Did I Mention?

BYU (my undergrad Uni) has hired me again!  Remember when I popped my head into the Head of Dept's office, and he asked if I would do him a favour and teach his class?  Well, he also offered me a job for next term!  Wooo hoo!  I'll be teaching Intro to English Linguistics (which totally rocks because 1 - I've taught it before, 2 - It was the class I discovered Linguistics in, and 3 - It was the class that I met one of my dearest friends (Hi Coi!) in.  I've got a soft spot for that class.) and a 500 level course on Sociolinguistics (which is my area of expertise!) 

Sadly, that put paid to my plans for NYC for New Years and Boston for the following weekend of Blues Dancing *cry* But, the job is slightly more important.  I WILL come visit, Livia, CEG and Diana!  I do promise.  Just... not next weekend.

Wow, Masters Students Rock

Some exciting news!  My old boss at BYU, the Chair for the Linguistics Department, is out of town for 2 weeks.  He'd been asked last minute to present at 2 conferences, one in Dubai, one in Nepal.  I happened to pop my head in his office on Monday, and he was leaving Tuesday.  On seeing me, he asked if I'd do him the huge favour (and he's Australian, so yes... he said it with a 'u') of teaching his Master's class while he was away.  Umm... YES!  So yesterday I went down to BYU and taught my 1st Master's class!  And it was so much fun.  Small class, only 6 students, and they were all engaged with the materials I'd emailed them, participating, making really excellent observations or asking insightful questions.  Brilliant.  I may be spoilt for life!

And That's A Wrap!

Well, over the past week I've marked 90 essays and 90 exams. I finished the last of them today. I started off the marking on Thursday, last week. So it was a full week of marking! Except that I didn't actually mark that entire time. I marked all the essays on Thursday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday. I gave my first exam on Saturday at 7.00 am. Ooofta. Then I marked their exams Sunday. And gave my other two exams at 7.00 am and 11.00 am on Monday. And marked all the 1st class on Wednesday and all the second class today. I kind of missed out Tuesday due to exhaustion (and not being home). So I finished the marking, and entered the grades! Yeay! Hooray!! That's all I have to do for my teaching responsibilities for BYU. My TA is doing the grade calculations and submitting the marks. They have to be in by the 29th of April, so I'm doing really well having everything done by the 22nd!

Oh? The exhaustion? I was out with The Boy. Yeah, he's still around. I didn't get home until very late Monday night. Or, more accurately, very early Tuesday morning.

Culture Shock

Well... maybe 'shock' isn't quite such a good word. But culture difference, definitely. As I was walking around campus today, I was noticing all the couples. Now, it's not that there are no couples on campuses in England. That's just silly! Of course there are. But the display is different. The couples at Essex and Sheffield (and I would guess the same is true at most other Universities around the world) are together for fun. These couples are dating for keeps. Hmm.... how to explain. I'm not sure what the 'seen but not noticed' (Harold Garfinkle) attributes are, but the couples around BYU's campus are visibly courting. They are actively seeking a permanent relationship with the purpouse of marriage and starting a family. This is obviously a result of the ideological theology (which I agree with, mind!) taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Other couples are not displaying the same things. It's just interesting. I can tell by looking at these couples that they've got a different purpouse. I wonder what the 'seen but not noticed' things are!

Exchanging Lois' Birthday

This weekend was rather insane. But loads of fun!

First off, it was Martin Luther King Jr Day on Monday, and BYU (for some obscure reason, considering we don't even get any time off at Easter!) lets us have a 3 day weekend. Excellent. And, considering I only teach M/W/F, it means I didn't go back to work 'til Wednesday! Excellent x2!

Also this weekend is the Utah Lindy Exchange. So, there's all sorts of dancing going on all weekend, starting on Thursday!

It also happens to correspond with Lois' birthday, most years. So, since I had Monday off, Mom and Dad drove down to spend the weekend with us.

Conflict!

What do I do? Do I go swing dancing? Do I stay home and play with my family? OOOoooh such difficult dilemmas. Ok, you know me. I did both! Yep. I played with my family by day (and evening) then went to the late night dances over at ULX. And consequentially, got no sleep! How much more fun can life get?

