The Waiting

It’s frustrating when I’ve requested an article or document from a particular author who wants to charge for said document. Granted, I understand their time is money and knowledge; however, the sites I use are reputable and notable academia journals so they must understand students are typically the ones searching for materials here. Yet, I fill out a giant form indicating why and how I need access to said article with often little or zero response. Undoubtedly, countless requests just from me for articles sit in a queue somewhere, forever in a holding pattern. It’s not like I have forgotten; instead, I wait and wait and wait without response.

A few nights ago, my chair and I had a brief conversation, with me mainly insisting I’m attempting to be patient in the waiting for committee response and her insisting all is well. As she’s the expert, I defer to her in nearly every way. But if I had known. I could have made a training plan for a half marathon. I could have done something else with my time. But, life is funny like that. Surely, I needed an unstructured break. Surely.

Parts invited her boss – something I could never do

I also attended a comedy show, titled Moms Unhinged. It started at 7pm, practically the middle of the night, but it was fun and the jokes were great! I’ve watched football. Cowboys, wth. I’ve developed a new outline for a different research interest. Yeah, Kel, that’s exactly what you needed. I’ve begun watching a new television series, Brilliant Minds. Fantastic, btw. I’ve sat on my couch with mini, or read trashy novels for hours on end.

But, at the end of the night, I’m still waiting.

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I ask you –

How long is too long to wait? Does it depend?

Who is your favorite comedian?

Tell me your bedtime.

(The post The Waiting first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Patience, my child

Mini has an opportunity to try out for UIL events and my little heart exploded with pride and memories. Except for chess, I excelled at these events. Storytelling was my breakthrough – shocking, most definitely – into a world of possibilities for competitive scholastic events.

Many years ago I made a keto carrot cheesecake that was sublime. Really. It was incredible. I haven’t baked in a lonnnnnng while and now I have some free time. You know. While I wait. Anyway, I wanted to bring a family dessert to game night, to impress my friends. And that’s where it ended. The photo below doesn’t look too horrible. But the taste? Let’s just say something went awfully wrong with the carrot cake layer on bottom. It was gloopy, gross, and inedible. The cheesecake layer wasn’t bad, had it not been on top of the carrot disaster. Needless to say, I did not take it anywhere except to the garbage can.

As my brain functions in some sort of random, non-linear, jumbled mess, I can appreciate life’s linearity. One would think dissertation work is linear. Oh, but you (I) would be so wrong. I do the things, then wait. I do other things, then wait. My frustrations are apparent as I check and double check my email waiting for a notification of scheduled defense proposal. I complete the IRB documents, then wait. Turns out IRB approval can take up to 2 months. Although I despise speaking this fear into existence, I’m not sure if I’ll begin the research portion this fall. No approvals = no research. I will have spent nearly the entirety of a very expensive semester awaiting approval. Sigh.

Patience is not my strongest virtue.

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I ask you –

What events did you participate in as a young person?

On a scale of 1 to me, how much patience do you have?

Tell me your worst cooking fail!

(The post Patience, my child first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Will I…

…finish writing my book, the one I started circa 2019? Considering a PhD is a nonfiction work of art, the answer remains to be seen.

…purchase my dream car? Maybe when mini graduates high school or I excel at a second job.

…volunteer to be room mom or the parent who channels their creativity to make school parties successful? Ha. Probably never. But I will be the cleanup crew. I can handle that.

…tune in to the upcoming presidential debates, tour stops, and all the related political rhetoric? You know, I really should. I should want to. But I just can’t stand to listen to either of the candidates speak. And my attention span? Yikes. I will instead concede to perusing non-partisan articles.

…what I thought was the beginning of Wk 3 in the review process is actually Wk 0. There was a miscommunication of email proportions and my manuscript wasn’t submitted yet. Alas, I am not a patient person but I guess this means I have more time for football?

_________________

I ask you –

What’s your dream car?

How long is your attention span?

