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Getting a PhD
Great visual description of what a PhD is: The Illustrated Guide to a PhD.
Tributes to Dr. Robert M. Butler
One of the founders and leaders in the field of aging, Dr. Robert N. Butler, passed away over the week-end. Here are a few tributes to his life and his work:
2010 Outstanding Graduate Student Award
Last night I was honored with the 2010 Psychological Society of the Pikes Peak Region Outstanding Graduate Student Award. My mentor Dan Segal (with me in the photo) gave a nice speech about the work we've done together over the past 3 years. I am truly fortunate to have Dan as a mentor and to be in a graduate program where I am encouraged thrive!
Cheers for 3 Years!
I finished the 3rd year of my PhD program this week! Unfortunately, it feels a little anti-climatic since classes are a smaller part of what I do now (clinical work and research have become more of a priority). But, it is nice to have another year behind me. :-)
Julio and I celebrated a little early last week-end by taking a long motorcycle ride into the mountains. Definitely one of the perks of living in Colorado!
Goodbye 2009
It has been challenging, but I accomplished a lot (both professionally and personally) over the past six months:
- In late July, I successfully defended my thesis
- In mid-September, I climbed Pikes Peak
- In November, I got engaged to my best friend
- In late December, I passed my comprehensive exam.
It feels good to have two out of the three major hurdles in my program
finished (after the thesis and comps, there's just the dissertation). I
had a great, relaxing winter vacation, but now it is time to get back
to work....
Transitions
Thought I'd share this piece from the DailyOM about transitioning through life's phases. I especially love the last sentence about changing as we grow older: "When we anchor our identity in our spiritual nature, we understand that physical change does not change who we are, but only offers another perspective from which to experience, understand, and celebate life."
Toxic Parents
An interesting article from the New York Times about relationships between children of older adults and their parents.
Dementia and Sex
An interesting, but also disturbing, article on the complex issue of dementia and sex.
One Step at a Time
This week-end I hiked to the top of Pikes Peak with 2 friends from school and one of our professors to raise money for the Brain Injury Association of Colorado. We trained for the hike all summer and the fact that climbing a really big mountain is a great metaphor for graduate school wasn't lost on any of us. Here's what the hike taught me:
- Adequate preparation before you begin is useful (e.g., having the right equipment, knowing at least a little bit about what you are getting yourself into)
- The path can be really steep at first, but eventually it levels off a bit
- There are often many different routes you can take to get to the top
- You never know what is around the next corner and there may be many obstacles blocking your path along the way
- Having others with you on the journey makes the whole adventure more fun
- There will always be others who are climbing more slowly and more quickly than you, so it's helpful to focus on going your own pace
- It's easy to get bogged down by what is right in front of you and lose sight of the reasons for why you are climbing
- Finally, it takes a lot of determination and persistence to reach the summit, and the only way to get there is to take it one step at a time.