sorry not to have updated lately! just fyi: i will soon! i have had alot of things going on between getting a new job, 2 internships, and family stuff. so, please, stay tuned for more in the next couple weeks!
plus i just sliced open my left index finger cutting an orange, so typing is not so much fun or fast at the moment....
you'll hear from me soon, as im sure many of you are wondering what im up to and how i am. and if you're not now, you will be.
in case you need something to do, here's the websites of the schools and departments to which i applied for graduate studies:
http://www.brynmawr.edu/gradgroup/index.html
http://www.missouri.edu/~ahawww/index.html
http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Art_Architecture/
http://www.wisc.edu/arth/
http://history-of-art.osu.edu/
p.s. i am taking yoga!!! and it's great!!!
as always,
chris
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Thursday, December 08, 2005
This time it's decisions & deadlines...
Well, I've pretty much got my heart set on the Graduate Group program at Bryn Mawr...
sigh...
Bryn Mawr looks more and more attractive for graduate school by the day, hour, and minute. The problem is, well, will i get my hopes dashed if i apply to 4 or 5 schools, knowing that i will only accept one admission, and that i already have that school picked out? Meaning, even if i get into one or more of the other schools, beside Bryn Mawr, i dont know if i'd even accept anyway. THAT's how much i want to go to Bryn Mawr at this point. i wont go too much into details about why the other 3 schools are lacking re: my needs, but let's just say that i wouldnt get exactly what i want. and, i think graduate school should do just that - give you exactly what you need and want to meet your goals, or there's no point in spending/wasting your time, efforts, and money.
A plumber doesnt go to school to learn to make the pipes; he (or she, i guess, but honestly how many female plumbers are there?) goes to school to learn how they work.
Yes, that may be a strange analogy, but you get the point: in graduate school, you study a very specific line of work.
HA- i used a plumber analogy. *shakes head in shame...
As for the stress during this graduate admissions processes experience, it's at an ok level. some days, (and sleepless nights), and better or worse than others. The night before last, i slept only about an hour or 2 because i just laid there thinking. i shouldn't have been working on my Statement of Purpose (part of the application materials) right before bedtime. shoud'a known better! i kept drifting off into that limbo land between awake and semi-consciousness picturing myself sitting in front of my bookshelf full of course texts & other materials, just staring, trying to decide what i wanted to write about, & ultimately study. it's like facing that fork in the road, only the road ends into a haze of colors, but you can see the distance clearly. i know what i want to do for a job ultimately, but which way i take to get there is a bit confusing & uncertain.
anyway, it was a weird semi-dream which kept me up all night.
Most days I am excited about the whole thing, despite growing apprehension regarding applications and the related tasks, and of course- getting in. I DEFINITELY think that taking this year off, despite its own challenges, has been to my advantage & was also well-needed. I had very little direction for the course of my life after undergraduate work last fall, not to mention being busy abroad. there's no way i could have organized this over last year, nor that quickly. i needed the time to think and figure it out, rather than just jump into something. after studying abroad, finishing school, and then considering life mostly outside the frame of school for once in my life, i came to the conclusion about what my goals are, and also determined what skills i have and what i am good at. i have gotten so antsy floating between jobs that dont suit me and/or are not challenging me the way that i want, and then subsequent unemployment to boot, that i have become more genuinely ambitious than i would have been right out of undergrad. certainly, this is worth a great deal, not to mention peace of mind.
So, hopefully, graduate school here i come...
In other news, Nate got a GREAT job offer! It's at a company called LSS something or other in Eden Prairie. Im a bad girlfriend for not remembering exactly what they do, but it's computer programming stuff, nate likes it, and that's all that matters. Besides, he's been telling me about all these different jobs for the past few months and what they do, and i can remember alot of them, just not what name goes w/what city, and how big, and type of business, etc. I know one of the jobs does hospital software programming; does that count for something? Anyhow, this is a big deal that Nate has at least one option, because he needs to have a job soon after graduating this month due to money & insurance. He's still going to try to get a better offer, but we'll see. In any event, HOORAY for Nate!
