Well, I have yet to begin writing my dissertation, but I am so happy with the topic and my outline that I cannot wait to get some feedback from the CandW crowd this week. And after reading “The Apparently Bearable Unhappiness of Academe,” all I can say is that I am so glad to be writing about something that I am personally invested in. The more I read abstracts of others, I feel that we’re all thinking, reading, and writing about the same thing in often similar ways. And that stresses me out. I always feel like someone else will have said it better, so what would be the point of me repeating it?

At least with my topic and connection to NOLA, I know that my dissertation will be more of a personal journey…a way for me to heal from the trauma of losing my home as well as analyzing how/why evacuees turned to the Internet to help themselves heal and get much needed information.

Also when reading the Inside Higher Ed article, I began thinking about my future, when I might go on the job market, when I might fit having kids into this whole plan, where I might end up teaching, etc. Thank goodness I am so ready to get out of FL and start my life in AC, otherwise I’d be tempted to stay in school longer to avoid thinking of these topics!