tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post541466295725203679..comments2023-10-11T04:09:53.564-07:00Comments on materfamilias writes: The Week that Was: What I've Been Wearing . . .materfamiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-50337829877691607392015-06-13T06:07:45.324-07:002015-06-13T06:07:45.324-07:00I'm so glad I added that bit about my career t...I'm so glad I added that bit about my career trajectory if it inspires you. I hadn't intended to, and then it just seemed relevant to trace how I'd got to the Mace Bearing. . . Depending what your field is, you might or might not be able to expect your PhD to "pay off" in terms of bringing you to a job when you're done, but as long as you're realistic about how you'll support yourself and as long as you're excited about the learning for its own sake, I don't see that age should be a deterrent. In my late 40s, I certainly found the much younger grad students to be very welcoming, the program in general quite supportive. materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-36580921409954645602015-06-13T06:03:46.309-07:002015-06-13T06:03:46.309-07:00Thanks for commenting, Anita. I can't speak fo...Thanks for commenting, Anita. I can't speak for other women who combine studies with raising their family, but I know I learned management and discipline from having kids. I also know that SuperWoman does not exist and I know there were areas that I had to compromise, whether with my family life (the domestic standards got lower, believe me!) or my studies (I sometimes chose courses, for example, because of whether they'd fit my life schedule rather than because the subject matter was my primary passion). And I took forever to finish my doctorate (8 years from when I entered the PhD program -- of course, I was teaching halftime for the last few years of it). Congrats on finishing yours, even though it was a few years ago. materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-16668968541566785152015-06-12T10:33:23.622-07:002015-06-12T10:33:23.622-07:00I am so uplifted by this post. It is possible! I w...I am so uplifted by this post. It is possible! I worked for many year in the tourist industry. I had good jobs in managment, but I always wanted something more. At 37 I went back to University and started my bachelor degree. I felt so stupid and had to take a lot of stick from people around me. At 41 I had finished my master. Now I am playing with the thought of a PHD. But the thoughts goes along the lines of "I am to old" etc. After having read your post I think, hmmm, maybe... Thanks for brightening up my day. givihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01078585999582077146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-62437417494896872142015-06-11T06:49:31.014-07:002015-06-11T06:49:31.014-07:00I have enjoyed this post a lot! Always love your W...I have enjoyed this post a lot! Always love your WIWs. I liked reading about all the honors you have received from your university. How interesting to find out about how and when you earned your degrees - SO VERY impressive! When I studied for my Ph. D. (French Lit) there were a couple of women who already had families and tons of responsibilities compared to me. All I had to do is study, write my dissertation and teach one class for my TA-ship. I was always so impressed with how they managed to combine their family life with the university obligations and really could not believe how anyone could make it work. I myself was so busy - how did they do it?chouette22https://www.blogger.com/profile/05530710797716156742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-46492439496497442462015-06-10T06:40:14.499-07:002015-06-10T06:40:14.499-07:00I've only worn a gown three, maybe four times,...I've only worn a gown three, maybe four times, renting it each time (I debated buying the gear but it's so expensive, and didn't seem worth it). I can see how it would make sense in the situation you describe. <br />Funny you'd be interested in the clearing up and throwing away stage. I've been debating whether to describe that, as it's something I suspect only a certain type of reader would understand the complexity of. I have a wastebasket full of research in my home office right now, sitting for a few days while I debate whether I'm really done with it. Short answer: yes, I am, but . . . materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-17547629688291051432015-06-10T06:35:12.427-07:002015-06-10T06:35:12.427-07:00Thanks, Ceri. I'm looking forward to seeing wh...Thanks, Ceri. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next, but it does seem a good time just to sit and savour and say goodbye. . .materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-11080503372341320972015-06-10T06:34:38.304-07:002015-06-10T06:34:38.304-07:00I AM having fun! Tenacity is often underrated, but...I AM having fun! Tenacity is often underrated, but it ticks goals off lists like nobody's business. Sheer bloody-mindedness, one of my fellow PhD candidates said after our respective defences, that's what got us through. And I think it applies to quite a bit. But the fun is important as well!materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-74720316139166682652015-06-10T03:23:16.115-07:002015-06-10T03:23:16.115-07:00Congratulations! You made it! And you look very im...Congratulations! You made it! And you look very impressive in your gown. (I am from a university which did away with gowns and all other aspects of ritual in the throes of '68. I never missed any of that either, until I spent a couple of terms at St. Antony's in Oxford and found it quite dificult to dress up properly for High Table whereas most of the local colleagues just had to throw their gown over whatever they were wearing...) <br />I follow your first steps into retirement very closely and try to see myself within two years from now. I am particularly looking forward to the clearing up and throwing away stage.