To PhD or not to Phd....

... that is my current question. Ever since I finished my Master's Degree in December, I have been contemplating on what's next in my life. While I have enjoyed not being in school and being able to read whatever I want to, I am tempted to continue my educational endeavors. So I have begun looking at programs to get my PhD, but am still unsure of the program. Do I want to do Organizational Leadership (which I have my Master's in) or do I want to try Higher Education Administration (since that is what I want to do with my life)? The OL program would allow me to do quite a bit more if I ever decide to get out of Higher Education, but the Higher Ed degree would probably allow me to move up higher in my profession. I did find a very intriguing program through Regents University in Virginia which would allow me to get my Doctorate of Philosophy in Organizational Leadership through distance learning. I know I would not be able to do a program like this full time, so a distance program was a priority. So I don't think this is anything that I will attempt in the near future, but I think I have decided that one day I want to have a PhD.

Other thoughts:
- My friend Brent just bought a house and so this weekend I went and helped him fix it up. It was a lot of hard work, but I enjoyed it. I was able to learn a little bit about home repair, spend time with a friend, and help accomplish something.
- I have a job interview this week and am actually kind of nervous about it. It is the first one I have had since I completed my Master's and is for a very good position. Any good thoughts you all could send me on Wednesday would be greatly appreciated.
- I can not believe how fast this year is going by, it's already mid-April! It feels like it was January yesterday.
- The Astros and Express seasons have started and while neither has been off to a great start, I still love baseball. I have been to 2 Express games and they won both of them! Life always seems better when you're at a ballgame.

Astros Spring Training

Ever since I graduated from college (2003), I have been planning on taking a trip to Astros Spring Training. I had heard so many people talk about how neat the experience was, and how the players are eager to sign autographs and interact with the fans. I have come close to booking a flight a few times, but I finally got the chance to attend a Spring Training game on Friday, March 20, 2009. Let me tell you, the experience did not disappoint. I had a blast! I ended up going to Orlando for other reasons, but knew that Kissimmee was only about 30 minutes away, so I bought myself a ticket. My seat was down the third base line, in the first row, and right behind the bench for the bullpen. I was able to talk with several of them and listen to them crack jokes on each other, share information, and give the fans a hard time. Before the game I was able to get a few autographs and actually chatted with pitcher Chris Sampson for a little bit. The Astros ended up winning, but I will take the memories of the interactions with me more than the final score. I guarantee that I will make it to another Spring Training game in the future. Here are a few pictures that I took:

Catcher J.R. Towles, one of my favorite Astros, even though he will be playing for the Round Rock Express this season. You can see Berkman batting in the background of this picture. I like this picture because it shows how close I was to the bench.

Hunter Pence made an appearance at camp. He didn't play due to an injury, so he hung out in the bullpen area for most of the game. The guys were giving him a hard time because of his high socks.

Carlos Lee, or "El Caballo," taking a break in the bullpen during the Astros at bats. Instead of running all the way to the dugout, he just ran to the bullpen bench and sat there. This lead to one very entertaining moment when he had to sprint to the dugout because he was supposed to be in the on deck circle. The other thing I like about this picture is that you can tell the Lee is the only one not wearing a batting practice cap.

Craig Biggio made an appearance in camp, which was completely unexpected. Here he is sharing some of his expertise with catcher Lou Santangelo. They stood in my way for about 1o minutes, but I didn't complain because it allowed me to get this picture. It was incredible to hear how much he knows about all aspects of the game.

Overall, it was amazing and so much fun. I can't put in to words how exciting the whole things was. I would recommend to any baseball fan that they attend Spring Training at some point. You get to see the stars of today and the future stars play in a smaller park. It's like watching major leaguers play in a minor league park. I have a ton more pictures, but these were the best of the bunch, I hope you enjoy them.