Coupon Divaness=Screamin' Deal on Photography Class

Confession: I am a coupon diva! I have stumbled on these coupon websites (Groupon & Living Social) offering screamin’ deals on restaurants, services, and even photography classes. So, I bought a coupon for “Snapshops”, a two-hour photography class in Denver (originally $125 discounted to $40). After spending the night at my sister’s house and bidding farewell to Charlie at the airport, I drove back to Denver for the class. We met at a hip coffee shop on Wazee Street and learned the basics of our camera (white balance, ISO, aperture, etc.) The dude teaching the class was the epitome of a Colorado mountain man about my age with a chill demeanor. He shoots weddings and encouraged us to shoot with a creative eye…instead of shooting a subject head-on shoot from the floor-up or tilt the camera to capture a different angle, shoot close-up to highlight textures, and use the black and white option. Before we knew it the five of us were walking the downtown Denver streets shooting photos of anything that caught our eye. I love a hands-on approach to learning…in fact, I think I learn best through visceral experiences. I managed to get some killer shots of a city that dances in my dreams while mastering all of those buttons on my Nikon. Woohoo!

Two of my Favorites: Boulder & Shoshoni

Since this is Charlie’s first trip to Colorado I felt obligated (oh, twist my arm) to show him two of my favorite places: 1.) Boulder—where I lived, studied/worked for 15 years of my life, and 2.) Shoshoni yoga Ashram—where I lived, practiced, and completed my yoga certificate. I thought that these two places would allow him to see the places that have shaped my worldview. This is what is so fun about new relationships…it is like peeling an onion, layer by layer, as you discover the places, people, and passions that have impacted and at the same time shaped the essence of an individual. I am sure this trip has certainly peeled off a few more layers of my soul as he met my parents, dear friends in Boulder, sister and her fiancé. Before arriving at the Ashram, we spent the sunny afternoon hanging out on the tulip-laden Pearl Street, as we ate the ever-delicious Salvaggio's deli sandwich in Boulder and shopped for yoga gear at Prana and Om time.

After a drive up the canyon we arrived at the ever-spectacular and peaceful Shoshoni Ashram deep in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. As we drove into the Ashram's property a wave of serenity hit us. This place has healed, supported, and opened a whole new level of my spirituality. We checked into our wooden log cabin and soon found ourselves pleasantly flowing into a delicious yoga sequence in the Mandir. Vegetarian meals greeted us and the evening temple was very chill as the practicing soon-to-be-Swami shared the history of Shoshoni and practical tips for meditation. After a relaxing evening we retired to the log cabin wherein I turned on my laptop and finished up my last paper of the semester. Yeah, I know…not exactly “escaping from it all”.

Charlie slept in while the morning sunshine and brisk mountain air greeted me as I walked to the temple for morning meditation. We met for another delicious vegetarian meal and then hiked to the Buddha rocks (see photos). One woman said, "You have to deconnect to reconnect." So true! The last few weeks have been crazy busy with writing papers, preparing for conference presentations, and packing for travel, all while Charlie was burning the candle at both ends finishing up his dissertation. So, a little R&R was rather easy to melt in to. After yoga and lunch our peaceful retreat at Shoshoni concluded with a drive down the canyon to meet friends in Boulder.

To Colorado for an Academic Conference and Other Things...

What a wonderful excuse to fly to Colorado...an academic conference! The annual American Association for Education Research (AERA) held the annual conference in Denver this year, so I submitted a few papers of which both were accepted. My parents graciously hosted a few of my PhD colleagues, including my man-friend, Charlie, for a few nights. Yep, Charlie met the Falkers! Mama Weimer treated us to Chicken enchiladas and chocolate brownies while papa Weimer poured margaritas and port wine as we busily (and not so busily) prepared for presentations and completed end-of-semester papers. Even though my parents really have no idea what I do on a daily basis as a PhD student, this trip allowed them to learn more about the PhD experience from the voice of my colleagues. Thanks Mom & Dad, you are the best!