<br />Enjoy the freedom.Eleonorenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-59231568476761326762015-06-08T22:30:36.932-07:002015-06-08T22:30:36.932-07:00Hooray for you. You have achieved so much and ther...Hooray for you. You have achieved so much and there will be more to come <br /><br />Savour this celebration of the passing of a phase of your life well lived and here's to the excitement of the next Cerinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-51540978925860354002015-06-08T14:18:26.592-07:002015-06-08T14:18:26.592-07:00Well look at you, having some fun! You have earned...Well look at you, having some fun! You have earned this, so clearly, and it seems that that tenacity has served you in the end to be able to feel like you accomplished what you really cared about. Which must make the fun all the sweeter. And thanks for the mention. I appreciate it.LPChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18209861350905135093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-91939755651485226262015-06-08T06:32:27.570-07:002015-06-08T06:32:27.570-07:00Sorry, that was a confusing sentence, which I'...Sorry, that was a confusing sentence, which I've tried to repair -- I'm not at a conference right now. I was trying to point out what I'd normally be doing now, but am not. Rather, I'm enjoying wonderful weather, gardening, swimming, reading in the hammock. All the good stuff! ;-)materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-79184412841456605612015-06-08T06:26:49.600-07:002015-06-08T06:26:49.600-07:00You are too kind. Thank you! (see my comment, abov...You are too kind. Thank you! (see my comment, above, to Madame, to see why your perspective on my overall trajectory means the world to me -- I'm trying to really hear this when I hear it, if you know what I mean)materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-38915319419737754162015-06-08T06:25:16.750-07:002015-06-08T06:25:16.750-07:00Truly, it is/was amazing. I can picture you doing ...Truly, it is/was amazing. I can picture you doing all of that to get to your early morning classes, remember myself writing papers after finally teaching my last piano student, the kids finally in bed. . . I tend to compare to others who've accomplished more in one area, and then find myself lacking, but in terms of managing to do reasonably well in a number of areas, which suits my magpie personality better, you're right. We did accomplish quite a bit, didn't we? And there are still a couple of decades left!materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-20943493430577744452015-06-08T06:22:49.198-07:002015-06-08T06:22:49.198-07:00The middle years, in so many ways, are perfect for...The middle years, in so many ways, are perfect for the academic pursuits, as I saw many times with "mature students" in my classes. I was so glad to have life experience (for perspective and discipline and a body of both practical and esoteric knowledge) at hand when I sorted and discovered and integrated learning. . .sorry about the interruption to your own formal studies, but, of course, it's obvious from your writing that your scholarship has merely taken other pathways in the meantime. Lifelong learning -- happens whether we intend it or not! ;-) materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-69982021126464555412015-06-08T06:19:22.612-07:002015-06-08T06:19:22.612-07:00Not Superwoman at all (oh, there are so many frail...Not Superwoman at all (oh, there are so many frailties that don't make it into these posts! And surely Superwomen don't take long afternoon naps) but thank you! <br />I'm already seeing so many possibilities. Time to sit, first, and think about which to play with . . . materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-69880967866303560392015-06-08T06:15:09.183-07:002015-06-08T06:15:09.183-07:00Love the shot with the mace. As you say ... "...Love the shot with the mace. As you say ... "onward from here." Enjoy your conference...intellectual stimulation for its own sake, without the return to grading papers. Sounds wonderful.Sue Burpeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07282970328494769657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-91438733753333749252015-06-08T05:54:36.974-07:002015-06-08T05:54:36.974-07:00I love the various playful outfits, and the magist...I love the various playful outfits, and the magisterial robes, but most of all, your unusual and moving career trajectory, which reflects tenacity and intellectual firepower to burn! All that, while raising your wonderful family.<br /><br /> Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-45910210424503516162015-06-08T05:24:54.097-07:002015-06-08T05:24:54.097-07:00I love the mace. This age is about choices. Someti...I love the mace. This age is about choices. Sometimes I wish that I still worked but there is so much to do, so many places to see while I am still able. I like your Paris dress with the booties. Don't you find it amazing that you were able to accomplish so much? I think of taking buses with a toddler, diaper bag and book bag, dropping off at daycare and walking a couple of miles to an 8:30 class, and it seems like a distant dream. Someone else's life... Women should never think "I can't do that because…." If you have the will and the ability, there is a way. Madame Là-bashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16703782237948233124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-3489063391271765022015-06-08T03:56:33.822-07:002015-06-08T03:56:33.822-07:00I'm liking that last image ... you actually lo...I'm liking that last image ... you actually look ready to swing that mace if any scholar should be in need of a champion.<br /><br />A lot of my academic achievements happened in my middle years, although sadly a withdrawal of funding (through no fault of my own) means my PhD has been on hold for a few years now. Here's to life long learning, before and after retirement xAnnie Cholewahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17608057589525908147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-80223661219429341892015-06-07T22:47:16.924-07:002015-06-07T22:47:16.924-07:00Dear Mater,I think that you are Superwoman,and I a...Dear Mater,I think that you are Superwoman,and I admire you and your stamina,as we all should do! <br />I'm sure you're going to enjoy your retirement and find some more interesting things to do,if you'll wish. Take a break,think about all,you will see a lot of new possibilities in future. Brava!<br />DottoressaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com