Sports Spirit Sunday: DC is for …

Dallas Cowboys * Dissertation Completion –> Championship!

Those are my goals for today:

• hopeful ‘BOYS victory with Tony Romo back as quarterback ~ countdown to end of regulation (game on)
• imperative submission of my final draft for review ~ countdown to my dissertation defense (16 more days!)

Grad Cat / Asia Felina Catalina & Stats Cat / Sweet Annie have been by my side all the way …

Mini Milestones: Feline Friday & Study Saturday

• Thursday marked exactly one month until my well-anticipated graduation with my Doctor of Philosophy!
• The other day, I had my cat in my left hand, and my mouse in my right hand as I worked on my dissertation!
• Yesterday marked my ½way point between starting my faculty defense and my public final reveal (12/8)!

Happy ♥ANNIE-versary♥ to her & yours truly 1 week ago!

Beauty Tuesday: Double-D Recovery to be Double-D Ready

Double D is for …

Dissertation Defense * Dr. Dispo * BiG Day: December 8 ~ Save the Date!

After I passed my presentation with full faculty on Veterans’ Day, I followed my Bestie Evie‘s advice:

Take a Me QT Day.

While I still worked on revising my paper, I also set aside Spa Time this past weekend!

Facial Mask

Based on Fleur De Force‘s The Glam Guide, I used these ingredients for *acne  and **dark spots:

• Banana*
• Honey*
• Lemon***

Manicure

Then I treated myself to an at-home mani with the following gift sets:

• Mary Kay Satin Hands from María Elena
• four-step nail block from my R.E. student
• buffer and shine sticks from my Tita Susan

and polished my finger nails with my own lacquers:

• starting with Sally Hansen 18K Gold Hardener
• painting red for the season and plaid accents
• finishing off with Sally Hansen Miracle Gel

O•P•I Got the Blues for Red & Sally Hansen 18K Gold Hardener + Revlon Orchid & Silver Screen + Sally Hansen i ♥ Nail Art Striper in black

My top tip to achieving a lasting nail paint job:

Run freshly coated nails in cold water and dodge hot water!

• Cold water seals in moisture, while hot water repels and drys it out
• If I hand wash dishes, I wear special gloves
• I also wear gloves during hands-on activity

Massage

My good †Christian† friend and fellow prayer warrior, Lisa, came through again, introducing me

• previously to the rolling pin technique
• plus post-massage detox mocktails
• and this time to Biblical oils!

Thank GOD for these special gifts of blessings and wonderful company!

Workout & Working Woman’s Wednesday: V is for …

* Veterans * Victory * Virtue

Please join yours truly as I salute and pay tribute to

• my hardworking heroic father from the *United States Air Force* while approaching the retirement of his post-military career in aviation
• my Great-Uncle Terry from the *U.S. Navy* before he reaches nine decades of life
• my *Airman* cousin Jeryl who’s safely and soundly back Stateside from his deployment
• my Bro Ryan from the *United States Marine Corps* who now is expecting my first niece/nephew with my sis and attending MBA school
• my *Airman* brother-in-law Eric in his second tour in the ROK
• my many friends who’ve served the great *US of A*

This also is a special Veterans’ Day as I passed my full faculty defense according to GOD’s perfect plan!

While our military heroes engage in rigorous physical training, with PT tests that time:

• 1½-mi. runs
• ### push-ups
• ### sit-ups

I did my share of high impact activity to prepare my energy for this AM’s event …

Just like I’ve connected almonds with energy for my full marathon as an analogy for my multiple regression statistical analyses, I’ve tied in what worked for me on the days I passed my previous rounds:

• I hit the track after my Holy Hour at our ♥Adoration♥ †Chapel† right before my committee conference call
• I’ve done more HIITs and toning up to ease my test anxiety up until today’s full faculty meeting

Here’s my training session from yesterday to work both the lower and upper bod:

2 for Tuesday: Double Whammy beyond the Moons on my Hammy

Simultaneous Moves for 20 reps/set with body weight or light resistance (ankle or wrist wraps, dumb bells or bands)

• Squats (legs) & Shoulder Raises (delts and traps)
• T-Bird Dead Lifts (booty) & Rows (back)
• Extensions 2 Ways ~ Standing (quads) & Overhead (tris)
• Curls 2 Ways ~ Standing (hams) & Upward (bis)
• Trunk Twist (core) Curtsy Lunges (legs)
• Ab-duction (inner thighs & waistline)

CHEERS to ALL of our service men and women in uniform who’ve

• fought for our freedom, both in the States and overseas
• bled for our country, earning themselves the Purple Heart
• died for those freedoms, earning themselves the Flag

 as well as ALL of our military families who experience the sacrifice.

Thank you, GOD, the Saints and the Angels for watching over us!!!

Motivational Manic Monday: Series I, Round I

♫Columbus sailed the ocean blue♪ … which are as deep & true as my Grad Cat‘s baby blues! Here, I’m bringing out those blues with my *NEW* Adam Lippes for Target sweater dress vest ~ my gray go-to playful plaid layering piece this fall!

