I'm Official

Yesterday I got the letter in the mail that I can officially use Dr. in front of my name. In other words, I met all the requirements of my Ph.D. and it's time to cross number 10 off my 30 before 30 list. Here's the photographic proof from my dissertation defense. I was so nervous and stressed for months leading up to the end but so happy to celebrate the culmination of the last 4 years surrounded by family and friends. 

I have since finished up my contract at the University and moved out of Germany. which means I also crossed number 3 off my list. If it was not clear before, I guess this post single handedly supports my 2012 tag line. Earning a degree and moving to a new country is big for me. I'm not sure how 2013 can top those two! Hopefully now I will get some time to update the blog more often as I have several travel posts I want to get up. 

Less Than 2 Weeks

I have less than 2 weeks left in my apartment and only 3 days left at my job if you want to be technical. I still have so much to do and if I am honest, I am not entirely excited to leave. I mean I am so excited for the coming months. I have so much to be excited about, especially living with P again! I don't think I will miss coming home to an empty apartment. An apartment that has been my home for nearly 3 years making it the longest I have lived in one place that is not my parents' home. I'm 29 years old and I spent the first 18 years in the same room in the same house and in the second 11, I have not even made it 3 years (3 months shy) in one place. That is a crazy thing to think about. It also tells me that I am ready to stay put a bit longer. At least  not having to move my stuff would be nice. I am trying not to accumulate things and really purge before this move. It. Is. Hard. Sometimes I don't feel like I have very few possessions and then I look around and wonder when I collected all this stuff. I even have a Christmas box that is overfull and I've never had a real tree (as in not a branch but a full size tree with a stump).

We are moving to a furnished apartment which seems nice until you remember I like furniture and I especially like refinishing wooden chairs and building things. So I guess that's one hobby that will have to be put on hold for a bit. On the plus side, we are able to bring some pieces so my chair projects and hall table don't have to be donated just yet. On the down side, my efforts to sell any of our furniture have all but failed. I keep telling myself I will put in more effort and sell something but finding better ways to use my time (even if watching new fall TV has been counted among those ways). I had a large trash day last week which helped kick start getting rid of furniture and ironically also helped my downstairs neighbor refurnish her apartment. I had hours of entertainment watching her commandeer our computer chair, wooden shelves, and 2 sofas and then replace them with her old sectional. Actually entertaining was watching the trash pile morph over 24 ish hours. I just need to share the play by play. I started putting things out around 18:00 and a friend came to help me with some of the larger pieces an hour later. We got everything on the curb around 20:00 on Tuesday evening for a Thursday morning pick up. I said goodbye to my friend and hello to my neighbor as she went out to walk her dog. As soon as I got back to my apartment I noticed the microwave which has been broken for about 2 months and needed to go out so I walked back downstairs microwave in hand and saw the same neighbor returning her dog from the shortest walk ever. I put my microwave out and she was right behind me asking about the status of the computer chair. I laughed as she offered it a new home and went back to my 3rd floor living room. Upon hearing some noise, I peeked out the window to see her beginning to carry the rest of her treasures in. Oddly enough one of the shelves she picked up had spent about an hour sitting in my hall with a free sign but she lives below me so never saw it. We would have happily delivered everything into her apartment for her and saved ourselves from putting it outside. A few hours later, I looked out and saw her white sofa had replaced my black one and a few additional pieces were gone. I noticed someone picked up P's old stereo but didn't get all the speakers. The microwave was sitting oddly far off to one side and someone even dumped the wire hangers and broken glass out of a small plastic trash can in order to take the trash can - who does that! I went to bed and then looked out in the morning. Overnight the pile was pillaged. Mostly everything was gone except for a piece of deconstructed Ikea furniture, an old rug, a metal TV stand with lots of candle wax on it, a broken picture frame and 3 broken suitcases. Maybe I should also explain that means someone picked up the broken microwave, 2 printers without cables, a computer tower, a cable box, old drapes, the wire hangers, 2 random light fixtures, a paper floor lamp, and the rest of the speakers even though the main unit was already gone. By the time I showered and left for work I noticed there were additions beyond the white couch, someone dropped 2 blue chairs, an orange paper lantern and a few fake flowers. In the 45ish minutes since I woke to walking out my door someone also picked up 1 of the broken suitcases and when I got home, the TV stand, other 2 suitcases and rug were gone. My the time the trash was collected the only things left that I actually put out were the broken picture frame and the disassembled Ikea which was in terrible shape as we broke some of the pieces and could not be rebuilt. I know this is very mundane and not interesting but it was the first time I threw out big trash and was able to watch the evolution from what was planned for pick up and what ended up being picked up. It also made me really happy to know that even though I failed to sell any of our furniture most of it is still staying out of the landfill. I'm happy to know that I didn't create unnecessary trash and clearly made at least my neighbor happy with a new to her sofa that was an unexpected improvement over what she had. I'm actually curious to see how they are arranged in her apartment but I guess I'll never know as 3 years was not enough time to get to know many of my neighbors. I saw that with a bit of disappointment in myself for not being a friendly neighbor but also with a bit of satisfaction that I dodged the bullet of having to get to know the creeper super friendly guy downstairs who asks too many personal questions and over shares.

