I Give Up

Apparently I lack follow thru...I couldn't manage to make it through the 30 Song Challenge. I'd say this was a bad habit but seeing as I'm one dissertation short of making everyone call me "Dr." I feel like I finish most things I start.

Sorry blogger world...I just couldn't finish that particular challenge.

In other news, this year has seen many milestones thus far. Like:

1. Passing my written comprehensive exams
2. Passing my oral comprehensive exams
3. Dissertation proposal passed
4. I am now an official "doctoral candidate" and ABD (all but dissertation) at the University of Arizona.
5. I turned 30
6. Completed my first on campus interview for a collegiate teaching position (hoping to hear soon if I got the job)
7. Completed all necessary coursework for my doctorate.

Hopefully I will blog more regularly (and have a more exciting life to blog about) in the near future!

Until then...

My Life...

So a fellow graduate student posted this on facebook and I found it hilarious...and unfortunately, quite true.

Desk Intervention

So I struggle with clutter. I always have loose paper, handouts, articles, etc. all over the place! They are used in ongoing projects (like my dissertation) so as soon as I put them away I have to get them right back out and I am left with piles...everywhere!

After three years, tonight my desk went from this....

To this....

How did I not think of this sooner? I mean, I'm about to have a Ph.D. and never thought of this simple, $6 solution to the craziness that is my desk? Oh my...Maybe it's because my brain is full from reading books like this....

Ph.D. Celebration #7

My knee has been feeling better and better (always pretty achy by the end of the day), so I decided to take advantage and enjoy my Saturday. My good friend Lisa and I had a great lunch and then did some shopping. I didn't find anything I just had to have but it was great to walk around, talk and try some things on. I did find a dress I'd been wanting for $8! I love days like that!

Ph.D. Celebration #4

Four weeks down, still a few too many to go! Last night, I planned to stay in and study but when my good friends Lindsay and Camillo called to invite me over, I couldn't resist. Camillo is from Chile and yesterday was their Independence Day. So a few of us went over, had some wonderful traditional Chilean cuisine and great conversation.

It's moments like these that I know there are many aspects of Tucson that I will miss. I've been blessed to become close to several friends here. But I also know that Tucson is not where my road ends. In my celebration this week, I'm reminded that I need to celebrate these friends as much as possible before I leave!

Have a blessed week!

Ph.D. Celebration #3

Here we are, the end of the third week of the school year! I will admit, I did not accomplish much....but I survived and that's what counts right? As many of you may know, I'm an avid follower of Michael Buble (I don't know how to put an accent on my blog). I literally own every song he's ever recorded. When I put my iPod on shuffle, a large percent of music is Michael. I found out yesterday that his new single came out this week. So I decided my celebration would be the $1.29 purchase of his new song. It's not my favorite song he's ever written, but I still love it! Enjoy!

See you next week!

BIG NEWS...possibly!

I just found out that I have been accepted to the University of Arizona's School of Music to start work on my PhD in Music Education!!! In other good news, I received an email with an opportunity for an assistantship as well!!! This is very exciting because I missed the deadline to be "first considered" for an assistantship.

Although, the assistantship is not yet finalized, I am praying that it will be soon and I can start packing my bags for Tucson, AZ! It's so nice to finally have a potential plan!

Please pray this all works out!

I PASSED!!!

This has been a very big week for me! On Tuesday, after climbing about a hundred hills in the 95 degree heat (I'm not complaining or anything!), my thesis received its final approval from the graduate college. The only left to to is make the copies of my thesis that will be bound in the library!

On Friday of this week I had my comprehensive oral exam. This is the exam where three of my professors sit in a room with me and ask me questions regarding any class I took over the pas two years! This grilling lasts one hour. I can't tell you how nerve-wracking it is to have three professors staring at you for that long and expecting you to sound intelligent on top of that! I did not always sound intelligent but they passed me anyway! Here's an example:

Prof.: April, what is the form of Beethoven's fourth movement of his 5th symphony?

April: (Thinking: WHAT? I can't even remember what that sounds like let a lone know the form!!!) I'm really not sure...I'm going to go with binary??

Prof: Noooo,(trying to help me out...). What comes after binary?

April: (freaking out on the inside that he won't let this go!) Ternary???

Prof: No....what comes after ternary??

April:(thinking: Come on Man! Just let it go, I don't know!!!) Rondo???

Prof: Yes you got it!

I felt so stupid. HA! But none the less, it's all over!! I CAN OFFICIALLY GRADUATE ON MAY 9TH!!!!

Thesis Update

I'm FINISHED!!!! I finished writing my thesis on March 6 and I couldn't be more thrilled. It's 94 pages and I am very proud! I turned it in to my committee of three professors who will now read it and then meet with me to ask questions and suggest revisions. Then I will revise it based on that meeting and turn it into the graduate college at Texas State who will read it and either accept it or give it back for revisions. That process will repeat until they accept it. Hopefully they will accept it in the first couple of submissions. The thesis is out of my hands for at least two weeks and I'm thrilled about that!