Twilight Criterium

Twilight is an annual criterium race in Athens. This year the race was soggy with lots of rain and flat tires, but that did not stop us from enjoying a few beer gardens and wicked cycling.

More Brazilians in my Life!

There is something about the Brazilians...they come into my life and bring such joy. Ali, affectionately known as my little Brazilian sister, connected me with some of her friends, a Brazilian couple, studying in Athens. Yes, what a small world! Here are a few photos from our latest Mexican dinner party complete with fajitas, Corona, HOT sauce, a delicious Brazilian dessert (condensed milk, strawberries, and chocolate), and YES, jumping photos.

Congratulations DR. Charlie Mathies!

That dude that I am dating here in Athens...is now a DR. dude. For the past few weeks, while working full-time, Charlie burned the candle at both ends working hard to finish his dissertation by the May graduation deadline. This is when a girl gets to see the true colors of a man in distress. Oh yeah! The good news... he made it through it and we made it through it! Now he can add those two gold-plated letters fortified with blood, sweat, and tears to his name. Woohoo! I am so proud of him...and it gives me hope. Friday was his defense and then we celebrated at the Globe with his professors and moved on to Cutter's where we ate red-velvet cake (from the Grit...yum!) with our fellow PhD crew. The celebration ended at his bosses house with some wicked Wii rock-band. There is no better way to celebrate a PhD than banging on the drums and strumming the guitar to sounds of the Beatles and AC/DC.

Birthday Celebrations...

One of my professors from Oslo, Norway, Berit Karseth, is visiting the University of Georgia and we were lucky enough to help her celebrate a big birthday. (By the way, Berit is also serving on my PhD committee.) What a fun evening...complete with a beautiful Norwegian man (Berit's hubby) singing (and dancing to) traditional Norwegian birthday songs. Oh, and that chocolate cake that Stephanie baked...delicious and food-orgasmic. Ah, a nice break from the end-of-semester crunch!

School Update #3: NO more coursework!

10 a.m. this morning I met with my PhD Committee (see school update #2) and they gave me their blessing to move to the next step in the PhD process. Woohoo! That means no more coursework, except that one class that has been a thorn in my side--Quantitative Regression. Ick! So, in the fall I will finish up that course and forever be liberated from taking another MANDATORY PhD course. Let me tell you...I am breathing a sigh of relief. I was unsure whether or not my coursework in Oxford would be counted. Good news...it was without any explanation needed! The next step: Comps (the final exams before dissertation research and writing). During the meeting we discussed potential comps questions and the literature I will need to read/study. This is going to be a busy summer as comps are scheduled for August.

What are comps? Each committee member (there are four) writes a question for the comps exam. Comps take place over four consecutive days. I will receive one question/day and have four hours to answer each question, no books, no notes, just my brain, my typing fingers, and a laptop. We discussed the general idea of each question today and I will receive a (LARGE) reading list from each faculty member to help answer the question. The comps questions are specific to my dissertation topic...so most likely I will have one question on the qualitative method, one on theory, one on policy theory, and one on European higher education reform. Very good!

Spring is here & so is the Pollen!

Spring has arrived, accompanied with 90 degree weather and record-high amounts of yellow tree pollen. Which means icky yellow dust everywhere (see photos), even in your lungs. Luckily, I am not allergic to the pollen, but I have been perpetually clearing my throat all week long. The trade-off: spring flowers! I do love spring here in Georgia, the colorful blooms make the congested lungs more bearable.

"Today’s pollen count reached 5,733 particles per cubic feet of air, according to the Atlanta Allergy & Asthma Clinic. That’s the second-highest reading the clinic has ever recorded since it began in 1983, trailing only April 12, 1999, when the meter showed a count of 6,013."