Did I mention I am sad to leave this city? Because I just am.

1 Down, 29 to Go

I am back and on the other side. I met goal number 10 on my 30 before 30 list and successfully defended my dissertation to earn that Dr. title! I defended on a Wednesday and immediately went on vacation for the remainder of the week and the next one. It was a whirlwind of stress, overwhelming emotion, family, friends, support, love and everything else. To be honest, it really didn't set in until returning to my office this week. Upon my return yesterday, I have started tying up lose ends, catching up on tasks which sat on the back burner while I worked on my research and handing over my responsibilities.

This is my last month at the University and my last month in Germany. I guess that needs another post but suddenly its all so real. It is one of those OMG (I use this expression in an effort to convey emotion and keep it PG, in my head I am thinking of some more intense words but this is a public forum) moments. I am moving out of one major phase of my life and into a new one.

I have about 5 major projects on my desk at the moment and am not sure how I am going to get them all done before Oct 26th. I also found out I have a few vacation days I didn't know I had so I need to use those in that time too. In an effort to try and get on top of my to do list, I am planning to head to work on the holiday tomorrow. Oct. 3rd is to Germans what the 4th of July is to Americans. As a foreigner, I get the significance but I need to get a presentation finalized and off my desk. Besides, I've already agreed to help a friend with some painting so there's my celebration for the day!

I think I need to add to my list, "learn to savor the moment" as I find myself constantly thinking of what's next. Right now, I am a Doctor and that feels good. In the spirit of savoring I should note this was not an easy process and I learned a lot about myself. I realized my limitations and my abilities quite clear. I learned that I can lean on my support system and I am sure I would not have made it this far if I did not have such great family and friends. So, to no one in specific and to everyone who was there when I needed to vent, asked for proof reading help or just encouraged me to not give up when I was beyond frustrated, Thank you.

Once I get them, I will post photos of my graduation cap so I can officially check the Dr. title off my list.

30 Before 30

I just celebrated my 29th birthday (for the first time) and decided some tiem ago, I wanted to get on board the 30 before 30 (30b30) train. In case you are unfamiliar, it'S a simple concept, set 30 goals and meet them before turning 30. Mostly I think it is appropriate to do in your 29th year but really, I guss you could amend for any age. I think it will be nice to set out some goals publically then come back and update as I meet them, a bit of extra social pressure if you will. So, here goes my list, in no particular order. I will update this post and highlight the goals as I achieve them.

