In other news, my left ankle couldn't handle not being the star of the party and is now back in the soft brace because my tendons are hurting again. Ack.

Now, I am a PhD and MFA. There's 18 years between the degrees. You are never too old to go back to school.

I technically have one more assignment, a residency analysis, to turn into the program office before my degree is conferred. I could work on it today. I will not.

Today, even though I am missing the ceremony, I graduate. Today, I'm an MFA.

Sometimes I have to remind myself that I have written books, so I can do it again.

It's only a little after 9:00 am, and my 12-year-old and my niblings are singing, "We Are The Champions," at the top of their lungs while playing video games after a sleepover.

I graduate in four days. I just have to make it through the rest of my MFA residency. I am so tired.

Not enough coffee in the world to get me through this day...but I'm gonna try anyway.

Just write down whatever words you want and then you repeat that process forever.

I am about to have an MFA, y'all.

I did my graduate student presentation and my reading and was workshopped, all yesterday. All went really well. There's only one more requirement between me and graduation.

I am not freaking out about my reading and my graduate student presentation this coming week. You are.

I got my hair cut and highlighted today. One of my children, I won't say which, told me I looked like a "Karen." Glad to know the kid is committed to keeping me humble.

I printed out my reading and my graduate student presentation. I need to rehearse them both more. I do not have the will today.

I would be writing up my workshop comments this morning but the software decided to update... I guess scrolling?

My 17-year-old is attempting to take one of our cats on a walk with a harness and a leash. It is not going well.

I timed my graduate student presentation and with the writing exercise, it is just under the allotted 20 minutes. Thank goodness!

I have grown my hair out from a pixie cut for over 15 months. I now want to cut it all off. Sigh.

I think I have a draft of my presentation, and I have slides. Now, I just have to practice it to make sure it is 20 minutes.

@mpgphd.bsky.social if you want an interesting take on Moby Dick and Scarface and Florida, I fucking loved Say Hello to My Little Friend: www.simonandschuster.com/books/Say-He...

I should be working on my graduate student presentation instead I'm gonna chaperone the NAQT high school nationals field trip.

Our high school is headed to this competition today, and you guessed it: I'm tagging along too!

The coffee lid didn't fit right, and I spilled coffee on my shirt. I almost crashed out, bro.

Getting up consistently at 5:30 am (thanks, brain!) at least means hanging out quietly with cats.

"Furthermore, many male professors but no female professors share the ‘silent standpoint’ that female candidates for professorships (in general) are less qualified than male applicants." *Seeeeeething in the corner*

Should I be working on my graduate student presentation? Yes. Am I? No. Because of circumstances beyond my control. Argh.

Having some serious mom guilt because I dropped the ball on something parenting-wise because I was trying to do the things I needed to do to graduate. FML.

The rage has not abated.

I have a short draft of my graduate student presentation complete, so now I need to fill it in more to make a proper talk. Progress.

I have so much rage in my body that it will be a miracle if I don't burn to a crisp.

Well, I got the notice for senior portraits today and immediately started crying, so yeah, I'm adjusting well to next year being my oldest's last year of school.

I have an outline!!!!

The problem with giving a new talk is that you have to create a new talk. Whoops.

I am starting on my graduate student presentation today (finally). It's called "Don't Bleed On the Page: On Boundaries in Creative Nonfiction." It's gonna be a fun one.

My mentor suggested I write about my mom because she's missing in a lot of what I write. I wrote about my mom. Now, I'm feeling all of the emotions and having to deal with my mom in real time. Whoops.

I will not cut my hair I will not cut my hair I will not cut my hair I will not cut my hair MAYBE BANGS I will not cut my hair I will not cut my hair

My junior had awards day today and took home the Golden Pineapple award for the culinary arts for the third year in a row and was recognized for the brain bowl team's third place at small school nationals ❤️

Our most feral cat sat in my lap, so I live on this couch now.

My hair is long enough for a ponytail. So, I now wear it in a ponytail with a decorative headband every darn day. At least the headbands are cute?

I have a long standing practice of setting daily word counts for writing projects just to get in front of my laptop and see what happens. I cannot tell you how valuable this has been because they don't have to be good. They just have to be words on the page. I can revise later.

I sent in my grad reading and did my last Zoom check-in with my mentor. That helped some.

I'm low key trying not to lose my mind. Anxiety is terrible.

Every time I hear someone ask what writers are supposed to do instead of starting a Substack, all I can think is, my god, literally anything else. Go create something! Start a blog with your friends! Make weird stuff! Let some of it fail/succeed unexpectedly! It's 2026—you've got dozens of options!

I have had a couple lovely people ask me what I am doing after my MFA. I can't even think past graduation yet. I can't even think past MAY yet. Sigh.

I think I have my reading in shape for residency. It comes in at 11 minutes and 30 seconds. And it is supposed to be 12 minutes max.

My anxiety is high today. I put a large iced coffee on it.

I sent off my last self assessment for my MFA program on Mother's Day. If that doesn't feel apt for my whole journey in this program, nothing does...

I did my last self-assessment for the MFA. Now, can I bring myself to turn it in?

If I can ever convince my nervous system that a T-Rex is not in fact chasing me, I'll be whatever not-anxious is. Wait, someone is telling me the word is "calm."

And today, I just sort of want to cry all day...