I actually hit the dance on Thursday, too. Which was great fun. But it meant I was dragging through all my Friday classes. At the end of class Friday, I went 'home' (PG) and fell asleep. I only meant to fall asleep for an hour. 4 hours later, I woke up! Ooops. Obviously I needed it. So I got ready to go back out dancing Friday. I went to the late night. That didn't even start till 12.30! I wore this great little blue dress I bought off the clearance section of Chadwick's. Very '40s vintage feeling. And a stunning cobalt blue colour. Really like it. And so did everyone else. I could hardly move for people asking me where I'd got it. And I only sat out the dances I wanted to. It was brilliant. Both Thursday and Friday were fabulous. Maybe Thursday slightly more-so. But both nights were well worth the effort. I got 'home' (Lois') around 3.30 in the morning, and I'd left the party early. Yeah, that's an Exchange!

Saturday we hung out and played a bit around the house. Mom and Dad arrived, and we got them sorted. Dad and I took the cars off to get washed, and Lois cooked for that evening's shindig. Around 5.30 the guests/usual suspects started arriving. Stephie, Nathan, Kaydee, Ryan and Brittany, plus the 5 of us (Mom, Dad, Steve, Lois and me). We had a Murder Mystery Night for Lois' birthday party. It was great! We had 2 extra people, though, so Ryan played the 'Dead Body', and Stephie was the hostess. And, as usual, Dad was the murderer! No fair! It's amazing, he's the murderer every time! *sigh* Never mind. We had a ball joking back and forth about various things. We didn't quite solve the mystery (there was a bit of magic involved that threw us off the scent of the last step) but got very close. It was a very complicated plot, but loads of fun. The key to those things is enjoying playing the part, not being too worried about actually getting the right answer.

Sunday I went to my ward, and Dad tagged along (singles ward). Then we met Lois and Mom at Lois' house. Steve had to fly out to NYC for a week long job for work. Poor thing. We just sat around and did nothing. All day. Seriously good fun! I never do that. We watched Clue, Oscar, The Sting and a bunch of Firefly episodes. Mom and I got a bunch of knitting done, and Lois worked on her beading. Dad just sat on the sofa and fell asleep. He needed it!

Monday was Lois' actual birthday. We tried to take her out for breakfast, but by the time Stephie, Nathan, Katie and Ryan all got there, it we too late. We had other things planned. Never mind. We tried. So instead we went down to IKEA and got Lois a guest bed frame. Then over to the emergency preparedness place for some water containers for Mom and Dad. Then back home for some lunch. Then we took Lois bowling. We played 2 games. I didn't even break 100 once!! Tragic. Lois got 101 on the second game, and Dad broke 100 on both games, but Mom got the high score of the day: 112 on the first game. Poor poor me. In the evening we watched more Firefly, and polished off the end of the party food. Pretty good day, really. We were going to take Lois for ice cream at Sub Zero, but we found out they only have one in Provo. we thought they'd have one in Salt Lake, too. So I promised to take her the next day. And I did. It was amazing.

3 Things I Wish I'd Taken A Photo Of

There's been so many funny things happen on campus this last week. I keep meaning to bring my camera in with me, but keep forgetting. And it's big and bulky (takes a great photo, but not the best for keeping with you all the time.) But there were a few that I really wish I'd been able to photograph:

1. The giant Snowman.

• BYU has this enormous statue of an Indian outside the Library. And someone (well, probably several someones) got inspired by the 11 inches of snow we got in one night (remember the night I wasn't able to get home?) and cover it in the statue in snow, making it look like a snowman. It was so funny!

2. The Snowangel Maker.

• On Wednesday, as I was walking across campus, I noticed someone lying down in the snow in the centre of this little decorative circle area. He was making a snowangel. That he made an angel was funny, but I would have loved to get a photo of him actually doing it!

3. The Ramiampton.

• Those same people who made the giant snowman didn't stop with just that. Oh no. They also created this enormous tower of snow. At first I thought it was another giant snowman. But then I realised there were stairs going up to the top! And I even saw people up there! It was so funny. Loved it.

Clearly some people have too much time on their hands. But I'm glad they provide all sorts of entertainment for the rest of us!

Settling In

Well, the first week is done. I've survived. Yeay! Now all I have to do is repeat it 14 times! Not much.... I tell you what, I'm going to have earned that few days rest in Florida, by the time I get there! Don't get me wrong, it's wonderful. But I'm teaching classes I've never taught before (which means a lot of extra work) and I have a whole lot of students! And one of the classes (Historical Linguistics) I'm a little scared of. It's a really hard course, and it's been a long time since I did anything with it! (Never mind that I have an MA in it.... that was 4 years ago!) So I very much feel like I'm 10 minutes ahead of the students.

