Not much time to post today, but I wanted to check in briefly to quell the feeling I have that I've been neglecting this blog, and to provide a quick update.
I've had two meetings with my advisor since I wrote last. While he is not ecstatic at my slow progress, he is glad that I am making progress. I have another meeting with him on Monday, and am determined to make it into the lab for at least a few hours before then. On the positive side, I am much closer to actual data analysis with the non-lab part of my project, and am really looking forward to seeing what insight my data might offer up.
The fall semester has started, along with associated teaching responsibilities. This is my third time teaching this particular class, which is great, and somewhat a gift from my advisor, who is involved with the process of assigning TA-ships to the grad students in our department. Because it is my third time teaching this class, I finally feel fairly confident with teaching the subject material, and am happy to be focusing more attention on the act of teaching itself. I love teaching, and I'm really looking forward to helping my students do as well as they want to do in a class that is viewed by many of them as a "weed out" course. More on that in a later post.
On the personal side, I'm settling nicely into my new living situation, which has already had a really positive effect on my progress. It's so much easier to focus on my dissertation, and since living here depends partly on me making significant progress, I am a bit more motivated on a daily basis.
And now for the big news... I found out Tuesday morning that I am pregnant! I'm definitely happy about it, but at the same time a little nervous about my ability to stay on track without my medication. The ADHD meds have been a lifesaver for me, but I know that I don't want to be taking them while I'm pregnant, so I'm going to have to figure out alternative strategies for when I am having a difficult time focusing on the task on hand.
That's about it for now. I need to get ready to get my butt out the door for a 10am appointment, and there's a bit of administrative stuff I need to do before then, in addition to trying to get past the slight bout of morning sickness that is making it difficult to concentrate...
So now that you have the inside scoop (so far only the parents and me and my boyfriend know about the little life inside me), if you have any strategies for non-medicated focusing, please, please, please, let me know! Thanks!
vipassana meditation is an interesting method. I first began by listening o this man's vieos. http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL603BD0B03E12F5A1
ReplyDeleteHis voice is so soothing! I have dabbled lightly in it, but can't seem to scrape my life together enough to devote enough time to it. Still a few good sessions really help you look inside your mind and help to deal with anxiety. Vipassana means 'insight.' This method helps you to study the patterns of your thought process, like watching the paths of sheep about a pasture. Eventually you learn to predict their movement and control them. Interestingly enough, I am also an ADHD girl about to begin my masters degree in Ecology.
Wow, you certainly had a lot of things in for your life! I think it was good that even with your condition, you can still manage to focus on writing your phd dissertations and other things that you want in your life without breaking a sweat. I think you can be an inspiration for people who also have the same condition as you.
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