So what is the latest?

Last week was the first full week of the new academic semester so I was pretty busy -- and exhausted -- by the time I got to Friday. But here is a quick run-down on how dissertation girl is doing:

* Jim showed three of his prints in an art show held in our building this past Saturday evening! I know I (sort of) forced him to do it but I think he handled the whole thing quite well. His photographs were fabulous -- and everyone told him so! I had really hoped that at least one of them would sell. Damn economy!

* I have officially had some hair loss -- not a lot, though! I have been pretty fanatic about checking the drain after each shower and I was thinking that there seemed to be more hair the last day or so. But then when I went to get a massage yesterday (Sunday), Becky (the woman with the fabulous hands) noted that she was pulling a lot of loose hair out with the scalp massage. Afterwards, I also was able to pull out quite a few strands. But then by the afternoon, no more seemed to be coming out. So maybe just a spurt of hair loss? I need to figure out where I stashed all those scarves I bought!

* I finally connected up with a place that offers free counseling and support groups for folks with cancer (The Wellness Commnunity near Manchester and 270). I seriously need to talk in a professional setting. Sometimes I feel like I am going to explode. And I am starting to REALLY think that I can't write a dissertation.

* I love my classes this semester. Lots of great students (including former students). So far everyone comes across as being serious and "here" -- and I even have quite a few talkers in both literature classes. Yipeee!

* I have had about three of these weird moments that I am not sure if they are officially "hot flashes." One of them happened at the art show -- I was talking to someone when all of a sudden I felt hot all over, I could feel sweat popping out everyday, I felt a little dizzy, and then I felt this overwhelming desire to sit down. I got a little shakey but as soon as I sat down for a few minutes I felt perfectly fine. Not sure what the deal is there. Chemo side effect? Or menapuase?

And that's about it! I am currently re-reading Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own for my honors women's lit class and I am reminded of how much I loved this book when I was an undergraduate. In fact, I can't get this image out of my mind of me when I was 20 or 21 years old, reading this book in an empty classroom late in the evening (a lot of us qeeks who lived in the dorms at St Martin's College would go to the main building at night to study since most of the classroom doors were unlocked). That book "wowed" me! And it still does -- the best writing ever. And maybe that is the sort of thing I need right now to ispire me to tackle the dissertation. I even picked up some articles yesterday afternoon and started to figure out how they fit into my grand organizational plan.