Thankful

Every time I log on to blog I realize how quickly the time has passed. I can’t deny this fact as my blogs are dated so I can clearly see how long it is between posts. Instead of being upset by this I have decided that I am truly blessed beyond measure to be so busy that I allow my blogs to get away from me.

I have the gift of creativity, imagination, hard work and somehow opportunity. With these traits I have been able to meet the most interesting people, have been able to helps others, feel compassion without pity and scare the heck out of some people because I love to be challenged, try new things and LOVE going “outside of the box.”

I write but I usually keep it to myself. I am now being asked to share that. I am still pondering my options there. Maybe I will keep the poetry to myself as it is an outlet for my feelings and thoughts. Maybe I will take the offer given by a well known local to co-author a book with him.

CrimeCon is always an event I look forward to presenting at and meeting true crime fans and legends alike. I am thankful for CC as it has opened many doors. I feel as if opportunity doesn’t just knock anymore - it comes through the windows, and cracks (and since my house is only 7 months old I had better NOT find a crack), it might as well huff and puff and blow me over.

I believe we are going to re-open the college for classes in less than a month and I can NOT wait to interact with students again. It is hard to tell tone, humor and sarcasm that seem to be synonymous with my name when you are completely online. I learn as much from those students as I hope they do me.

Well, I guess I better stop trying to vent because I have a podcast to prep for. For those of you who could never attend True Crime and a Glass of Wine because you were not local, we have been doing them virtually through Zoom every Wednesday night at 8:00 pm. I have had special guests on many of them. One person was even offered a job from someone who watched one of the recorded versions. You just know never.

I guess I truly am blessed. I live by allowing the wind to blow me in the direction I am most wanted or needed and so far, I have loved every place that I have landed. Enjoy life…..

Catching Up

Not that I am one bit thankful for this pandemic that has turned the whole world upside down but I decided to look for my lesson or a silver lining to it. What I realized was both scary and exciting. I had NO idea how far behind I had gotten on special projects that I wanted to introduce to my students and actually how stressed that had me.

Not having to drive to work has given me an extra 90 minutes every day to work on anything and everything that I need to, wanted to or should. I have been wanting to go on my daily walks but hadn’t found the time and now I have AND I take my students right along with me. We may be live or usually recorded so where is the benefit? I have been getting healthier and usually end up walking longer and the students get to see me in the real world and relate classroom material to real life.

I found my silver lining today. Have you found yours?

Going Back to School

When you read that you were probably thinking that I am in the process of getting ready for the next summer term which starts soon. BUT….WRONG - I am going back to Grad School! I applied and was accepted to a Forensic Linguistics Masters program. One of my teachers is Jim Fitzgerald…..how the heck could I not go back to school for that?!?!

Oh and by the way, this is how I am telling my husband and my Dean that I am going to have my own homework again…lol

Why go back to school? I already have a terminal degree. I LOVE to learn and I believe this program will become a skill that will be in command in the future. So, if I jump in now then I will be able to share bits and pieces with my own students which will make them more marketable.

I use the word marketable but I have been accused of being “competitive” when it comes to my students and jobs or well pretty much anything. I might be SLIGHTLY guilty!

Other than getting that first bill…..it was a pretty darn uneventful day and in my world, that is almost unheard of.

So Many Options

There comes a point in life for some or maybe even most people where he/she needs to decide what is most important and doing what will really make them happy. I have hit that point in my life and I have never been more excited, frustrated, anxious and confused.

My career, my REAL one… I am a college professor who teaches criminal justice at the school I said decades before that I would teach at. I earned an Endowed Teaching Chair and was able to start the Institute for Cold Case Investigations (ICCI) at Indian River State College. What makes ICCI so different and exciting? We chose to only work cases within the four counties that our school services, which to me is the ultimate in giving back to our community. AND….. each case is worked directly with the cold case detective with jurisdiction over the case. I will give no more details as you never know when too much is too much but let’s just say that it is the opportunity of a lifetime for these students that very few people ever get.

So where does all of this other professional insanity come into play? Having a major prosecutor ask you to co-author a book on his most famous case, being asked to appear on true crime shows commenting on various topics, my own podcast, guesting on other podcasts and guest speak all around the country and now an invite to Europe.

All of this is flattering and overwhelming and beyond my imagination let alone my dreams but do you have any idea of not only the doors this has opened for me but who I have been able to introduce my students to and the doors that this has opened for many of them?

As I sit here and grade for what is the last weekend of the Summer A term, I am thankful that I worked to get the job I have. A job which allows me to be and do so much more than the small town, Ohio girl ever thought was possible.

Dr. M

WOW - Another 9 months with no BLOG?!?!

You might think that I am not keeping up with my blog because I am lazy or I forget but neither could be further from the truth. I have been absolutely swamped with my professor job. Our Institute for Cold Case Investigations has been a tremendous success and the students have been learning so many tools of the trade and employability skills that I am afraid one of them may snag my job someday before I am ready! Oh and don’t forget the other courses I teach concurrently.