Wk 0 – waiting for manuscript review. Tick tock, tick tock

(The post Will I… first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

A Tough One to Write

Last week’s September 11th memorials had me considering how it’s hard to believe 23 years have gone by. For the families and loved ones of those lost on that date, 23 years probably feels like yesterday. For mini, who honors the date with school functions, doesn’t have a memory of this event and most likely doesn’t understand the way the world changed that day – it can be difficult to grasp the significance, which got me thinking about the events our young people will remember as they age. For example, a string of recent school shootings. Although I rarely, if ever, speak of political things on RoF, it saddens me these are the memories and perhaps fears of our youth. Someone, somewhere, is remembering today (whatever day you read this) as the day they were rushed out of a school in the wake of some tragic circumstance. Someone, somewhere, is grieving their loved one who lost their life in a place they should have been the safest.

I don’t have the answer. I don’t proclaim to know what we should do to prevent senseless acts of violence. I do know firearm ownership is protected by the Constitution/Amendments. I also know many individuals do not have the mental or physical capability or capacity to competently exhibit those rights. And I absolutely do not wish to debate any of these points.

However, it’s a shame our society is punctuated with tragic, life-taking acts. It’s devastating. We should do better. We should want to do better, especially for our children.

So, today, hug your children, whatever age they are. Call them just to hear their voice. Never has anyone said “I wish I hadn’t held them”.

_________________

I ask you –

No questions today.

(The post A Tough One to Write first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Day in Photos, pt 90

I’m purchasing this headwear for use at an upcoming graduation. When I found out an ex-husband and a few old boyfriends would be in attendance, incognito is now the theme.

Credit: Amazon

New office furniture arrived. I’m so thankful for Parts. She loves to put stuff together. Me? Well, let’s just say it’s a disaster.

I love ice cream. Not surprisingly. And I still need to try this flavor!

I’ve waited forever for football! And since I have a little time to watch it – don’t call me, I’ll call you, ummm, never.

Credit: Google

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I ask you –

What should I wear for further incognito-ness? All black? Black with red heels is my standard.

Are you a handy man/handy woman?

Tell me who your NFL team is!

(The post Day in Photos, pt 90 first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

We Won!

The sword is ours! As this was our first work day back from vacation, it was definitely as memorable as possible.

And then there was this silliness! I don’t know any other job that encourages you to dress up at Batman complete with mask and cape, then pose with your sword. I love my job! Subsequently, although I don’t yet have the photo to prove it, I won the installation quarterly award where I proudly hoisted the sword in victory.

Truly, the victory belongs to my fitness team. I couldn’t do any of this without them. Indeed, they make me look good because, on my own, I don’t hold a candle (or a sword) to them. They make my job worth it.

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I ask you –

How difficult is it for you when returning from vacation?

Can regular people be knighted?

Tell me about your most awesome award!

(The post We Won! first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Strength in Waiting

“We rise in the wait, not the arrival.” Waiting is not everyone’s (maybe anyone’s) strong suit. Never have I heard a eulogy or a bio or an introduction which said “So-and-so excels/excelled at waiting!”

According to mini, waiting is hard. An unnecessary endeavor, if you will. Absolutely pointless. In many ways, I understand. We live in an instant gratification society, where nearly every want or desire is available at our fingertips, literally and figuratively. As I say it, this is an instant potatoes world. But how often does waiting truly bring us valued joy? Let me count the ways. In other words, innumerable times. And we’re stronger because of it.

Side note. I’ve always considered cereal for dinner an exotic meal. Crazy, right? I think it’s because a) I don’t eat cereal and b) don’t drink milk. Therefore, it’s always been out of the realm of my ability to experience it.

27 July – 3 August

I know I already posted a July recap but what’s the rules on posting when a month runs into another? Run, run, get it get it. Posting for posterity, of course! That’s a lot of action for a vacation!

Wk 13: additional 45 pages

You know what I wasn’t waiting on this week? This manuscript to write itself. 45 pages! 45! Sure, I didn’t run as much as I’d have liked to but I did create tables, graphs, figures, and somehow overcame my limited knowledge of Excel to beautify a bunch of numbers into APA-worthy additions to the current 279 pages.