School Update #2: My PhD Committee

Two years of PhD coursework...almost done! Which means it is time for the next step: the PhD committee. A PhD committee is composed of four faculty members, three of whom are faculty members in my program. Right now my committee includes my major professor, Sheila Slaughter, a professor that I have worked with on the Costa Rica and now South Africa study abroad programs, Doug Toma, a new junior faculty member who loves policy analysis, Erik Ness, and Berit Karseth, University of Oslo professor will serve as my fourth committee member. Having a non-UGA professor on my committee means more paperwork to justify why she can offer that 'something special' that other faculty members cannot. I am learning that this whole PhD process is all about paperwork and deadlines and persistence. If you can jump through these bureaucratic hoops, with a smile on your face, and of course do the work then someday you will be a person with two letters by your name D-R! My committee meeting is scheduled for April 9. At this time the committee will evaluate my coursework and a rough draft of my thesis topic and decide if I am ready to move to the next step in the process: Comps! Comps are the final exams before diving into the dissertation research.

Pinch the Tail & Suck the Head

With a title like that it must be time to eat crawfish! After a day of studying (until 4 p.m.), we made the 1.5 hour drive into Atlanta for the annual Oyster & Crawfish Festival at the Park Tavern Brewery. The Brewery backs up to the beautiful Piedmont Park, with the downtown Atlanta skyline sparkling on the horizon. Truly an amazing venue for a rock concert. I was introduced to the rockin' Cowboy Mouth band from New Orleans. Center stage...the sweaty drummer, also the lead singer, rocked out as the bass guitarist, a sassy woman with knee-high pink boots, swung her pony-tails from side to side. Totally rockin' it! I love a band that has entertaining stage antics and Cowboy Mouth did not disappoint in this area. Plus, the lyrics were rather comical...

"Got no school, got no job, my friends keep sayin' I'm a lazy slob. But there's one thing I can't stand, is when their talking while I'm watchin' Regis and... Kelly Ripa, Kelly Ripa, a mommy with the body of a stripper. Kelly Ripa, Kelly Ripa, she's so fine I'd settle for her dad. Kelly Ripa, Kelly Ripa, if I had some chocolate I would dip her."

Of course, we had to experience a BIG platter full of crawfish, after all it was a crawfish festival. They cooked up the crawfish in a big vat including a few potatoes and corn on the cob. Charlie had eaten crawfish before and so he gave me a tutorial on where to pinch the head and tail before pulling. My pinching and pulling technique failed miserably as I continued to pull out the icky stuff from the head (green, gooey-ooey, nastiness). It ends up I am not much of a crawfish fan. Icky!

School Update #1: Classes

Someone asked me yesterday why I have not posted anything about the classes I am taking this semester. So, here goes.

Neoliberal University (3 credit hours): My major adviser, Sheila Slaughter, teaches this course which means I get to put on my critical lens and deconstruct policy. Ever since the President Reagan and Margaret Thatcher era, the political economy has moved towards a neoliberal agenda (free markets, privatization, competition). In this class we analyze how the neoliberal agenda permeates higher education. Class discussion/debate is sure to wake you up. The best part of this class is that many of the readings focus on the European dimension of higher education and we even have a voice from Europe. Berit Karseth, a visiting faculty member from the University of Oslo, participates in class. We have a final paper (20 pages) and presentation of which I will be analyzing the Erasmus Mundus policy discourse.

History of American Higher Education (3 credit hours): First of all I must say one of my favorite professors, Dr. Dyer, teaches this course, so it has got to be GOOD! History is considered to be a rite of passage for our program. Despite the enormity of reading, I have found the material fascinating. We started with the Medieval European universities (Oxford!), and have moved through the Colonial ages, Antebellum era, and now we are in the 20th century. Although the literature focuses on the South, I have done my own curious work on the side to learn about the history of Colorado higher education. The course grade is dependent upon class presentations on readings, participation in class discussion, and a final research paper (20-30 pages) on a history topic of choice. I am researching the conception and development of the UGA at Oxford study abroad program, which allows me to spend countless hours in the library archives.

Independent Study (3 credit hours): I am working with one of the new junior faculty members, Erik Ness, he is about my age and our academic interests come together with policy analysis techniques. He used the same theoretical framework (garbage can theory/multiple streams) on his dissertation that I used in my Masters thesis. Hence, it has been nice returning to policy theory, yet it has made me realize that my thesis only skimmed the surface of policy analysis. An independent study is based upon readings/books and assignments agreed on by both the student and faculty member. The assignments include a conference paper (30 pages) based upon findings from my thesis, an annotated bibliography featuring European articles that employ different policy analysis techniques, and I am reviewing a book, Policy Paradox, by Deborah Stone. All good stuff and enjoyable!

