And Now Chapter 4 is in the proofing phase

Some 54 pages later, I have a chapter 4. It is rough and when I say rough I mean sand paper rough.. Creating charts and going down the list of transcripts trying to make meaning out of what I collected; that is a hard ass job. I mean it is hard. Now what's next aside from prepping for Chapter 5 the final chapter, I have condense chapter four to 15 pages for a paper while turning it into my debut article. I have to get this published or work on having a piece ready for publication so that when I hit the pavement hard with new degree in hand, I can walk into a publish or perish institution and say, I'm ready to publish!!!!

The one thing I have come to conclude is that I do not like being a tenant. There is something rather surfish about it. I'd rather be a home owner. When you don't own your place you live at, you are at the whim of another person. In my re-structuring for lack of a better term, I am noticing that I like being my own "free agent." I guess its the only child in me. I don't like being told what to do, and I don't like "top down" structures, particualrlly when I am at the bottom. The landlord-tennant thing just isn't for me. I was taking a quick accounting of new PhDs in the system where I would like to work and the starting salary is 55k. With a publication or two, I can put myself on the tenure track and request the higher end of the salary scale. From there, being a born again saver, I can put money away for a down payment on a nice home--preferably a three level town home with a basement and garage. However, everyone must start somewhere.

My back is starting to feel like it did prior to my injury. I haven't tried to preform my deadliest at the 400 pound range because quite simply I am afraid. I do not want to be injured like two months ago. Being 40, according to the social contract on being 40, stipulates that with age comes a slower healing time, unless you are a mutant of which I am not. But to get stronger means I have to build, in some cases back up to where I was. My lifts at the gym are improving. I have noticed that my technique is starting to form. One positive thing is that I am using a belt more often and that seems to be therapeutic for my back. The belt does compress the lower back muscles and keep them warm. I am slowly incorporating more of a hanging squat in my clean and jerks. Still to date, my record/personal best is 185 on the clean an jerk and now in hindsight, I don't know if I can count it. One problem I have noticed is that on my jerk part of the lift, well my arm/trap motion is not as explosive as I would like for it to be. At 135, I think it could pass, at 155, maybe, 175, don't know and 185, no. So I have got to find some drills or exercises to to build that explosive strength to get that weight off my shoulders and clearly over my head...
Ok off to start my Sunday and get this paper off to my advisor for revisions!!!