Up until March, I was still holding the True Crime and a Glass of Wine events twice a month. Which are always fun for me. I was planning on taking a break because I was prepping for my presentation for CrimeCon in Orlando but then that got put on hold. Oh, did I say one presentation? No, it was going to be two because Oxygen also called me directly and asked me to be on a panel to promote one of their new shows, Mark of a Killer. It was a three person panel with a moderator, and all panelists are people who appear throughout the season on the new show.

OH WAIT??? Did I say Oxygen called??? Yes, yes I did. So I added that little morsel to my plate as well. Mark of a Killer has already started it’s Season 2 so you can catch everyone who was announced on that panel on the shows that have already aired….. some you will be seeing more than once. Check it out Saturdays at 7:00 pm EST on Oxygen.

I enjoyed that experience and hope you will be noticing me more often on different venues. School first then these other ventures. I am excited about the potential new students, attention and opportunities that these opportunities bring to my existing students.

Obviously, I figured with the COVID issue, I would be getting a nice, long rest from learning new cases for True Crime and a Glass of Wine but nooooo….. you guys decided that you are stressed and needed it so you asked me to do it virtually! lol So now it is virtual AND weekly, except the few weeks I had to take off.

This is where my CrimeCon and Oxygen presentations have truly been a blessing because I have been able to call True Crime Producers, Retired (influential) correctional officers, the FBI agent who created all of the FBI dive teams as well as some well known true crime actors. These people are interacting with you albeit virtually. They are sharing stories and answering questions. Some of you have earned internships with them while others are discussing employment opportunities.

The doors that are opening for me, I am picking and choosing carefully which ones to walk through. The ultimate goal is to give my students the best educational experience that I can. Everyone is different and everyone is special. I have just somehow stumbled like Alice in Wonderland into this amazing world that we get to share together.

Dr. M

Yikes - No posts since July???

Well nothing on here since July would explain why Sara yells at me on occasion…lol

So much has happened since July. Lets do this in bullet style format so maybe I can get caught up:

• Ok, so that ONE episode of Mark of A Killer that I was supposed to record turned into TWO and almost a THIRD…. but there was just no way I felt I could be prepared the way I wanted to be to take on a third with short notice and film all in one day. SO TWO IT IS and TWO I AM thrilled and excited to see how they turned out. I should have air dates any time now for both episodes. Oh and YES, it was fun, exciting and the people I worked with made it so simple…. LOVED the experience.

• The cold case institute that I was given a three year endowment to fund, create and run is moving along faster and better than I could have ever imagined. The official name is the Institute for Cold Case Investigations (ICCI) and we work local (our four county area) cold cases DIRECTLY with the Martin County Sheriffs’ Office. Once, we have figured out how this all works then I am sure we will take on other agencies, if they are interested. I won’t go into the details about how this venture works but lets just say I have been told that the access we have is unprecedented and the skills and training our students are receiving have them on cloud nine and hopefully making a difference in their education, their potential for employment, these cases and the community overall. I am so proud of this project and these individuals. Oh and did I mention we have the coolest logo in the universe!?! Yes, I am super proud of ICCI forwards, backwards and inside out.

• The Murder and Mysteries with Massnick podcast hit 10k downloads in just over four months which we were thrilled about. We have been taking an extended and unexpected absence from recording because PCubed who is not only the co-host and producer but somehow the BOSSY, younger brother that seems to tell me what to do and for some strange reason I LISTEN…. I need a therapist to figure out how I let him figure out how to get me under control. ha ha

• Why the break? Simple….. I rarely say NO to anyone or anything, so I was running in 50 different directions all while trying to completely rebuild (not remodel) my home which is my sanctuary. So, personal items got put on hold. My actual job got super organized and worked ahead, I am sure that freaked my bosses out, and I started saying NO to being on Boards, Commissions and a million other things. I was tired and if I can’t do the job in the manner I want my name to represent then I am not going to do it!

• Hmm, also learned that I need to make some time for me and just have some fun that has nothing to do with anyone else. I have a few friends who showed me how conservative my food choices are. So as you know I pretty much have only eaten eggs since CrimeCon but once a week I try something that a girl from southern Ohio where there is little to no diversity would NEVER have considered before these insane people came into my life.

  • Escargot is to die for.

  • Octopus is something one should definitely try and then eat on occasion. GRILLED OF COURSE

  • Calamari should be super hot and weirdly tastes good with mayo???

  • No more “safe” sushi for me. Eel, urchin and things I have no idea are pretty damn good.

  • Muscles… are probably something I wouldn’t share with you but might stab you over the last one….lol

  • OYSTERS…..let’s not even go there. Haven’t met one I couldn’t handle yet!

  • AND THE BEST ADVICE FROM ONE OF THESE CRAZY PEEPS….. you do NOT need to have someone to go out to eat with. Go enjoy life and food. Stop waiting on someone to go with you. You will miss out on too much. She’s pretty damn smart.

• Best yet, just enjoy life and have fun. I booked a flight to somewhere I have never been and have no plans yet. Whatever happens happens. I already have plans for an adventure in November and you know what makes it fun? Keeping it to myself. No one can tell me that I can’t do it. Shouldn’t do it or question me after. It also makes it more exciting!

Well this is all I can squeak in for now. So much more to catch you up on but that will have to wait for another day. Get off of your computer….. go have some fun… and just you do you!

Dr. M