Right now I am volunteering at Minnesota Center for Photography, a small gallery in N. Minneapolis, near one of the old Grain Belt brewery buildings. So, now i have 2 volunteer opportunities that i am participating in, (including the GVHSM). Of course, i do random things because they dont pay me. Like right now, i just tally the visitors & help people w/questions or t-shirt/book sales. You should come check it out- the website is: www.mncp.org
I think this is the first year that i finished christmas shopping early; in fact, i finshed earlier this week. Well, i mean with my family. I havent quite gotten to Nate yet. I should probably get a move on that....
OY!!! My long-time friends Mike & Liz (yes, you too Liz), got engaged last weekend!!!! awwwwwwwwwwwwww... Congrats you two! Mike & his twin brother Dave have a very successful computer graphics design business called Plaudit (they actually employ their dad, who quit his own job to work for his sons...!, and mike & dave are my age!), while Liz just took a prestigious (clothing) design position for Target Corporation. Awwwwesome you guys!
Well, i turn in my very last undergraduate paper next week, and then i am an official graduate.... whooooooo!! go me
that's all the news for now,
chris
sigh...
Bryn Mawr looks more and more attractive for graduate school by the day, hour, and minute. The problem is, well, will i get my hopes dashed if i apply to 4 or 5 schools, knowing that i will only accept one admission, and that i already have that school picked out? Meaning, even if i get into one or more of the other schools, beside Bryn Mawr, i dont know if i'd even accept anyway. THAT's how much i want to go to Bryn Mawr at this point. i wont go too much into details about why the other 3 schools are lacking re: my needs, but let's just say that i wouldnt get exactly what i want. and, i think graduate school should do just that - give you exactly what you need and want to meet your goals, or there's no point in spending/wasting your time, efforts, and money.
A plumber doesnt go to school to learn to make the pipes; he (or she, i guess, but honestly how many female plumbers are there?) goes to school to learn how they work.
Yes, that may be a strange analogy, but you get the point: in graduate school, you study a very specific line of work.
HA- i used a plumber analogy. *shakes head in shame...
As for the stress during this graduate admissions processes experience, it's at an ok level. some days, (and sleepless nights), and better or worse than others. The night before last, i slept only about an hour or 2 because i just laid there thinking. i shouldn't have been working on my Statement of Purpose (part of the application materials) right before bedtime. shoud'a known better! i kept drifting off into that limbo land between awake and semi-consciousness picturing myself sitting in front of my bookshelf full of course texts & other materials, just staring, trying to decide what i wanted to write about, & ultimately study. it's like facing that fork in the road, only the road ends into a haze of colors, but you can see the distance clearly. i know what i want to do for a job ultimately, but which way i take to get there is a bit confusing & uncertain.
anyway, it was a weird semi-dream which kept me up all night.
Most days I am excited about the whole thing, despite growing apprehension regarding applications and the related tasks, and of course- getting in. I DEFINITELY think that taking this year off, despite its own challenges, has been to my advantage & was also well-needed. I had very little direction for the course of my life after undergraduate work last fall, not to mention being busy abroad. there's no way i could have organized this over last year, nor that quickly. i needed the time to think and figure it out, rather than just jump into something. after studying abroad, finishing school, and then considering life mostly outside the frame of school for once in my life, i came to the conclusion about what my goals are, and also determined what skills i have and what i am good at. i have gotten so antsy floating between jobs that dont suit me and/or are not challenging me the way that i want, and then subsequent unemployment to boot, that i have become more genuinely ambitious than i would have been right out of undergrad. certainly, this is worth a great deal, not to mention peace of mind.
So, hopefully, graduate school here i come...
In other news, Nate got a GREAT job offer! It's at a company called LSS something or other in Eden Prairie. Im a bad girlfriend for not remembering exactly what they do, but it's computer programming stuff, nate likes it, and that's all that matters. Besides, he's been telling me about all these different jobs for the past few months and what they do, and i can remember alot of them, just not what name goes w/what city, and how big, and type of business, etc. I know one of the jobs does hospital software programming; does that count for something? Anyhow, this is a big deal that Nate has at least one option, because he needs to have a job soon after graduating this month due to money & insurance. He's still going to try to get a better offer, but we'll see. In any event, HOORAY for Nate!
Right now I am volunteering at Minnesota Center for Photography, a small gallery in N. Minneapolis, near one of the old Grain Belt brewery buildings. So, now i have 2 volunteer opportunities that i am participating in, (including the GVHSM). Of course, i do random things because they dont pay me. Like right now, i just tally the visitors & help people w/questions or t-shirt/book sales. You should come check it out- the website is: www.mncp.org
I think this is the first year that i finished christmas shopping early; in fact, i finshed earlier this week. Well, i mean with my family. I havent quite gotten to Nate yet. I should probably get a move on that....