But that's sort of what makes it fun. I don't really mind, except that it does create a lot more work for me. I feel more confident in my abilities after class today when one of my students said how hard the text was to understand, but when she comes into the lecture, it all makes sense. That's good. It means I'm not redundant! (That's the Historical Linguistics class again. Told you it was hard stuff!) And I apparently create a safe environment for my students, because they're speaking up and asking questions and offering their own observations/opinions, etc. Which is brilliant! So, I guess it's been a successful week. Hope I can keep that up for the whole term!

New Diggs

Well, the snow drama continues.

Yesterday, after having spent the night up in Salt Lake with my sister, I came back down to PG. And discovered that I still couldn't get up the hill. So I stopped at my aunt and uncle's house, and asked if they would kindly let me stay the night. Since Aunt Cindie had been really hoping I'd move in with them.... she was thrilled. And so I asked if it would be ok if I did move in. She was ecstatic! She took me up the side of the mountain to where I'd been staying to collect most of my stuff. I still have a couple of things, but got 95% of it last night. So, I've moved from one end of the street to the other (flat) end. It's going to be great fun to live with my aunt and uncle.

Also, Uni continues to go well. I hired a Teaching Assistant today... wow does that feel odd. But I like it! He's a very nice junior (one year left of a 4 year degree) in the department. And, bless him, he's getting married next week. I personally think he's nuts to get married mid-semester, but whatever works, I guess. Anyway, he's already been very helpful.

Snow Much Fun!

Well, my first day was brilliant. It seems that the head of my department is pleased with me, which is always a good thing. I had several students come up to me after class enthusing about the course. I even bumped into one on my way out to my car this evening and I asked how his first day had been. He said it was great, but that my class had been his favourite. Always good for the ego ;-) I got all the paperwork done for payroll and getting my office key. Still need to get a parking permit, and figure out how to get a BYU email address, but for the first day that's pretty good!

It started snowing today just after lunch, around 1.30. It was coming down pretty hard, too. By 5, when I got out to my car to head home, it was 4 or 6 inches deep. Seriously. Took me ages to dig the car out enough to be able to drive. And I was in a skirt and heels! A 45 second walk left me looking like I had a serious dandruff problem, and it took me an hour and a half to drive what normally takes 20 minutes. And then, when I finally did get home . . . I couldn't actually get home! I live at the top of a great big hill (right at the base of Mt. Timp in PG), and the snow was so deep, and my little car so light, that I actually could not get up it. Nice. Decided walking up the hill wasn't really an option. Not in heels, through ankle deep snow. And where was I going to leave the car?!? Since I'd already made plans to stay the night in Salt Lake at my sister's, I decided to go on up. So I did. Carefully. Slowly. Safely. Got there fine. 2 hours later. (It normally takes about 30 minutes from my house to her's.) Yeah. It was fun. Actually, it was. It's been a long time since I've had to drive so carefully. Good for me. Course, I arrived at my sister's with nothing but the clothes on my back. Luckily, we're about the same size. Kind of nuts, but such a Utah Adventure!

First Day Tomorrow

Aaaaah!

I start teaching at BYU tomorrow!!

Eeeek!!!

P.S. -- Coi? I'm teaching the class that we met in. Just thought you'd like to know.

Happy New Year!

I did it! This is the completion of my 2008 Resolution: to blog at least once/week, every week. Ok . . . there are a few holes. When I was in Morocco, for example. And when I was having serious computer issues and 2 house guests. But other than those, I managed it! Ooooh, I guess that means I'll have to come up with a new resolution for 2009. Hmm. I'll have to give that some thought.

I'm on my way to Utah today. I'll be leaving my folks' house in just a little while. I'll get into Utah tomorrow, though. We're not driving the whole way in one day. We could, but it would make for a really long day. So, since we've got friends in Idaho Falls, which is more or less half way, we stay the night there. Saturday I'll be moving into my new place. I'm staying with the professor I'm covering for at BYU this term. Sunday I'll have to check out my new Ward, then Monday, bright and early, it's full force lecturing! BYU's terms start so early! I've got so used to the 'normal' system of mid to late January. Never mind. I'll cope. But it would have been nice to have one extra week with my folks before getting thrown back into the deep end!

Sunday was kind of an exciting day for us here at my folks' house. We got snowed in. Well, really we got drifted in. The weather has been so cold that the snow has stayed really light and powdery. And then the wind picked up Saturday night. Blew all the snow into the road and drive. My folks live on a private road, so the city doesn't plow. We got up, got dressed, and jumped in the car and jeep. Only after we nearly got the jeep stuck, and did get the car stuck, did we realise exactly how bad the drifting was. We eventually got the car dug out, and all us back inside. Then Dad and Steve went out to try and dig out the driveway. That took a little over an hour. Of course, by this point we've missed Sacrament Meeting. Dad decided to go on in (once we eventually got dug out to the private road. That's a long drive they've got!) to teach his Deacons Quorum Lesson. Only thing was? When he got back? The weather had warmed up a bit, so the snow had gotten a lot heavier and denser. So it wasn't pushing aside, like it did when he went out to church. The road still wasn't plowed, so he'd tried to bully his way through the drifts, and got the truck stuck. So he and Steve spent another hour (or more, I forget now) digging the truck out. And it was in 4-wheel-drive! Kind of a fun experience!! I'll post photos when I get to Utah. They're on my camera, and it's kind of a pain to transfer to my folks' computer.

. . . Need . . . Sleep . . .

I'm surprised I don't meet myself coming. I'm normally insanely busy . . . but this term, even I've felt I'm trying to do too much. Now, for just one term, it hasn't been too bad. But I wouldn't want to go on like this ad infinitum. I'm really looking forward to the Christmas Holiday Sleep Time. And then, of course, I get to start over at BYU. There will be three big differences next term, though:

1. I'm not teaching at multiple Universities. Only one. Only one. (Forgive me for that Cosby misquote.) Not having to deal with several Unies, and only having to travel to one is much easier. Even if I have to re-learn all the protocols and red tape.
2. No PhD requirements! I'm not responsible for getting anything done on my PhD whilst I'm in the States. Yeay! Trying to teach a full term and do a full time PhD has been killer.
3. No Church Calling. Well, I don't think, any way. I'm only going to be there for a couple of months. I guess they could give me a calling, but I don't really think they will. And if they do, it won't be 1st Counselor in the Young Women's. Don't get me wrong. I love my girls. And I've never been so happy as I have been working with them. But all 3 of those at the same time is pretty overwhelming. When I get back to the UK I expect to get a calling again. Maybe even quite a labour intensive one, but I won't be teaching at two Unis! I refuse!!!

Those three things will keep next term from getting quite so out of hand.

A Decade On

I did a Scrapbook Challenge this week. We were challenged to use a grid, of some sort, in our Layout (LO). I knew immediately what I wanted to do. What I didn't know, though, was what photo I wanted to use. I have most of the photos taken over the past 3 or 4 years stored on my external hard drive. But none of them seemed quite right. I don't have many photos from earlier than 4 years ago here, because that's when I moved over. But, I do have some. They used to be on my wall in my bedroom. Now they're just sitting in a stack in my desk. So I started flipping through them. And this one caught my eye.

It's a photo taken in the Spring of 1999, right at the end of Winter Term at BYU. It was the end of my Sophomore Year there. I'd made some of the best friends I've ever had in my entire life that year. Cynthia and I had known each other since the previous Winter in the Dorms, and we'd become Roommates for our Sophomore Year. Amber and I still haven't figured out when, exactly we met . . . but it must have been during High School in Michigan. But we re-connected at BYU right at the end of my Freshman Year at BYU, and again at the beginning of my Sophomore Year. David and Hyrum were flatmates in Cynthia's and my Student Ward. Jared was David's best friend from High School, and came home from his mission in time for the start of the Winter Term, and moved in with Hyrum and David. The 6 of us became very close friends. We even organised ourselves into a 'Family'. Amber had been an exchange student to Denmark and proposed the name of our family be 'Hugue Family'. 'Hugue' means that warm fuzzy feeling you get from a hug. Sort of. It's that familial connection, and it personified our friendship perfectly. We did everything together. It was, in many ways, the best year of my BYU experience. It was certainly the best year of my pre-mission years. (It's tough to compare pre and post. They were very different experiences.) In this photo, we're up at a location we referred to as 'The Living Room'. It was a bonfire pit in Glenn Canyon, up the Provo Canyon. Thinking about those bonfire nights (there were many) still makes me smile. This photo was taken on one of our last days together before we all split for the summer, never to reconvene in quite the same way again. Hyrum married Cynthia (yeay!), Amber went on her mission (Denmark) and David switched Universities. Jared and I continued on at BYU without major changes for another year, before I went off on my mission (Chile). By the time I got back, David, Jared and Amber were all married. But we had that one special year together. 10 years later (well, start of the 10th year!) I look back and realise how much of who I am today is a direct result of their friendship.