Happy Columbus Day!

Stats Cat‘s got my back on Columbus Day & always as I rock out my Anchor & Sailor Wheel earrings!

As I prepare for my committee defense, I’m connecting and comparing my upcoming dissertation presentations to playoffs for post-season sports:

• After advancing from my Concept Proposal (Fall 2013) * Proposal Defense (♣Spring♣ 2014) * IRB Approval (Fall 2014) * Research Methods (Fall 2014-☼Summer☼ 2015) * Running Statistics (☼Summer☼ 2015) * Run-Throughs (Fall 2015) …

1. First Series: Committee Defense (for my team of 3 professors) — 2 Rounds anticipated
2. Second Series: Faculty Defense (for my entire conference of professors) — 2-3+ Rounds anticipated
3. Third and Final Championship Series: Public Dissertation Defense to become Doctor (for anybody and everybody) — last Round, a.k.a. the Final Reveal before my well-anticipated graduation

So, who is my competition, you ask?

I could say my faculty of professors, but they’re on my side to succeed, so I’ll have to go with myself on my level of resilience to determine whether I stay and sustain through the game: Yours Truly vs. Yours Truly

I got this! Bring on the determination and confidence!! No thanks to the fear and discouragement!!!

Also, my good family friend, fellow devout Catholic, my ♥Tita Lydia♥ pointed out to me this:

My Doctoral Degree is my Vocation

Study Saturday: Conscientiousness

During this week’s conference call with my dissertation chair, she called me

conscientious.

I not only accepted this ~ to ♥heart♥ and absolutely at face value ~ as the best compliment from her (when we were discussing the running and re-running of my statistics for my research results) but also am ensuring that I live up to this standard.

St. Joseph the Worker †prayer† that contains the word conscientiously from my Doctor of Philosophy friend who I idolize

When my cohort members and I were admitted into our doctoral program, conscientiousness* happened to be one of the personality traits for which we tested and that we studied in our leadership theories literature. It comes from the (1b) Big Five psychometric assessment that uses the “OCEAN” acronym:

• Openness (or Originality)
• *Conscientiousness (or Consolidation)
• Extroverion ~ I’ve also consistently tested high for this in the (2) Myers-Briggs (as an ENFJ for Extraversion • Intuition • Feeling • Judging) both when I took it as a psych minor for my undergrad and again in doc school
• Agreeableness (or Accommodation)
• Neuroticism (or Emotional Instability) ~ the reverse of this attribute as leaders and doc students is ideal to deal

According to the (1a) instrument provided by my doctoral degree program, someone who is conscientious is “achievement”-oriented and “self-disciplined” ~ so this implies that conscientiousness involves intentions (definitely something for which I strive).

Currently, my conscientiousness has stuck with me through school ~ as both a scholar and an educator!

Throwback: Some timing that Grey’s Anatomy premiered its 12th season this week ~ I actually reported on it during my 1st year of doc coursework (my Grad Cat is the #PhotoBomb #BombDotCom shortly before baby sis Stat Cat‘s birth Annie-versary) ~ this is an example of a presentation aid that I just covered with my speech students

This past week, I taught my students about literary terms, so I tied them into ♪music♫ and pop culture:

Asyndeton in ♫George Strait‘s ♪The Chair♪

Irony in ♫Alanis Morissette‘s ♪Ironic♪

Verbal and Nonverbal Communication in Jeremy Lin‘s How to Fit in the NBA

Personification plus Alliteration and Assonance in Funny Face that featured Audrey Hepburn!

If it (Quality magazine) won’t speak to me, it won’t speak to them.

~ Ms. Prescott, Editor-in-Chief

D for

• Down * Dreary * Dull * Depressing * Dismal and * Deadly

Banish the Black * Burn the Blue * Bury the Beige

• Think pink * Red is dead * Blue is through * Green‘s obscene * Brown’s too boo

Now I know that my advisor wasn’t trying to flatter me, but her acknowledgment meant encouragement … of the ♥heart.

I challenge you fellow servants and leaders to consider which personality traits that you have in order to enhance your strengths and improve from your weaknesses!

Site Sources

1. Big Five/OCEAN: http://ipip.ori.org/ and http://oaks.nvg.org/big-five.html
2. Myers-Briggs: http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/

Another Reference (when I minored in psychology)

Oldham, J. M., & Morris, L. B. (1995). The new personality self-portrait: Why you think, work, love, and act the way you do. New York, NY: Bantam Books.

Addendum

After I helped lead my †Church† in prayer at Vigil Mass, Fr. Bob, our Pastor, greeted me as “Soon-to-be Dr. Dispo” ~ to which I replied, “GOD-willing,” and “to glorify GOD.”

Happy Belated Birthday to our Fr. Kumar, our Parochial Vicar!