OY!!! My long-time friends Mike & Liz (yes, you too Liz), got engaged last weekend!!!! awwwwwwwwwwwwww... Congrats you two! Mike & his twin brother Dave have a very successful computer graphics design business called Plaudit (they actually employ their dad, who quit his own job to work for his sons...!, and mike & dave are my age!), while Liz just took a prestigious (clothing) design position for Target Corporation. Awwwwesome you guys!
Well, i turn in my very last undergraduate paper next week, and then i am an official graduate.... whooooooo!! go me
that's all the news for now,
chris
Thursday, November 17, 2005
First snow, holiday spirit, and deadlines in the air
hey everyone
Well, Minneapolis and much of MN had its first real snowfall 2 days ago. The grass is still white w/o mess of slush just yet, but there is ice here and there, and the tree are sprinkled w/that icy brown and white. It looks nice, but it sure as hell is cold- and it happened overnight! We flirted with 70's last week and now we're feeling the 2 and 3 degrees with windchill. That's MN weather in one of it's finest examples.
I quit my nannying job recently, which has proved to be a very good choice, despite the difficulty of making the decision and then carrying it out. I am much happier now and doing precisely what i want to be doing, and progressing with my personal goals, for which i had little to no time while nannying. I thought the job was perfect, but i guess you just never know until you actually are doing it and give it some time.
Now, i have multiple projects, and am also seeking PT paid work so that i can manage my projects and pay the bills until next August, at which time i hope to be leaving for graduate school. I have a few job prospects, 3 to be precise, but one doesnt want to pay me enough nor hire more than temporary (already had the interview), and the other 2 i've yet to hear from, but will be in contact over the next week or so. Here's hoping. If none of the 3 work out, i will just keep truckin until i find something.
My current projects are: studying for the GRE (Graduate Record Exam, entrance exam for grad schools, like the SAT or ACT, only for college grads) which i take next Wed, or the day before Thanksgiving; finishing my last, lonely 1 credit paper to officially graduate from the U; keeping up my Latin and French by continuing to read and translate (I will need these in grad school, call it post-bac or grad-prep work); volunteer interning at the Golden Valley Historical Society Museum; soon-to-be volunteering (potential intern for spring) for the Minnesota Center for Photography here in Mpls; and of course, managing my slow healing process for my hand, for which i have finally finished 2 rounds of physical therapy and have the doc's ok to continue on my own. Yes, it seems that i have alot on my plate without the a job, but i need that too, and believe me, i do have the time and like to keep busy. Besides, it's even better to keep busy, if not busier during the winter because everyone gets so lazy and depressed in the cold weather! Gotta keep moving to avoid the winter blues and chill in your spine!
My current internship for at the Golden Valley Historical Society Museum (GVHSM, henceforth) is going well. I started it a few weeks ago and i really like it alot. I spend about 4-6 hrs/week at the museum going through historical documents and artifacts relating to Golden Valley, sorting them, labeling if necessary, writing archival data in a log (which I will eventually put into a computer database), and then when all of the, what are now boxes of stuff are sorted, labeled, and archived, i will help choose and setup display pieces in the museum! Essentially, i am helping this fairly new museum get on its feet, get organized, and get set up so that the public can eventually visit. I think that this might be exactly what i want to do after i get my grad degree, only at a bigger museum and in a dept which i will specialize in. Right now my interests are ancient western art (which i have studied much of already as an undergrad) or photography (but not sure what specialty). Perhaps i could do a bit of both, but concentrate on one. This is one opportunity for which i am very grateful to have been given a chance to participate and to have found.
