ago. It needed a bigger pot, one that is not a bunny. And, I decided to break off the Snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata) sprout from its mother and plant it on its own. Not only did it provide a nice break from writing scholarly papers, it serves as a reminder to nourish and recenter on occasion.
note to self: only 29 more days of school until summer