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Holiday Whirlwind
Dec. 29th, 2018 07:47 amI've been meaning to post about our Christmas holiday since, well, Christmas, but either I was busy holiday-ing or working or recovering from one of those! We did have a very nice holiday. We didn't end up going to UU service on Christmas Eve because we got distracted by our cookie-baking adventure. We're both pretty terrible bakers, but decided we were going to try a sugar cookie recipe from YouTube. It took quite a long time, and Jeffrey's arms were falling off from all the stirring and rolling (my stand mixer is in a storage unit 1500 miles away, a story for another day) but they turned out very well. All except for the icing, which was a hack job. We made such a mess that one of the cookies just says, in sloppy script, "We Tried." Still, they were delicious.
On Christmas Day, we exchanged gifts in the morning. I got him a Harvard University hoodie, a pretend doctor kit and a little stuffed dog wearing scrubs. (He's hoping to go to medical school after he finishes his bachelor's--a dream sort-of long deferred, similar to mine--so it was all related to that. He's not planning on Harvard, but that's what we say when we're cheering him on.) He got me a mermaid tail blanket and a framed photo collage of pictures of us and some of my favorite kind of socks. Yay! He then spent most of the day cooking. He made prime rib for the first time, and despite being very nervous about the whole process, did a magnificent job. Prime rib, mashed potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts. It was delicious and we ended the evening watching Hulu, my other present to us, since we don't have cable or access to network TV and our library doesn't have most of the things we want to watch OR there's a 100-person waiting list for each thing.
The rest of the week was pretty ordinary. I registered for a fourth class for the spring term, and continue to grow more excited about the three I already have. Turning that over in my head led me to accept that the MA in English is what I really want (though the doctorate is the Dream) and that it's not Impossible, especially here, and that I should consider trying for it. If I don't make it, I still have the MEd program on deck. I'm also exploring options for online teaching. It's become obvious that full-time classroom work is not a great option for me because of my health, and the last thing I want is to have to leave my students in the lurch to go on disability leave (again--that has happened to me before). I'd be happier and safer working from home. I've avoided considering online teaching as a possibility mostly because I'm unfamiliar with it and scared to fail. But I want to teach, and right now classroom life, especially in southern Arizona where our high schools are sprawling, open-air campuses, isn't really doable. I'm also considering the possibility of doing some freelance proofreading. My journal is sometimes full of errors, but I can be professional when necessary! (And I have done professional editorial work before, in addition to tutoring/revising/proofing academic papers for college and graduate students For Pay,) Again, I avoided freelancing because it was intimidating and confusing. Anything is, when you only devote fifteen minutes to learning about it, ostensibly to prove to yourself that it's impossible and not worth attempting...
Lastly, I got in to see my ophthalmologist yesterday to see about the pain, headaches and new floaters. She didn't really pay attention to anything I said or read the notes and didn't mention anything unusual in the exam. The giant freckle in the back of my left eye is unchanged, though I didn't expect it to change. (It never has.) I do, however, need a new prescription, so maybe that will alleviate the headaches and pain? And I suppose the floaters are just...part of getting older? My dad, whose vision problems have been the model for mine, didn't get his first ones until a few years ago and he is 76. I guess I'm on the accelerated track! Oh, well. At least there was nothing hugely alarming, and I get to get new frames, finally. Mine are all pretty beat-up, but I've been holding off until an exam. I usually buy my glasses online because I can't afford hundreds of dollars at a brick-and-mortar. I find they fit well enough and last long enough to satisfy me. I'm pretty hard on them, so I'd rather spend, say, $60US on a pair that I step on than $300--neither one is going to survive that, no matter what Lenscrafters tells you. I found a pair of sparkly, pink, acrylic cat-eyes that I love, so once I get my prescription, I'll get them for myself. Yay!
On Christmas Day, we exchanged gifts in the morning. I got him a Harvard University hoodie, a pretend doctor kit and a little stuffed dog wearing scrubs. (He's hoping to go to medical school after he finishes his bachelor's--a dream sort-of long deferred, similar to mine--so it was all related to that. He's not planning on Harvard, but that's what we say when we're cheering him on.) He got me a mermaid tail blanket and a framed photo collage of pictures of us and some of my favorite kind of socks. Yay! He then spent most of the day cooking. He made prime rib for the first time, and despite being very nervous about the whole process, did a magnificent job. Prime rib, mashed potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts. It was delicious and we ended the evening watching Hulu, my other present to us, since we don't have cable or access to network TV and our library doesn't have most of the things we want to watch OR there's a 100-person waiting list for each thing.
The rest of the week was pretty ordinary. I registered for a fourth class for the spring term, and continue to grow more excited about the three I already have. Turning that over in my head led me to accept that the MA in English is what I really want (though the doctorate is the Dream) and that it's not Impossible, especially here, and that I should consider trying for it. If I don't make it, I still have the MEd program on deck. I'm also exploring options for online teaching. It's become obvious that full-time classroom work is not a great option for me because of my health, and the last thing I want is to have to leave my students in the lurch to go on disability leave (again--that has happened to me before). I'd be happier and safer working from home. I've avoided considering online teaching as a possibility mostly because I'm unfamiliar with it and scared to fail. But I want to teach, and right now classroom life, especially in southern Arizona where our high schools are sprawling, open-air campuses, isn't really doable. I'm also considering the possibility of doing some freelance proofreading. My journal is sometimes full of errors, but I can be professional when necessary! (And I have done professional editorial work before, in addition to tutoring/revising/proofing academic papers for college and graduate students For Pay,) Again, I avoided freelancing because it was intimidating and confusing. Anything is, when you only devote fifteen minutes to learning about it, ostensibly to prove to yourself that it's impossible and not worth attempting...
Lastly, I got in to see my ophthalmologist yesterday to see about the pain, headaches and new floaters. She didn't really pay attention to anything I said or read the notes and didn't mention anything unusual in the exam. The giant freckle in the back of my left eye is unchanged, though I didn't expect it to change. (It never has.) I do, however, need a new prescription, so maybe that will alleviate the headaches and pain? And I suppose the floaters are just...part of getting older? My dad, whose vision problems have been the model for mine, didn't get his first ones until a few years ago and he is 76. I guess I'm on the accelerated track! Oh, well. At least there was nothing hugely alarming, and I get to get new frames, finally. Mine are all pretty beat-up, but I've been holding off until an exam. I usually buy my glasses online because I can't afford hundreds of dollars at a brick-and-mortar. I find they fit well enough and last long enough to satisfy me. I'm pretty hard on them, so I'd rather spend, say, $60US on a pair that I step on than $300--neither one is going to survive that, no matter what Lenscrafters tells you. I found a pair of sparkly, pink, acrylic cat-eyes that I love, so once I get my prescription, I'll get them for myself. Yay!
