fall

the weather cooled off rapidly here in texas. my fingers have gotten cold enough during my morning and runs and commuting to work that sometimes i don't seem to have fine motor control. i'm not sure that that's necessarily healthy, but it is a rather amusing reminder of the fun (seriously, not sarcastically) that comes with fall. a few weeks ago we decided that we needed to throw a great pumpkin party complete with a viewing of the cartoon, hot apple cider and whatever other yummy fall treats we could come up with. we still need to figure out a date though.

as to halloween, my costume this year must be capable of withstanding 25-50 miles of continuous running. cactus rose 50 begins on the morning of october 30th. there are prizes for costumes, but you have to wear your costume for at least 25 miles (one loop of the course) to be considered. the gears in my head have been turning.

i have been struggling internally lately trying to figure out what to do when i'm done with my phd. the degree itself trains you to be a researcher, to ask questions, to find answers to questions and to disseminate that knowledge to the public. there is part of me that now wants to just apply the knowledge i have gained--to work with patients, to spend more time talking to clinicians as opposed to being holed up in the ivory tower. i have been contacting clinicians and coaches about volunteering with them. i am talking to someone who does more health education related research this week. i have been trouble finding postdocs in areas that i am most interested in, but it seems like a postdoc will be important for finding faculty positions. phd training also teaches you to be your own boss in a way, so maybe i simply need to have more confidence in going after the answers to the questions that most interest me.

i am getting more of a taste of teaching lately too--i found out this morning i will be giving a 45 minute lecture tomorrow afternoon about stability when standing and walking in the class i'm ta-ing. in 2 weeks, i will be giving the whole hour and 15 minute lecture. i am hoping that this class is offered again next semester as i would love to be involved with it again and i have to ta next semester again anyway...

the question i keep coming back to in my life lately is how can i do this or that? how can i get out of my books, off my computer and into the great out-of-doors to be involved...with the community, with people? how can i use what i know to help improve lives?