An update on my grad school search and application process is this: I have finally narrowed down my choices, after much research and consideration, to 4 schools. I have chosen to apply to the Art History programs of 1) Bryn Mawr College (just outside Philidelphia), 2) Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, 3) Brown Univ. (Providence, RI), and 4) Ohio St @ Columbus. All are reputable schools, so im nervous, especially about Brown. I would gladly attend the top 3, and ohio is kinda my fall-back; i have had a hard time deciding my top pick or order of choice because my impressions of them all thus far are very good. They all have the key elements i am seeking, and each have their own special attributes which make them stand out against one another. So we'll see. I think 3 or 4 choices is good to have. Also, i have spoken w/3 of my professors from undergrad and all have happily agreed to write letters of recommendation for me- which makes me soo happy! All 3 were my top pick for those letters, which is even better, becase often times if the prof is on leave or sebatical they refrain, but i got lucky! Plus, one of those professors is one which i had while overseas in Athens. Because i became close w/her and keep in touch w/her often, she agreed as well; i think this will help my impression on the grad schools because it highlights my abroad studies, my ambition, and so many other things. Right now, im working on puttin together all that i need for those 4 applications; next on my list is all the essays, specifically the statements of purpose/letters of intent, i.e. why i want to attend that school and why i am pursuing what i am. Plus, i am trying to study enough for the GRE so that i am well-prepared for the exam and do better. I have a great undergrad GPA, but schools also often look at the GRE scores at a parallel level, so i am pretty stressed about doing well.
Tomorrow night I am going to the opening of the 4th Harry Potter movie- The Goblet of Fire! I have read all 6 books in the series and thereafter seen all 3 previous movies and absolutely loved them. I am going to the film w/Nate, Steven (my bro), his friend Jeff, Adam (Nate's older bro), and Adam's girlfriend Ildico (yes, weird German name). It's always more fun to go to these big releases in groups! I have to buy advance tickets though, otherwise it will probably sell out- so wish my luck tomorrow morning! haha...
On Saturday night is my cousin Eric's band, The Alarmists' show in dinkytown at the Kitty Kat Klub. Im planning to go to that w/Nate, and possibly my cousins Lisa and Julie if they can make it up from Mankato. Eric's band is kinda loud live, so i'm remembering to bring tissue for my ears that i can actually hear the music properly (thanks for the tip uncle Jon - no offense Eric! i just wear 'em to enjoy better! hehe..) If i can remember the website for the band, sometime i'll put it up as a link on my blog.
That's the low-down for the moment! :)
Happy Thanksgiving next week! Gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble........
chris
Well, Minneapolis and much of MN had its first real snowfall 2 days ago. The grass is still white w/o mess of slush just yet, but there is ice here and there, and the tree are sprinkled w/that icy brown and white. It looks nice, but it sure as hell is cold- and it happened overnight! We flirted with 70's last week and now we're feeling the 2 and 3 degrees with windchill. That's MN weather in one of it's finest examples.
I quit my nannying job recently, which has proved to be a very good choice, despite the difficulty of making the decision and then carrying it out. I am much happier now and doing precisely what i want to be doing, and progressing with my personal goals, for which i had little to no time while nannying. I thought the job was perfect, but i guess you just never know until you actually are doing it and give it some time.
Now, i have multiple projects, and am also seeking PT paid work so that i can manage my projects and pay the bills until next August, at which time i hope to be leaving for graduate school. I have a few job prospects, 3 to be precise, but one doesnt want to pay me enough nor hire more than temporary (already had the interview), and the other 2 i've yet to hear from, but will be in contact over the next week or so. Here's hoping. If none of the 3 work out, i will just keep truckin until i find something.
My current projects are: studying for the GRE (Graduate Record Exam, entrance exam for grad schools, like the SAT or ACT, only for college grads) which i take next Wed, or the day before Thanksgiving; finishing my last, lonely 1 credit paper to officially graduate from the U; keeping up my Latin and French by continuing to read and translate (I will need these in grad school, call it post-bac or grad-prep work); volunteer interning at the Golden Valley Historical Society Museum; soon-to-be volunteering (potential intern for spring) for the Minnesota Center for Photography here in Mpls; and of course, managing my slow healing process for my hand, for which i have finally finished 2 rounds of physical therapy and have the doc's ok to continue on my own. Yes, it seems that i have alot on my plate without the a job, but i need that too, and believe me, i do have the time and like to keep busy. Besides, it's even better to keep busy, if not busier during the winter because everyone gets so lazy and depressed in the cold weather! Gotta keep moving to avoid the winter blues and chill in your spine!