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I ask you –

How much exercise do you get when away from home? More? Less? Depends.

I should have a second question here but I do not.

Rate your level of patience for waiting. On a good day, 1.

(The post Strength in Waiting first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Pre-Vacation

When the weeks are dragging on and you need a few interesting things to keep you wanting to get up, do stuff, adult. This is getting ridiculous.

Found this fascinating story regarding one of Sheppard AFB’s very own Airmen doing big things to benefit countless individuals: Air Force Tourniquet Belt.

I say “Call me if you need me!” a lot for someone who rarely, if ever, answers the phone when anyone calls. It’s a formality. Just text me like a normal person, ok?

Admittedly, I am the most ignorant person I’ve ever met. Ask me about the day I walked around with a huge vape thing in my hand because I picked it up outside thinking it was an old battery pack. It was pink. I probably should have known something was up.

Then, a staff member told me they had accepted a jewel in the lost and found and asked how to return it to its owner. Jewel. Upon further questioning, along the lines of who loses a jewel, it was carefully explained to me someone lost a brand of vape. How was I supposed to know?

Then, it took nearly 2 hours for McK and I to figure out how to put gas in the government vehicles. In our defense, the instructions were unclear, there were inoperable pumps with obscure signage (read: none), and we’ve never done this before! We lead from the front, for sure! However, I do appreciate the consistent vehicle drive-bys who didn’t ask if we needed help until the final task was completed. I’m not being sarcastic – I think we would have been affronted if some…man…had tried to help us. We are independent!

The requisite activity versus pages tracker:

We’re strongest in our struggles. Which is probably not how the saying goes but it feels as if everything leading up to vacation is a struggle.

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I ask you –

Do you prefer calls or texts?

On a scale of 1 to who-let-you-out-of-your-cage, how ignorant are you?

Tell me your thoughts on independence!

(The post Pre-Vacation first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

This Girl Is…

Going Places!

Like to the office across the way, the one with a window to the hallway and very bright overhead, automatic lighting. Can we turn these down? Yes, I got the job.

While I was away in VA a few weeks ago, galivanting with the crabs and such, I won an award. Lovingly, Parts stepped up to accept it; unbeknownst to me, there was much fanfare and laughter associated with her acceptance. Not only was it announced that “Spare Parts” would be accepting it, but she also convinced the Commander to cover my name AND now the Chief will be submitting the above photo to the Wing for future consideration. As Parts tells it, since I abandoned her for weeks (slight exaggeration) then I either owed her a puppy or a sword. More to come.

Obviously we have a thing for old trucks

Never mind us though – Mini has surely been going places! From her time in Tennessee then to California and everywhere in between, she’s quite the traveler. As this may be her final summer in California, the adventures have been ramped up, from the Rio Grande to Belmont Park and Sea World to a dip in the Pacific Ocean and a trip to the Sequoia National Park, her traveling expanses make my head spin. What a wonderful life to live. I know driving is not her favorite way to travel; however, so much more can be seen when compared to flying and I love this stage in her life. The girl just wants to meet new people and go on adventures!

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I ask you –

Do you have anyone in your life that encourages silly behavior? If not, you should!

Of the places I mentioned above, how many have you been to?

Tell me your favorite place to visit or a place you were excited to see!

(The post This Girl Is… first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

When the Cat’s Away…

It can be so difficult to make time outside of your home and work to reconnect with those friends who hold special pieces of your heart. But we did it!

My best friend, Sam

on the boardwalk where I almost died once

Just a few…a lot…of photos where we ate and drank our way through Ocean View.

There’s tons of other photos but we genuinely had the best time together. Beach in the morning, beer and shopping in the afternoon, and copious amounts of shenanigans in the evening!

I caught a crab!

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I ask you –

Have you visited the beaches at Norfolk, VA?

Do you have a vacation planned?

Tell me your thoughts about seafood! Love it? Hate it?

(The post When the Cat’s Away… first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)