.It's the new year already?.

 I can't quite believe how long it's been since I've written on here.  The last post tells me it was mid-September, reminding me just how fast the last few months have gone.  And I have a feeling the next few will be zipping by just as fast.

If I was on a semester schedule at school I could say this is my last semester, but since we're on quarters I'll still have one more to go after the one at present - which I'll be going in to week 3 of 10 this week (see, flying by already).  I'll be graduating in June with an M.A. in English Literature and a Certificate in Women's Studies, searching for an adjunct teaching position at a community college close by - I hope! I've decided I'm just going to take my time in finding a job instead of scrambling around panicking.  I've got a growing number of guitar lessons to see me through the summer if need be anyway.  And Scott, too, is coming up on a new and exciting stage in his Ph.D program.  He's finished with coursework and will begin studying and taking Comps this semester, on top of teaching two general option religion courses.  He'll then begin working on his dissertation with two years paid to complete it.

On January 2nd we celebrated not only two years of wonderful marriage, but two years of successful studies in programs we're both blessed to be a part of.  Graduating this June will be bittersweet for me because I'm both ready to leave and sad to be finished (although my proposal for my independent paper is due next week so about mid-March I might really be ready to get out of all this mess).  But my real reason for being sad is the people - the TAs and professors who have been supportive and helpful every step of the way.  I've met some great people through my program and I'll be sad not to be able to share all the joys and frustrations of being a grad student teaching freshman composition.  I hope and pray I'll end up in a supportive and encouraging environment as a new teacher next year, whether at a private high school or community college.

All that said, this last semester (er...next to last quarter) has started exceedingly well (much better than the growing pains I experienced last quarter).  My class of freshmen are engaged and quite talkative actually, in a good way! And the courses I'm taking, while I felt a bit out of my comfort zone at first, are going really well - "Feminist Theory: Writing the Body" and my first Comp/Rhet class "Teaching Argument: ENG 102."  I'm very excited to be creating another themed class as part of the Teaching 102 course, this time working a theme into the argumentation freshman comp class.  I've decided on Place & Heritage, specifically focusing on the Appalachian culture.  My students will explore the issues, stereotypes, and heritage connected to the place of Appalachia, reflecting on their own cultures and heritage through interviews and readings.  I'm excited to be working on this project, though it seems a bit overwhelming right now, because I have such a connection to Appalachia and I think it'll be great to explore it in the classroom.  My independent paper topic also deals with Appalachia: the cinematic narrative creating a national identity in Muriel Rukeyser's The Book of the Dead, an epic poem depicting the Gauley Bridge Mining Tragedy in West Virginia.

Well I can't end a post without reading suggestions so here's what's been on my bedside table lately (thanks mostly to my husband for giving them to me as Christmas presents):

Mudhouse Sabbath: An Invitation to Life of Spiritual Discipline by Lauren Winner - As a convert from Judaism to Christianity, Winner finds small ways we, as Christians, can connect to our Jewish heritage.

Orange is the New Black: My Year in Women's Prison by Piper Kerman - I'm not sure why but I'm always fascinated by narratives about life in prison, whether it be on TV or in books.  Kerman attended a women's college, came from a good background, but did time for helping transport drugs.

Take This Bread by Sara Miles - Miles grew up in an atheist household, despite her grandparents' involvement in mission work and social activism in the name of God.  Her memoir tells of her conversion to Christianity after a serendipitous communion experience.  Read an excerpt here.

I also just finished the first book of The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins and I can't wait to watch the movie coming out in March!  Until next time...