My current internship for at the Golden Valley Historical Society Museum (GVHSM, henceforth) is going well. I started it a few weeks ago and i really like it alot. I spend about 4-6 hrs/week at the museum going through historical documents and artifacts relating to Golden Valley, sorting them, labeling if necessary, writing archival data in a log (which I will eventually put into a computer database), and then when all of the, what are now boxes of stuff are sorted, labeled, and archived, i will help choose and setup display pieces in the museum! Essentially, i am helping this fairly new museum get on its feet, get organized, and get set up so that the public can eventually visit. I think that this might be exactly what i want to do after i get my grad degree, only at a bigger museum and in a dept which i will specialize in. Right now my interests are ancient western art (which i have studied much of already as an undergrad) or photography (but not sure what specialty). Perhaps i could do a bit of both, but concentrate on one. This is one opportunity for which i am very grateful to have been given a chance to participate and to have found.
An update on my grad school search and application process is this: I have finally narrowed down my choices, after much research and consideration, to 4 schools. I have chosen to apply to the Art History programs of 1) Bryn Mawr College (just outside Philidelphia), 2) Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, 3) Brown Univ. (Providence, RI), and 4) Ohio St @ Columbus. All are reputable schools, so im nervous, especially about Brown. I would gladly attend the top 3, and ohio is kinda my fall-back; i have had a hard time deciding my top pick or order of choice because my impressions of them all thus far are very good. They all have the key elements i am seeking, and each have their own special attributes which make them stand out against one another. So we'll see. I think 3 or 4 choices is good to have. Also, i have spoken w/3 of my professors from undergrad and all have happily agreed to write letters of recommendation for me- which makes me soo happy! All 3 were my top pick for those letters, which is even better, becase often times if the prof is on leave or sebatical they refrain, but i got lucky! Plus, one of those professors is one which i had while overseas in Athens. Because i became close w/her and keep in touch w/her often, she agreed as well; i think this will help my impression on the grad schools because it highlights my abroad studies, my ambition, and so many other things. Right now, im working on puttin together all that i need for those 4 applications; next on my list is all the essays, specifically the statements of purpose/letters of intent, i.e. why i want to attend that school and why i am pursuing what i am. Plus, i am trying to study enough for the GRE so that i am well-prepared for the exam and do better. I have a great undergrad GPA, but schools also often look at the GRE scores at a parallel level, so i am pretty stressed about doing well.
Tomorrow night I am going to the opening of the 4th Harry Potter movie- The Goblet of Fire! I have read all 6 books in the series and thereafter seen all 3 previous movies and absolutely loved them. I am going to the film w/Nate, Steven (my bro), his friend Jeff, Adam (Nate's older bro), and Adam's girlfriend Ildico (yes, weird German name). It's always more fun to go to these big releases in groups! I have to buy advance tickets though, otherwise it will probably sell out- so wish my luck tomorrow morning! haha...
On Saturday night is my cousin Eric's band, The Alarmists' show in dinkytown at the Kitty Kat Klub. Im planning to go to that w/Nate, and possibly my cousins Lisa and Julie if they can make it up from Mankato. Eric's band is kinda loud live, so i'm remembering to bring tissue for my ears that i can actually hear the music properly (thanks for the tip uncle Jon - no offense Eric! i just wear 'em to enjoy better! hehe..) If i can remember the website for the band, sometime i'll put it up as a link on my blog.
That's the low-down for the moment! :)
Happy Thanksgiving next week! Gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble........
chris
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
October is here! - what am i doing these days?!
Greetings everyone!
Sorry for the huge gap in my blogging! I got some complaints about my slacking (thanks for the nudge auntie Mary), so here i am again!
Last time you heard from me i was at the end of my spring semester of undergrad this year, back in MAY! Life has taken some twists and turns since then.
Well, i didn't quite finish/graduate this spring. i have one more one credit paper that i am currently working on finishing that i intended to get done over the summer, but between a few things did not happen. I am pushing myself more than ever now because i this paper is a possible contender for a writing sample for graduate admissions applications this winter. So, wish me luck on that.