Fingers crossed...this will be the last full semester of coursework. Next up: comps! More on that later.

Have I Lost my Muchness?

Charlie and I went to see Alice in Wonderland at the IMAX theater in Atlanta this past weekend. I loved the movie (the costumes, makeup, Johnny Depp, and the beauty of "Wonderland" were incredible) and the overall theme hit home!

"You used to be much more...'muchier.' You've lost your muchness."
-Mad Hatter

Sometimes I feel like I might have lost my "muchness". PhD life just does not cater to an active and exciting lifestyle where you can feasibly live your life for the next adventure. Honestly, it is a rather stressful and sedentary lifestyle. Reflecting back, four years ago I was considered to be a "weekend warrior" wherein we (a group of 12 of us) rented a house in the mountains and I would drive up on Thursday night and ski all weekend, arriving back in Boulder on Monday a.m. for a 4-day work week. That was a wild year with 38 ski days. Three years ago I was preparing for a trip to Russia, while living in Finland and visiting the Finnish sauna every other day. Two years ago I was living in Oslo and about ready to jump on a plane to visit the University of Georgia. How crazy is that? And, one year ago, I was settling back into Athens after an amazing spring break trip to Costa Rica. Okay, so you get the gist...my life motto has always been to take a BIG bite out of life and exude the "muchness", but I think this PhD lifestyle is cramping my style a bit.

Perhaps that is the life lesson in all of this. I must be patient, as life cannot always equate to skiing delicious powder on a sunny day. Sometimes you have to conquer the jabberwocky to get your "muchness" back, in my case the jabberwocky is the PhD. I know that all of the blood, sweat, and tears will pay off eventually. Plus, it is only a small portion of my life. But, damn where is Leasa's "muchness" in all of this?

"There is a place. Like no place on Earth. A land full of wonder, mystery, and danger! Some say to survive it: You need to be as mad as a hatter." -Mad Hatter

Colorado in my Heart & Mind!

My trip home was wonderful and filled with dear friends (Mel, Sully, Lizard, Megan & Chris, Deb, Christy) my family, and of course some turns down the snowy Rocky Mountains. My last day in Colorado was spent skiing in a full-on blizzard at Copper Mountain which was quite a change from the sunny 50 degree spring ski day we had the day before. I love being in the extreme elements where mother nature shows her true colors. Going home is good for the soul! It reminds me of who I am.

Here are a few photos of my sweet kitten, who is really an old lady of 12 years, little Miss Raven. Raven lives with my parents and she is a pygmy cat, hence the reason we call her a kitty. She loves when I visit because that means she can sit on my lap for endless hours of warmth, love, and petting. Little Miss Raven loves to sleep in the closet, wherein my mother has created a cuddly little bed for her (we think she might be a closet lesbian). She will stand by the door and meow, meow, meow until someone opens the closet door for her. It is always hard to say goodbye to Little Miss Raven and my family and friends in Colorado.

Back to reality...

Spring Break in Colorado!

I am heading west to ski under the Colorado blue sky and hang with some of my favorite people (and animals) in the world, including Raven the kitty cat. I will be back to Athens March 15 to finish up what is hopefully my last fully loaded semester of coursework.

After arriving at Denver International airport (see photo) and entering the train to baggage claim, a group of three women in their 60s, with beautiful white-gray hair and freshly painted lipstick, walked into the train. You could not help but turn your attention to them, as they donned premium straw cowboy hats, brown suede vests with khaki pants. With an angelic voice, one woman greeted all of us on the train, "Welcome to Colorado!" Another woman genuinely asked, "May we help you with any information about the airport, where to pick up your luggage, or car rental?" A few people took them up on their offer for help. I just stood there with a big smile on my face and in my heart. Welcome home!