Working Woman’s Wednesday: Sabbatical Schedule

I’ve been making the most out of this second 🚣🏻summer🌅 session away from teaching to keep cranking💻 out my doctoral🎓 📖dissertation until school starts!

With my smaller home office space during my sabbatical, I make the most of my workstation with eye candy ~ so *ASIA* adorns the side of this desk! 💺😻📷💻📇

My work load on finishing my draft📝 that details

• 📕the purpose of my study
• 📗supportive scholarly📚 publications,
• 📘research📉 📈methods,
• 📙statistics📊 and
• 📜conclusion📇

has occupied the majority of everyday these past six weeks ~ so this can compare to a full time job!

S is for: 💡Scholar✨ = 🌈Social📳 🔭Scientist🔬

Just when I didn’t think that my eye candy could get any better with Grad Cat, enter Stats Cat Sweet Annie! 📊📉📈🐱🐈

 Despite not needing to report to a classroom everyday or answer to anyone, I as my own boss during my sabbatical still maintained a schedule.

My Around-the-Clock⏰ to Become Doc Routine

• 🌇Daily😵 😲wake-up😳 📋non-negotiables: prayer (the Rosary), skin care, feed A&A
• 🍳Breakfast🍊 of 🏆Champs: fuel⛽️ up (postpone coffee☕️ to 2h after I wake up to help me sleep more easily later)
• 💪🏽Beast👊🏽 💓Mode: work out to get my brain juices & blood flowing
• 💡Scholar⚡️ 📓Mode: revise my working document for as many as 12h/day
• Shower: taking a cold one on these hot dog days of summer can energize me between my workout and study session or I’ll relax in the bath between my scholarshift and bed time to snuggle in clean sheets
• 🌈Pleasure🌟👓Reading: I haven’t read as much non-scholarly material as I used to love to before college & grad school, but I’ve found that a little bit helps to ease my mind & unwind lately ~ my current reads are relevant to my research in an unconventional way (stay tuned this Study Saturday)
• 💭Choose😴 to 💤Snooze: as a chronic insomniac, I must make a conscientious effort to hit the sack ~ while I tend to stay up late reviewing and proofing my paper, I find that I’m more effective when I work on it earlier in the day with energy!

Just like Vince Carter had discipline with the Dallas Mavericks a couple of seasons ago, I also didn’t take break days! Yes, it’s essential to have some R&R, but at this point, I’m

In the Zone 🎯

So I can’t afford a single day off …

Therefore, I take 🌴mini-vacays, even for just a few minutes or hours⌚️ for my stories

Study Saturday: Pro-Flex in So-Tex

My trip to So-Tex proved to be productive …

1. First, I spent a whole day at my school in SA ~ where I initially visited my Chapel for Stations of the †Cross† and ♥Adoration♥ before the Blessed Sacrament, followed by researching at the library

My †CHRIST† Bro, Joe, gave me this business card holder that comes in handy whenever I switch handbags!

2. Then, I got to see my fellow Ph.D. in CC for his fresh-from-the-press brand-newly released book ~ which I’ll continue to read during ♣Spring Break♣

Border Contraband by Dr. Díaz (2015)

I think that I can manage to read a chapter per day on the days when I’m off from teaching and tutoring!

This author is my inspiration!

Study Saturday: Every Moment Counts

With all of the abundant activities that have called for my attention lately, I’ve been mustering up every extra waking moment away to work on my dissertation ~ which is why I’ve actually appreciated these recent snow days.

• Some of my colleagues have considered their own hours per day of dedication on their doctoral research as shift work
• Others have only been able to devote even just a few minutes per day to their study

Lately, I’ve fallen under the latter category, rather than the former. Once upon a time, I was able to spend a whole work day’s worth, but with countless demands, I’m fortunate to invest up to an hour or so; for instance, with the additional studies that my department requires for us to review for our doctoral degrees, I’ve included at least one more per day. Regardless of how much time I’ve been able to write and research, the process is paying off as I keep making progress

Because not a day passes without my discipline and determination to stay focused and deter distractions.

Unless you count my catastrophic pleasant distractions, including my neighbor, who’s welcome to chillax ’til her ♥heart’s♥ content snow or ☼shine☼

#DOnotDisturb mode

After our early week Snow Day and before our Snow Weekend

And with †GOD’s† ☼grace☼

Study Saturday: Starbucks before Bucks Stars

Before I got ready for the ♥Sweetheart♥ Ball

Brain Food: Egg white & lean bacon breakfast sandwich of Healthy *Champs* from *Starbucks$

I had a Starbucks Haul!

Cooling refreshment: Orange Mango Banana Smoothie to energize yours truly as I go scholar mode!

I stayed focused that day as I always †pray† everyday!

Study Saturday: ♣Spring♣ Cleaning

The clearing of clutter continues …

Just a few books in my library

Since a book rep visited my campus, I took full advantage by bringing my slew of books from which I studied in college and grad school or taught in undergrad courses.

More books from my garage