The end of May was an important turning point for me with the pain and trouble in my left hand: i had surgery. One week after final exams i went under the knife to endure arthroscopic corrective surgery in my left wrist. Since then i have had a difficult time typing, which is one major reason i have not posted to this blog since then. Over the summer i wore a hard cast and then soft, and then a splint which i still need to wear occasionally. It's pretty purple, but that doesnt make me feel a whole lot better about the pain. I have also gone through 6 weeks of physical therapy in august-september, which resulted in a dramatic decrease in skin sensitivity and external pain. however, internal pain, obviously the most important, decreased somewhat and then spiked back up to barely tolerable at times in the last week of therapy. So w/that bad news, i went for my follow-up w/the surgeon doc this past monday to get to the bottom of this. He said that i should definitely be doing much better and that the next course of action is 6 more weeks of therapy, then possible 2nd arthogram (special xray-like thing to see muscles), and hopefully not, and 2nd surgery- which i DO NOT want. i would rather do therapy for 2 years before more surgery. So that's my hand situation in a nutshell. Post, surgery was very difficult, as those of you who have had it know. it presents all sorts of foreign challenges to the body and mind such as: helplessness, deeper dependence on others, and every day task struggles. I wont go into detail this time, so let's just say that i got weapy w/the doctor when he told me i might have to do that all over again. so, it's a constant struggle that im battling- and trying to be as resilient as possible.
whew!
i feel like i have so much to say!
Over the summer i did not make it to the dig (archaeological excavation, if you will) i was accepted to (and would have gone for free except airfare) :( and would have had a great leadership position in SW France. oh well. surgery was necessary. so instead, as soon as my hand was marginally useful i found a job a the U of M scanning 2-300 year old books into archival databases in the sub-basement of Wilson library. That was the most boring job i have ever held, except when we got cool books. all i did was flip, click, flip, click for 8 hours a day; in case that wasnt clear: i flipped pages and clicked a mouse on the computer. BO-RING. well, i got paid 12$/hr to do it, so that wasnt bad.
When that job ended in august i took the month off to find a more suitable, permanant job for the year. I am taking the year off from school to live in the real world and learn the ways of the world, as my parents say. Not to mention, i certainly wasn't decided what path i wanted to take w/my undergrad degree, so i needed time off to think, finish my paper, study for and take the GRE exam (was in Athens when it was offered last fall), etc.
Through all my searching and all my resume dropping, i kept seeing and hearing about nannying and tutoring, which is something i had never really done but wanted to try it. So, i did.
I got a job as a nanny/household manager for a family in Chanhassen w/ 12 and 14 yr old kids; one boy one girl. The parents are very wealthy, which makes sense if theyre going to have a nanny and someone to run their house. The mom is a senior VP for Best Buy (her dad started/owns Best Buy), and the dad (well, and mom) own a winery called Fantesca out in Napa Valley, CA, which is just up and running in the last few years. The family is extremely nice and great, but they definitely are high-maintenance and need the help. I'm not sure how much info on them is polite, so ill leave it at that.
It has been a big adjustment for me in many ways. I have to be out in Chanhassen at 630am every weekday (25miles away), i work a few hrs every morning, and then later again around 230 in the afternoon through dinner time. I sometimes do overnight, which means im away from my friends and family even in my lazy hours. i drive, easily, 400+ miles/week and it can often be very anti-social because i am at their house all day sometimes. of course, making phone calls, receiving service persons, etc is some socialness, but it's very minimal. remember, im used to Perkins where im talking to ppl/customers all day long and around other servers/cooks with whom i am in close quarters and talk to all day. so, yes, i know real jobs can be fairly independent, but it's a change ive had to adjust to- so dont be too hard on me!
Overall, i like the job, it's great pay, im supporting myself well, but im not getting my paper done or studying enough for the GRE, and im exhausted all the time and see nate/friends/family alot less. it's a trade off and im learning to adjust my time. I think this is great experience of what it's like to be in charge of a household and keeping it running smoothly, and also what it's like to cart teenagers around everywhere. it really makes me appreciate all those rides growing up!!!! Thanks mom and dad! Let's just say it's a great lesson in leadership, decision-making, problem-solving (like when my car died and i had to get kids places and had no one to come rescue me.... and i did it!), and just plain hard work.
As for plans, i am looking at Art History graduate programs across the board because i am leaning towards a career in museum work. i have spoken with some professors and other professionals about how to go about this, and based on what i have for background and what i want, it looks like Art Hist. is my destined path at the moment. i dont have any particular schools picked out yet to which i am applying, but im narrowing it down slowly as i research programs, professors, facilities, location, etc. I also have to take into account the 'nate factor'. Nate's graduating (for sure!! yay!) in december and is job searching, applying, and interviewing this fall already for positions in computer science. so, we have to work that out as well.
