Controlled burn of my brain

Controlled burn of my brain

Today presented itself to me as gloriously unstructured, pretty much the first such day since I embarked on my Royal Roads adventure last July. The reason: Year One is done. Yesterday, I submitted the final paper in the final class of the first year. I am torn between...
Sue’s online life tanks

Sue’s online life tanks

When I launched the Red Jacket Diaries, I worried that my track record of (not) keeping up a journal would be an indicator of my abilities to keep up a blog. For a while, though, I had a rhythm going, where I paid attention to the world and made a mental or written...
Learning means letting go

Learning means letting go

As the online portion of my two-year Professional Communications program cranks up, the biggest struggle is not fitting the work into my day or evening. No, it’s losing the feeling of competence I used to have. I’ve been running my own business for close...
Pick three for life balance

Pick three for life balance

After spending three weeks in academia, with no time to read newspapers or watch the news, let alone be active on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and such, it’s been interesting getting (slowly) back into the swing of things. Today, in between researching topics on...
Week 3 done; the journey has begun

Week 3 done; the journey has begun

Each day has been incredibly long, but three weeks here at Royal Roads University have indeed gone fairly quickly, as many predicted. Now my bags are packed, and the cab will arrive in about 20 minutes to take me and a few of my classmates to the airport. Home, here...
Week 2 down; 1 to go

Week 2 down; 1 to go

Whee! My husband was able to arrange work in Vancouver this week, with a side trip to Victoria over the weekend to spring me from the campus on Friday (I went “over the wall” as my classmate Max called it). Besides being happy to see him and another couple...
Week 1 down; 2 to go

Week 1 down; 2 to go

Aren’t peacocks handsome birds? Well, the males anyway. I love the brilliant blues and greens of their feathers.  And there are plenty of these creatures strutting around the grounds of Royal Roads University. Week two of my three-week residency starts tomorrow,...
Hello from RRU

Hello from RRU

I’m hurrying towards the school, brand new schoolbag over my shoulder; it’s full of freshly sharpened pencils and crisp sheets of blank paper. My heart is pounding. I can hear the bell signalling the start; I’m going to be late. That’s how my first day of kindergarten...
Blogging slowdown ahead

Blogging slowdown ahead

You may recognize this road sign, which I have borrowed from the Ontario Ministry of Transportation’s helpful guide to common and not-so-common road signs. It means there’s a bump or uneven pavement on the road ahead. The yellow “caution”...