1. Visit a new continent.

2. Visit a new country (separate from above).

3. Move to Switzerland (in progress I know but still big).

4. Get a career focused job.

5. Lose 5 Kg by Christmas (fail), 5 more by February and 5 more by June to be down 15 kg total by Aug.

6.  Swim twice a week May - August.

7. Apply for 3 jobs that are "reach" positions.

8. Run the MA half marathon (June).

9. Run twice a week for an hour each time.

10. Earn my Dr. title.

11. Learn to make 3 different 3-course dinner menus well.

12. Write and mail one card per month for 6 months.

13. Create an "adult" wardrobe - maintain both fashion and function.

14. Be more assertive in life.

15. Bake a birthday cake for someone else.

16. Sew 4 pillow covers. (I used iron hem tape but I did 24 and most have a hand sewn side so it counts)

17. Upholster the coffee table as an ottoman. - This needs to change as we threw out the coffee table.

18. Finish my second black chair and cover the drum chair.

19. Do something nice for soemone else, even if it is not easy.

20. Start a Kiva account.

21. Update this blog weekly.

22. Get my domain in line - email address functional and decide what to do with the page.

23. Do something nice for my extended family.

24. Spend time with my sister-in-law.

25. Climb a Swiss mountain.

26. Bike tour - somewhere that involves about 2 hours biking each way.

27. Run a 5k.

28. Run a 10k.

29. Hike somewhere wearing my new hiking boots.

30. Celebrate 30 with people I love. (booked Greece with P and Net98! anyone else want to join?!)


So, here I go! I have some personal fitness goals, alturistic goals, life enhancing goals, personal growth and plain enjoyment. Hopefully I can make it through all of them in the next 12 months. Photos to prove achievement will follow.

Imersion

Imersion in my research and writing that is. Sorry for the lack of activity around here lately but I have put my life aside for now. I don't anticipate it getting much better between now and August 8. That means, you most likely won't hear from me very often IRL either. But, when I do come back there are ao many things I need to write about. So I don't forget and am publically committed, here's a list of what is on my post agenda for my return to blogging....

• Recap past travels to Italy, Philadelphia, as well as a future European trip with my parents.
• Plan a nice vacation for November...hopefully to a new continent.
• Talk about my dissertation writing journey, particuarly what I have learned about myself during the process as well as some 20/20 insights.
• Packing up and making a big move.
• Applying for jobs...hopefully having multiple offers to contemplate.
• Spending time with my family and friends in RI (this is a December goal)

An then it will quickly be 2013. I think I will look back on 2012 as the year that flew by and hopefully I will be able to look back on 2012 as the year I finished my Ph.D. Crossed fingers, prayers and positive thoughts welcome as I test my physical and mental abilities in the coming weeks. 

See you all soon,

Jen

BFF

I'm a girl of best friends. I mean I try to be a friendly person in general but there are some people who I am very close to and these are the best friendships I have, the ones I know will be there for many years to come but also the ones that require the most work. These are the friends for which I will fly half way across the world when they ask. I choose to live where I am and the lifestyle that comes with it but one thing I don't want to sacrafice are my life long friends. These are the friends who are there to celebrate with me and to listen to me fall apart when things are too big for me to handle alone. I have best friends from various parts of my life, childhood, high school, college, Germany and I value all of them. I guess this all comes to my miond as I justify to myself flying to the US for 5 days 2 weeks before handing in my complete dissertation to attend a best friend's wedding plus rehersal dinner plus bachelor party.  I literally make myself sick thinking of the work that is waiting for me but I know in my heart I truely want to be there for him as he was for me through so many important points in my life. I am, a bit selfishly, also looking forward to seeing several of the other guests. So, I have moved into my office, bringing dinner with me and canceled all other apointments in order to squeeze in as much research as humanly possible. I will try my best to work through the 9 hour plane ride and still be awake for that night's bachelor party. In the end, I have to trust myself to make it through both my dissertation as well as the wedding weekend. I'm already trying to squeeze in some stress reducing retail therapy. But in the end, I could not imagine missing such an important event for a best friend. I've already made 3 trips across the ocean in the name of attending weddings and I imagine this won't be my last since I already booked a hotel for 2013. So now, I just need to work on efficient productivity and "calm, calm, calm."

5 Minute Fix

As I folded my clothes, I realized this polo had seen better days. But that is just when they get so soft and cozy. Looking at the size (it is a kids 14-16 don't judge the boys are cut longer than womens sizes) it looked about perfect for my throw pillows. I have 4 throw pillows that have also seen better days and while I have big plans for them in the future they are now acting as floor pillows since their covers are not removable. So long story short...add a large button and about 6 inches if ribbon to serve as the loop. Tuck the shirt in and around the pillow envelope style button the neck pop the collar and 5 minutes later I have a soft, washable pillow cover that matches my duvet cover and is cute and preppy all at the same time.

For reference the pillows are 20 inches square and my shirt is the perfect width to fit without being loose and sloppy so I would recommend a womens M or boys L if you plan to outfit a similar sized pillow. I have 3 more pillows but am not ready to sacrafice any more polos just yet.