PhinisheD

Well I did it... after many months of blood, sweat, and tears, I successfully defended my dissertation. I am officially "Doctor" Tina Prout. Sam bought me this really neat gift to commemorate the occassion, it is a small marble slab with the word "PhinisheD" engraved on it. The Ph---inishe---D is to remind me of my accomplishment in obtaining the PhD. He has one for himself, and I look forward to the day when he can read his proudly as well.

Thanks to everyone who has supported me on this path, you know who you are.

We MUST Sweat the Small Stuff!!!

Ya know there was a big book craze a few years back... some guy wrote a book entitled "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff". I think I even read it, and maybe it's companion. Don't ask me why it popped into my head at 1:30 AM as I sit here and type this. I have just been thinking a lot about my life lately (I guess because I am kinda in a transitional stage right now). And what I have come to realize is that it is the small stuff that time and time again adds up to big stuff. We have choices and decisions to make every day all day long. It is the cumulative effect of those decisions that leads us down the path we call our lives. We may slip up once or twice, but we all have to watch that we don't develop a habit of choosing poorly (don't want to end up like that bad guy at the end of Indiana Jones III). My philosophy of the day is, we MUST sweat the small stuff, we have to make each decision as though it counts for something, for in the long run all of our decisions combined mold us into the person that we becomme. Ok I am going to end this entry now before I start talking in circles, I actually feel like I could fall asleep now.

Good things are happening in my life now, I can feel it. I hope the same is true for you.

Great Expectations

I was talking to Sam a few days ago about how we have different expectations of our friends. He seems to have very low expectations, while I tend to have very high expectations. Basically I was talking to him about the fact that since I have been physically removed from all my friends in NY, I feel like I have been tossed aside a bit. I made some wonderful friends in college, and I hate not being around them. I hate not talking to them on a regular basis. Of course I blame my friends for this problem, when really it is just as much my problem as it is theirs. I guess I can't expect to have the SAME relationships with people that I do when I am around them as I do when I am apart. It just doesn't work that way. We get too caught up in what is around us and can't help but deprioritize what is far away. He never feels this way with his friends who are scattered all over the place (of course he is far more involved in instant messaging people than I am). He moved around his whole life, he is used it it. I am still getting used to it on my end. I decided to be proactive and try to get in better touch with some of the friends I felt slipping away over the years. It is a works in progress. If any of you are reading this know that I miss you. I am sorry we haven't been as close as I would have liked, but we are still blessed with life and today and hopefully many tomorrows.

Room with a View

Well I forgot to update everyone on my search for a place to live in Colorado. I found a cute little apartment in a really nice community... and the best part is that it has a view!!! Check out what I can see from my 2nd floor deck

The Rocky Mountains are just so beautiful and I feel blessed that my life is leading me out to such a wonderful location. Now if only I could GET THERE!!!!

Today was not a good day. I went in with my roomate to the department for our weekly "study group" meeting. Sam and I got sucked into this group which isn't very well organized. We showed up last week only to find out that our advisor had gone out to lunch with his daughter... bummer that he didn't inform us about it. So this week we went in again, and not only is our advisor not there, but neither are two of the three other faculty members involved. You would think out of common courtesy that someone would hae informed us there wasn't going to be a meeting. Very frustrating. Oh and the icing on the cake.... I was informed by the receptionist that my advisor would be OUT all day, and probably TOMORROW too! With my dissertation a WEEK away and no feedback from him on the draft of Chapter 5 that I gave him on Friday, I am really setting into panic mode. I can't believe that he didn't have the decency to TELL ME that he wasn't planning on coming in for two days straight (on top of the fact that he left early on Monday so I missed him then too). RRRRRRRR!!!!

The Last Leg

Well I am on the last leg of my doctoral studies... a little more than a week until my dissertation defense. Tom had to remind me that a good dissertation is a finished one... couldn't have said it better myself! Please everybody pray for me so that I may remain calm and focused through these last few days.

Let's see, you must want some sort of update on my life. I mean yeah the dissertation is intense, but not 100% all consuming. I spoke with Courtney the other day, and she told me all about this new puzzle craze from Japan called SUDOKU. Of course I have become instantly addicted. It will give me something to pass the time on my long flights between Denver and New York over the holidays.

I am still singing in the choir at Hope Presbyterian church, and that has brought some added joy to my life. I sneak some reading for pleasure time when I can at local Starbucks' coffee shops, where I am currently well into the 5th Harry Potter book.

I am getting excited about moving and 'getting on with my life', but it is going to be so stressful at the same time. Transitioning from student to professor will be strange. Not having Sam around will be even stranger. People have commented to Sam that we act like a married couple. The two of us of course completely laugh comments like that away... I mean yeah we have lived together for four years now... certainly we have come to know each other well. He has filled the shoes of the older brother I have never had, I know we will be lifelong friends (and colleagues... gotta get those publications, and it never hurts to have a colleage to collaborate with).

Anyway hopefully everyone is doing well. I will try to keep you up to date with things as much as possible, and add more thought provoking material when I get through my defense.

I'm not lazy

I know it appears that I am lazy and am not doing a good job at upkeeping my journal. The second is true. The first is not. I was out of town last week looking for a new place to live in Colorado (which I did manage to find.... yay). However, now all my energy needs to be devoted to getting the dissertation DONE and DEFENDED so I can go out there and enjoy my mountain view.

So my entries may be brief and sparse over the next few days/weeks.

For those of you who are intersted in my martial arts progress, I DID pass my qualifying test for second degree recommended black belt. I must train for a minimum of 6 months before I can be judged for the rank of second degree decided. So I am trying to log a bunch of hours in the dojo too.

Hope all is well with everyone...