Sophia, everybod in Grad school is a weirdo, I promise.

about the gift exchange... I WANT to want to participate, but I have had a really hard time doing it the last couple of years. I can't seem to find anything in town that excites me. I really hate Cedar Rapids. all the good shopping is 35 miles of cornfields away and my car is 20 years old this year.

I do miss when we were a tighter community and had the same things to come together over. Not that I don't love everyone and cheer your victories and empathize with your sadnesses. But, we don't all seem to be on any common track anymore. That's what made the gift exchange so much fun for me. Cyber stalking through the threads to catch the details of who was into what.

and Facebook is exhausting, but that's where my family is, and the friends who aren't Buffistas. I still love our refuge here and would live near any of you or stand at the ramparts to the end with anyone for any reason!

But, I think a group donation or 2 or 3 choices for donation would be a great idea!

Man, having a keyboard to type on is really a game changer!

Yeah, ND. It sucks for the associate Dean because she has a terminal degree, too. I do not and I do sort of get it, but my area is continuing education, which is basically training. I've been doing it for 20 years, but my title has been secretary or administrative assistant. I have also been teaching costumes for 20 years.

My best case scenario is either continuing with this job or a plan to perhaps get an associate director of enrollment for enrollment management for continuing education, which is more administrative and possibly could use my years of experience with the population instead of a Masters. But I would have to swipe a timeclock.

Is it potentially worth it to get the masters just as a credential?

I've also been suspecting that I'll need a master's in order to get promoted. Maybe I'll start researching my options once I get through Christmas.

Sophia, would you be eligible for tuition reimbursement?

Sophia, that's maddening. Are you interested in the masters separate from what it does in terms of job prospects.

I'd love to do a holiday card/postcard exchange instead of a gift.

Yes, I would shrift. The online one is actually still cheaper than going to my own University, even though I would be getting less of a percentage reimbursement! But paying 5% of my university tuition is more than paying 30% of this. It is a real, reputable University. I also, frankly, don't like the head of online learning Education at our university. I'm not sure if I will deal through a Doctorate- the thesis process seems more like hazing than education to me, but ai think I can do the Masters. I have now witnessed closely three coworkers doing it, and it almost killed them. And they are way more mentally healthy and have better support systems than I do. And I would frankly rather learn more about genealogy or something. I kind of wish I had listened to my professors and gone right on to a PhD in theatre history, which is what they recommended for me. Ah well, the wisdom of 26 years later.

I lost my answer, but I think there are things I could study and get enjoyment out of, but they are maybe not the things that would advance my job. For example, my alma mater offers a Master of a liberal Arts where I could design my own program, so I could study things like the difference between the Nursing and medical philosophies of care, or why nurses are so credential bound, or how nurses uniforms have changed so drastically, and what does it mean now that you can't tell nurses from doctor's by their caps. But things like course alignment and objective writing make me nutty, because it just seems completely logical to me. I know it doesn't seem transferable but I learned to write objectives as a theatre student. I used to schedule my rehearsals around measurable objectives. I am sure a masters in education would help me learn the right language, and I am sure ai have a lot to learn, but I feel like it is not that interesting to me. So I guess I have to figure out if it is just any masters or a particular masters.

Go education! I've thought about going further for years, but it would just be for my own satisfaction. Maybe someday.

Feeling very encouraged by Kentucky tonight. And Virginia. Go Democracy!

For the gifts I woudl be in for a group thing or something where it can be directly sent to the sender.

I keep thinking about finishing an AA. I never finished college at all but .. I don't think I do well with online learning and I know I can't work full time and go to physical classes. Plus I don't want to take on debt and I don't think there is anyway for me to finish without debt. Beyond an AA I have no idea what I would want to study, I never really had a strong idea to begin with.

I have a Hivemind question... I've been thinking I haven Plantar facitias and I know I have a heel spur. But I've started having pain along the outside of my foot and on the top of the foot along with some numbness. Has anyone who has experienced plantar facitias have numbness?

I know I need to go get this looked at but I don't want to because it's November and I'm not sure if I could get information I need before Jan and then my deductible kicks back in. But if I wait until my deductible is covered that will be May or June and that doesn't seem like a good idea either.