Sunday, December 12, 2010

Weekly Wrap-up for December 12, 2010: Blogger Issues, Book Blogger Holiday Swap, and Reading Plans.

Another week down. Is it just me, or is time simply flying by? I feel like it is! Its hard to believe that the year is coming to an end and Christmas is around the corner.

On top of that, our first wedding anniversary is also coming up (the 26th-yes, we got married the day after Christmas) and its hard to wrap my head around that! Utter insanity!

But, I am excited to move forward in the hopes that 2011 will be a much better year than 2010. There are going to be a lot of big changes as soon as January hits. I will be teaching every day with my long-term assignment. That'll probably mean less "me" time until I get back in the hang of teaching obligations, but I am looking forward to the challenge.

Matt will also be starting a new job sometime in February in addition to going back to college full time (yay). It will be a very big change for him to juggle school and a full-time job, but I think he can do it just fine.

I am also debating my own return to school, but for a Master's. I am having a hard time deciding what I want to do and where I want to head in my professional life. A very big and nerdy part of me wants to continue with where I started in college and get a Master's in Literature, but I'm not sure how marketable that is and whether I can land a job in that field. I am also looking at a Library Sciences program. Since I already have a teaching certificate I can work in school libraries, which might be up my alley. Its a tough decision and one that requires a little more thought in the coming weeks, but any input you might have would be appreciated. I miss being in school and want to go back, so I need to get on this as soon as I can.

Bring everything back to reading this week...

I grabbed Emma off my shelf and began reading...and then I got sucked into Austen happy land. I spent the better part of the week reading Emma in spurts and completely ignored the Trollope that I need to write about for Thursday (whoops). But I finished Emma late last night and Trollope has all of my attention for the rest of the day, since I most likely won't be emerging from the apartment into the piles of snow outside.

This week I most certainly need to get through Trollope. Beyond that, I am not sure what is next. I'm a little stumped for my next read, so if you have any suggestions I am all ears. I know that I am going to have less time for reading in the beginning of the new year, or at least until I get back into the swing of things, so I kind of feel pressured to get something heavy out of the way. But nothing is striking my fancy. I might just have to stand in front of the shelf for a bit until something grabs me.

I should also point out that a post never went up on Friday that was supposed to. If you recall Thursday's post on books 1-5 of the Little House series, I said I would put up the second half on Friday. That never happened. I was having some issues with the formatting and it made the post look all goofy. I had some other issues last week with a couple of other posts and I am more than a little frustrated. I think a move to Wordpress might be in store in the future.

Anyway, I think I fixed the problem and you'll see that post either tonight or tomorrow morning.

In awesome exciting news, I received my Book Blogger Holiday Swap package in the mail on Friday. As soon as I figure out where Matt put the camera, I'll post pictures of the goodies I was sent! I was incredibly excited about the awesome things I was sent, so THANK YOU! Next year I will definitely be participating in swaps as I find it such a great way to get to know other bloggers.

I feel I've rambled long enough. I am going to spend this cold and snowy day cuddled on the couch with the kitties, tea by my side, and books in my hands.

Happy Reading!

13 comments:

  1. Formatting issues suck.

    I got sucked into Austen's world this week too with Northanger Abbey. :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. Happy anniversary and happy teaching! Whenever I am feeling a little overwhelmed, a good dose of Emma can always revive me!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Happy Anniversary! My anniversary is on the 28th of December so I understand how hectic it is to pull off a wedding right after Christmas.

    I'm glad you're enjoying Emma. I've been reading some dark and depressing books lately so I've been thinking about rereading Persuasion to put a smile on my face.

    Good luck with all of the prep work for your teaching assignment. You must be getting excited.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Happy anniversary! And I do hope 2011 will be a more quiet year for you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love getting sucked into Austen's world. Happy anniversary! Enjoy your day of reading!

    ReplyDelete
  6. The hubby and I are celebrating our sixth wedding anniversary on January 1!

    How fun to go back and get your Master's! I keep toying with the idea of going back for my Doctorate, but man oh lordy that sounds like a lot of work.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I so love getting lost in Austen Land. "Austenland" is a pretty good book, too.

    In terms of your career, I'd say think about how you would like to spend each day at work. With an MA in Lit you could also teach at the college level. That's something you could do part-time or full-time and you would still have the advantage of being off during holidays just as you would as a school librarian. It's really a matter of which you believe you would prefer and the job market in your area.

    I'd like to get a second Master's just for fun! My grad school experience was wonderful and I highly recommend it. Reading great literature and discussing it with other people who also love to read is wonderful. We do it virtually here, but doing it in person is so satisfying!

    ReplyDelete
  8. As for your masters, I was considering going to library school but I know a lot of librarians who have graduated and can't find a job. At least for me I feel uncomfortable investing money and time into a degree if I don't have a good sense that it will pay off in the end. That's just me though.

    I could see myself easily getting sucked into Austen right now, I've never read Emma so perhaps I'll pick it up soon.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Happy anniversary!!!

    I'm looking forward to your RaLs in 2011 thanks to you!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Yay Wordpress! You should definitely make the move. Wordpress is a thousand times better.

    Happy Anniversary! A Masters in Literature is exactly what I'm considering. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great times ahead! Lots of things to look forward to :)

    (Agree with Jillian: Yay Wordpress)

    ReplyDelete
  12. no worries, Allie, if you don't finish the Trollope, just write an "in progress" post about your impressions. I may resort to that as well, as I'm not yet finished with mine either!

    ReplyDelete
  13. If you're going to go for a MA in Lit, you should just bite the bullet and go for the Ph.D. Not much you can do with a Master's alone that you can't do with a BA, but there are things you can do with a Ph.D. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete