Wow. What a day. Last day of course work for the quarter (still have TA work). I had a presentation this morning. Saige was up crying last night. She went through three changes of clothes this morning all while I was trying to prepare myself for the presentation. I have been sick for the past week and a half. Stressed. Tired. Sick. But, I have completed my first year of graduate school.
Incoming....bad news to add to my day. Due to the holes that were in my methods section (which I have now resolved, but to no avail), my proposal was not funded for research this summer. What does this mean? It means that I cannot afford, working minimum wage, to drive to Oregon where my original study site was to be located.
What am I going to do now?
Well, something local. This means that my thesis may no longer pertain to free-roaming horses. My fall back is hopefully to do something with livestock grazing in Kittitas County. Or, there's the possibility I could do something with Yakama horses that have strayed off reservation land. With any luck, I'll be able to turn around a new proposal and start research/data gathering within the next couple weeks....
Not to worry, my interest will always be with wild horses even if my research takes me elsewhere. Though, I must admit, I have been rather burned out on the topic the last few months.
Stay tuned for what my future research might entail....
