random thoughts?

[Karine]

My courses are over! The students of my 1st group got their final exam yesterday and I believe I will finish the correction of their papers today. Next Saturday, it will be the final exam of my 2nd group.
I can now focus on the 2 conferences that I have to prepare (I'm still writing them). In May, I'll fly to France for the first one and I'll come back two weeks later, just in time for the second conference.
The part-time positions for 2015-2016 are not online yet. They should be available in May and I'll know only in June if I have a job in September. I worry about it, because I don't want to leave my apartment and go back to my mother's house. Anyway, there's nothing I can't do about it but wait until the offers are online. Then, I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope that I get at least one group in September and one group in January

[Islandflyer]

My courses are over! The students of my 1st group got their final exam yesterday and I believe I will finish the correction of their papers today. Next Saturday, it will be the final exam of my 2nd group.
I can now focus on the 2 conferences that I have to prepare (I'm still writing them). In May, I'll fly to France for the first one and I'll come back two weeks later, just in time for the second conference.
The part-time positions for 2015-2016 are not online yet. They should be available in May and I'll know only in June if I have a job in September. I worry about it, because I don't want to leave my apartment and go back to my mother's house. Anyway, there's nothing I can't do about it but wait until the offers are online. Then, I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope that I get at least one group in September and one group in January

Congratulations, Karine! I'm sure you're ready for a "spring break" No doubt the old adage about "publish or perish" still applies in academia. It sounds like you're on track for the former. There are no full-time positions expected anytime soon? So having lived in France for several years already, do you expect it will feel sort of like going home again? Best wishes for your conferences and for another group of eager students waiting for you in the fall.
And that you don't have to go back to live with mom!

[Karine]

Congratulations, Karine! I'm sure you're ready for a "spring break" No doubt the old adage about "publish or perish" still applies in academia. It sounds like you're on track for the former. There are no full-time positions expected anytime soon? So having lived in France for several years already, do you expect it will feel sort of like going home again? Best wishes for your conferences and for another group of eager students waiting for you in the fall.
And that you don't have to go back to live with mom!

Exactly: "publish or perish" is something we should never forget!
I can't wait to see my friends again in Bordeaux, I miss them a lot. I don't know how I will feel when I will arrive in Bordeaux: I'm sure I'll be happy, but maybe also relieved from that time when I was there as a student.
I planned to stay in Bordeaux for the first days, then I'll take the train for Rennes (this is where I'll have to do my conference) and I will spend the last days in Paris.
When I will know the exact dates of my trip, I will write to my supervisor, to ask him if he would like to meet me, for coffee or something like that.
But before that, I have to finish writing my paper!

[TheSquirrel]

Congratulations Karine. You have gone from being a student to being a teacher, and now looking for a full time job. I'm sure if you look back at your posts you will see how far you have come. What I have found is sometimes time seems to move slowly, but when you look back, time seems to have gone quickly. So much happens you don't have time to fully enjoy the good stuff or realise how much you should be enjoying it.

I'm droning away like a boring old fart, but the one thing I'm not going to do is tell everyone how they should be living their lives. Older people always do that. The trick I think is to live your own life, and not let other people's expectations change or affect what you want to do.

Since this is random thoughts I shall share some of mine. I have been thinking a lot about how I have lived my life, and wonder if I wasted it. I have come to the conclusion that I have indeed wasted some of it, but have just managed to pull myself together in time to at least enjoy the time I have left.

When I was in my 20's I thought the whole point of life was to have fun. That's what I did at every opportunity, and on occasions to excess. Unfortunately life sort of got in the way. It does have a nasty habit of dumping an awful lot of shit down on one's head. Once it starts it doesn't seem to stop. I lost the art of enjoying life. Now before it's too late I have taken early retirement, and managed to get back to my 20's philosophy. I am starting to enjoy things again. I regret wasting the last 30 years or so, but an awful lot of bad stuff happened. I wish I could have had a positive rather than a negative attitude to it all but I didn't. Now I'm back to having fun, or at least as much as I can at my age. It's a different sort of enjoyment to my early years, but that doesn't matter. The main thing is to enjoy life as much as I possibly can.

[Karine]

Thank you!
I'm sure you'll find good ways to enjoy your life. Having a positive attitude will surely help you to deal with everything that will come next, whether it's bad or good.

[CarolCiola]

I don't post on this section for a while... Lately I barely had time to check my emails or new things about Sarah..!

After almost 4 years, I took my braces off! And also did a treatment to my migraine, it didn't totally disappeared, but is 70% better I went to an animal shelter and adopted a female kitty! She has around 1 year and a half, black and white, very prankish!

And... my signed Monsters Video poster is finally here!! It arrived at my home around one month after the contest winner was announced! And it took one more week to be framed on the glazing store, but worth the waiting! Now I need to choose a corner on my bedroom wall to put it ^^

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CEcAsHFW8AANT4i.jpg:large

[Karine]

I don't post on this section for a while... Lately I barely had time to check my emails or new things about Sarah..!

After almost 4 years, I took my braces off! And also did a treatment to my migraine, it didn't totally disappeared, but is 70% better I went to an animal shelter and adopted a female kitty! She has around 1 year and a half, black and white, very prankish!

And... my signed Monsters Video poster is finally here!! It arrived at my home around one month after the contest winner was announced! And it took one more week to be framed on the glazing store, but worth the waiting! Now I need to choose a corner on my bedroom wall to put it ^^

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CEcAsHFW8AANT4i.jpg:large

Wow Carol! These are all pretty good news
You must be happy to be able to see your teeth now

[Islandflyer]

I don't post on this section for a while... Lately I barely had time to check my emails or new things about Sarah..!

After almost 4 years, I took my braces off! And also did a treatment to my migraine, it didn't totally disappeared, but is 70% better I went to an animal shelter and adopted a female kitty! She has around 1 year and a half, black and white, very prankish!

And... my signed Monsters Video poster is finally here!! It arrived at my home around one month after the contest winner was announced! And it took one more week to be framed on the glazing store, but worth the waiting! Now I need to choose a corner on my bedroom wall to put it ^^

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CEcAsHFW8AANT4i.jpg:large

It looks great, Carol You must have wondered if it got lost in the mail. You should put it on the wall above your bed. Then the monsters won't be lurking under it, but they'll be above you where you can see them!

Glad to hear your migraines are better. I know you have had a lot of trouble with that. And cats are special. It's good to have a cat. They help you to find the way.

[Karine]

Hey guys! I'm finishing writing my first conference today and in 2 days, I'll fly to France, where I'll stay for a few days. I'll stay in Bordeaux (and I'll see my friends again!!), then take the train to Rennes and I'll finish my trip in Paris.

I'll be back at the end of the month, just in time for my 2nd conference. This one is not written yet, but the subject is taken from my thesis, so I'll be able to prepare it while I'm in France. I hope I'll have a nice time there, even if I have to work during my trip.

[Islandflyer]

Hey guys! I'm finishing writing my first conference today and in 2 days, I'll fly to France, where I'll stay for a few days. I'll stay in Bordeaux (and I'll see my friends again!!), then take the train to Rennes and I'll finish my trip in Paris.

I'll be back at the end of the month, just in time for my 2nd conference. This one is not written yet, but the subject is taken from my thesis, so I'll be able to prepare it while I'm in France. I hope I'll have a nice time there, even if I have to work during my trip.

Have a great trip back to France, Karine. And you have to work some, otherwise people will think you're just another tourist!

Springtime in Paris. Sounds like a movie, doesn't it? I'm sure you will have lots of fun.