Pulling Chapter 5 together

I think I've got it! I really think I have the final piece to pull Chapter 5 together. Today and tomorrow at the library ought to do it - I will be done other than cleaning up the loose ends, the reference list and appendices, any changes that the committee wants, getting the final draft to the APA editor etc. And it is good, I think, surprisingly good. Very happy. Just letting it percolate in my brain a little longer before I actually start typing, but will go like mad once I do. Thanks to all the support from family and friends and of course, from my advisor Coral and the advisee group! I am not sure I would have made it through without the discussions and occasional prodding and pep talks. It will be substantial - about 150 pages, maybe a few more once acknowledgements, table of contents, and appendices are added. I started the analysis of data just about one year ago. So you know, not bad for writing while working full time. I am so excited to be seeing the end of it. Must go write now.

Well, it's been a long time, and I still haven't much time for this. Been into facebook recently as it is easy to check and update and keep track of friends and family there. However, I am curious about Twitter, as several contacts use it, so signed on yesterday. Twitter offered a link to my blog, so hey! why not. I believe that this blog is linked to my facebook and to my googlepages which I really do not use at this time. The trick is to try to figure out how to navigate Twitter. Seems I can ask folks if I can follow them, but at first I had kept my Twitter private, so when Vanessa asked if she could follow me I had already changed my Twitter to public. Maybe that is why when I clicked the link in the Twitter friend request from Vanessa I got an error message. At any rate, I cannot seem to find a way to approve her, she no longer needs approval anyway, and yet, she is still not following me. I tried to message her through Twitter, or leave a message on her page, but if that is possible it sure isn't obvious. So, I have my final chapter of my thesis to finish. I will leave all this stuff - twitter, blog, googlepages, and any major updates on facebook until I am finished. Oh, and once I complete this academic chore, I am also going to update my profile on the SAC web site, and whatever other presences I have on the www. In fact, this year I may even do a blog or a wiki on the WexLibrary web site, and link it to the school site - will it never end!?

Movie therapy

I knew it all along - I thank the TV gods frequently when just the right old flick appears on my screen.

clipped from www.associatedcontent.com Cinematherapy: Can Watching Movies Improve Your Mental Health? Cinematherapy is the practice of watching movies to improve mental health. Though, motion pictures have been around for several decades, it is only recently that the mental health benefits of movie-watching have begun to show promise. Movies often have the uncanny ability to temporarily deliver our minds to a place where we can express a wide range of emotions in a way that connects us with the main characters or movie theme without the concreteness of our own life dilemmas. clipped from www.associatedcontent.com A few hours of laughter with one of your favorite comedies can help to get you through the work week or ease your own worries. Sad movies often bring up feelings that we have left dormant, giving these feelings a chance for release. The therapeutic benefits of watching movies might even save you a trip to the doctor when your stress levels decrease.

Hot dry July

Yesterday there were tornado warnings not far from here, but we only got a bit of warm dry wind. Except for the dryness, it has been an amazing July. A few sweltering days and lots of smog because there is so much sun. But the temperature most days is just hot enough. Had to pull out a few tomato plants that have wilt (a root fungus) and may lose a couple more. Otherwise, the garden is yielding romaine, mesclun mix, radishes, green and yellow beans, and of course, rhubarb. I cut a big handful of coriander for a chicken salad, and the rest of the herbs look great. I have one green pepper almost ready, and the jalapeños are looking good too. No zucchini, cherry tomatoes or cucumbers yet, but they are coming along. The flower beds have made the transition from their spring pinks and mauves to summer red, yellow, orange and rust, with touches of white and purple. Every day when I need a break, or after dinner, I browse around taking the dead heads off the day lilies and nasturtiums. This weekend, I have to prune some shrubs in the front garden, and probably trim back the vines that are threatening to cover the windows.

A great idea!

Wow! I just finished writing up a narration of how I might be able to re-establish the Cat's Cupboard as a business, with a division to provide management services to nonprofits. It is a great idea, which could work as a way to turning my experience into organizational administration, events planning, and database management. This would be a terrific career move after retirement, and may make it possible for me to retire early. I have been preparing for school leadership, and have a lot of administrative experience. I had intended on staying in the system for another five years in leadership, but if that does not become possible this is another, and possibly better option.

Renewing my search and my intentions!

When I started to blog last summer, I had great ambitions to write a bit every day. At a time of transition in my life, it seemed like a great idea. However, the transition itself took all of my time and attention, so I am just coming back to the blog a year later.

Right now, I am updating my cover letter and resume for a job search, to look at any exciting new opportunities that would be the right fit for my leadership style. Arts and education, nonprofit organizations, and sorting out what will work best for me at this mid-point in my life - where can I make the best contribution? This blog is linked to http://cath.thompson.googlepages.com and I will try to get to it, if not daily, at least weekly. My name is Catherine M. Thompson. So, let's see...

I'm Baaack!!

It has been a great year. Feels really good to have my old 14 hour-a-day energy again. I love the school and the students. Moving to a large urban school district was definitely the right thing to do. The complexity of the system, and the diversity of the learners, was exactly what I was looking for. With nothing available in the arts, I accepted a library position in a large school for the arts in order to get to the big city. Until 20 years ago, I had been a visiting artists in a number of city schools, and for a summer arts program. For 2 years before accepting my first system job as director of an academy for the arts in a rural high school, I ran my arts business from a studio in the city. When I signed my new contract last year, I realized how much I had missed the city, for it felt like I had come home. Of the three jobs I was offered, I took that position at the arts school, where the library needed some serious attention. There is nothing I like better than a challenge. So I undertook the complete physical transformation of the library resources. This year has been the deconstruction phase - assisted by more than 30 student volunteers who contributed well over 600 community service hours, with another 600 hours from adult volunteers! Next year, the reconstruction phase should be completed within the first semester. And now that I have re-established myself in the system, I am looking for leadership opportunities. Arts are entrenpreneurial - maybe I will end up back in business!!