What a week I've had!

I started school this week. All I can say is...yikes, what did I get myself in to?! Remind me, why I'm doing this? It's kind of like self imposed torture. I think I'm in shock at what a jump in workload the PhD is in comparison to my Masters work. I've attended all of my classes once, received the syllabi, and have a vague idea what the next four months of my life will look like...on second thought, the next three years of my life. I'm overwhelmed! I have nearly 500 pages of articles and chapters to read just this week, and this is a light week. In one of my three classes I have six medium to large assignments, the largest is a 30-page research proposal. At this moment I do not feel qualified to write a 30-page research proposal, I'm supposed to submit the topic by Sept. 22. Yippee-do-da-day. In preparation I need to read additional articles and chapters and take some computer training courses in order to even begin this assignment. Like I don't already have enough to do! I 'm really glad I quit my job - of course if I was employed I would be doing one class rather than three. That might feel more manageable.

I think two of my classes will be VERY interesting - Constitutional Foundations of Public Administration on Monday nights and Housing Policy in the Urban Planning department on Monday and Wednesday afternoons. The class that concerns me is the Research Seminar. It has a ridiculous amount of reading, many large assignments, and I'm only vaguely interested in the topics. I'll complete it because it is required for the degree. I'm sure I'll learn a termendous amount about research techniques and strategies, but my excitement level is almost non-existent and the work load is overwhelming. This course will be my challenge.

I leave tomorrow morning to visit the William's family in the Washington D.C. area. It is a surprise for Kelsey. Her 12th birthday is this weekend. It will be great to see them and get a glimpse into their new lives.

When I return on Monday, it's nose to the grind with studying. I also have a meeting Monday with my GRA supervisor to discuss my responsibilities with the grant and outline some projects. Just what I need, more to do!

I'll keep you posted on my progress. I suspect this will get less painful after I am in some kind of routine...at least I hope and pray that is the case.