I know several of you pass by the blog on occasion. Just letting you know, you've still got a special piece of my heart.

Much Love,

Adele (The Middle Child)

Unofficially Official Notice

Remember that post a while back about maybe going to BYU as a visiting instructor? Well, I decided to accept the post. Had to fill out a bit of paper work, and I've been waiting around for a while to get confirmation on being hired. There was always the outside chance that, once they'd seen my CV (or Resume for those of you who don't do Latin) they'd decide I wasn't really right for the job. I've been waiting for over a month. But Friday, 21st March, I got an email from Cynthia (she of the study leave) saying she'd been into the Head of Department's office that day to finish off the paperwork on getting me hired. So, I'm heading to Utah in January 2009! Right . . . where to live?

Prospects

Well, looks like I'm working for BYU next year! Or at least I've said yes. There's always the outside chance that I won't get the job (like, if they decide I just don't have the experience necessary). However, as of now, it looks like January of next year I'll be Swing Dancing, Snowboarding and Ice Skating in Utah. Not such a bad way to spend 4 months, eh?

I'm also back up to York tomorrow. Well . . . going to Sheffield tomorrow, and York Tuesday afternoon. The workshop I went to the other week was so good for my research skills, I decided to bite the bullet and pay for the second half. Fortunately, Celia (the woman organising the workshop) was able to get me a half price bursary. So I'm not footing the whole bill. It's going to be another tough week, but hopefully will give me the tools needed to really succeed in my own work.

In Decision

Yesterday I got a marvelously flattering email from my former professor at BYU. Cynthia (said prof) has received permission to take a study leave for January Term of 2009. She was asked if she had anyone to recommend as a replacement. She recommended me! I was originally offered the whole of the calendar year for 2009, but I declined that invitation as being just a bit too long for my current situation as PhD student. They then offered me just the one term, but this was all on a very supposing-if sort of term. I said that yes, I'd be willing to consider teaching at BYU for the one term. I then did not hear anything about it. That was back in October. I'd seen the job posted on Linguist List, so figured they had found someone either fully qualified, or at least willing to take the whole year, not just one term. So yesterday, when I got a formal official offer to take Cynthia's classes, I was very surprised. In fact, I emitted just the smallest yelp. Poor Claire (housemate) thought something tragic had happened. It's a wonderful opportunity, and very flattering to be nominated for the position, not just hear about it and get a job I've applied for. However, it requires a decision be made.

On the one hand, it is a fabulous oportunity to build my CV. Academia is highly competitive, so anything that says, 'Look how cool I am' will be hughely helpful navigating the post PhD application minefield. Also, my adviser, Rebecca, thinks that not only am I capable, and not only do I deserve a chance like this, but as she's going to be on study leave that term as well, it wouldn't even really affect my supervision. She's all in favour of me taking the term out.

However, I've really put some roots down. This is the first time I've strugled with the thought of being somewhere else for a while. Partly it's that I'm only going to be away for 4 months. You'd think that would make it easier. But it doesn't. I'll put my life here on hold, go away, and have to pick back up here. Now to a large degree that's not such a huge problem. Claire's still going to be my housemate, and Jenny still my best friend, and Rebecca still my adviser. But what about my church responsibilities? I've just been called into the Young Women's Presidency (1st Counceler). That's not something I can put down and pick up. And on the flip side, what about the time I'm over there. Of course I won't live in isolation. I'll have to make friends, or I'll be terribly lonely. Forutnately a few of my friends from my BYU days are still kicking about. That'll make my life sweeter. And there's always the alure of really good Swing Dancing to be had nearly every night of the week. But 4 months is not very long! And, of course, there's the problem of where am I going to live? How am I going to commute? I don't want to live in Student digs there. Just don't think that would be appropriate. But I don't have a car in Utah (or in the States at all!) so I'll need to be relatively close. Eeeek! So much to think about. And I have to make a decision soon.