Right now, i am about to start volunteering for the Minnesota Center for Photography in Mpls, near where i live, which is a gallery that puts on photo exhibitions, lectures, and has regular exhibits as well. In the spring i will be vying for an internship position w/them, which sounds promising. And other potential opportunities for me that i know of are the MIA intership to which i had applied in the spring for a summer internship, but they weren't taking interns due to their summer-fall 05 renovations + spring 06 moving and re-situating within the museum. So, i was encouraged to reapply for summer 06. So we'll see about all this, but i am at least hoping and pursuing.
This saturday Nate and I are finally going to use the free Minnesota Zephyr train tickets his dad gave us a couple years ago. it's a 4-5 hr train ride through MN on the antique, preserved train with semi-formal dresscode and 5-course meal! i have been looking forward to that date for weeks! im really excited to get out and do something fun like that. fall colors are piquing, unless the frost gets to it before saturday....boo on that.
oh yeah- also, i am currently living w/one of my closest, long-time friends, Laura. We finally found time in our busy college years to live w/each other for a few months before she heads out to DC for an internship in january. it's really nice living w/someone you know and already trust before moving in together, which is a great and comfortable change for me. however, it seems like we see each other almost less than when we lived apart! we have such differing schedules that it's almost impossible to sit down and eat or chat for more than 10-15 mins! i still like knowing that she's around though.
well, that's my update for now. i think i have said alot, so feel free to post me a msg or drop me an email @: mcca0465@umn.edu or mucacann@hotmail.com
take care and happy autumn :)
Sorry for the huge gap in my blogging! I got some complaints about my slacking (thanks for the nudge auntie Mary), so here i am again!
Last time you heard from me i was at the end of my spring semester of undergrad this year, back in MAY! Life has taken some twists and turns since then.
Well, i didn't quite finish/graduate this spring. i have one more one credit paper that i am currently working on finishing that i intended to get done over the summer, but between a few things did not happen. I am pushing myself more than ever now because i this paper is a possible contender for a writing sample for graduate admissions applications this winter. So, wish me luck on that.
The end of May was an important turning point for me with the pain and trouble in my left hand: i had surgery. One week after final exams i went under the knife to endure arthroscopic corrective surgery in my left wrist. Since then i have had a difficult time typing, which is one major reason i have not posted to this blog since then. Over the summer i wore a hard cast and then soft, and then a splint which i still need to wear occasionally. It's pretty purple, but that doesnt make me feel a whole lot better about the pain. I have also gone through 6 weeks of physical therapy in august-september, which resulted in a dramatic decrease in skin sensitivity and external pain. however, internal pain, obviously the most important, decreased somewhat and then spiked back up to barely tolerable at times in the last week of therapy. So w/that bad news, i went for my follow-up w/the surgeon doc this past monday to get to the bottom of this. He said that i should definitely be doing much better and that the next course of action is 6 more weeks of therapy, then possible 2nd arthogram (special xray-like thing to see muscles), and hopefully not, and 2nd surgery- which i DO NOT want. i would rather do therapy for 2 years before more surgery. So that's my hand situation in a nutshell. Post, surgery was very difficult, as those of you who have had it know. it presents all sorts of foreign challenges to the body and mind such as: helplessness, deeper dependence on others, and every day task struggles. I wont go into detail this time, so let's just say that i got weapy w/the doctor when he told me i might have to do that all over again. so, it's a constant struggle that im battling- and trying to be as resilient as possible.
whew!
i feel like i have so much to say!
Over the summer i did not make it to the dig (archaeological excavation, if you will) i was accepted to (and would have gone for free except airfare) :( and would have had a great leadership position in SW France. oh well. surgery was necessary. so instead, as soon as my hand was marginally useful i found a job a the U of M scanning 2-300 year old books into archival databases in the sub-basement of Wilson library. That was the most boring job i have ever held, except when we got cool books. all i did was flip, click, flip, click for 8 hours a day; in case that wasnt clear: i flipped pages and clicked a mouse on the computer. BO-RING. well, i got paid 12$/hr to do it, so that wasnt bad.
When that job ended in august i took the month off to find a more suitable, permanant job for the year. I am taking the year off from school to live in the real world and learn the ways of the world, as my parents say. Not to mention, i certainly wasn't decided what path i wanted to take w/my undergrad degree, so i needed time off to think, finish my paper, study for and take the GRE exam (was in Athens when it was offered last fall), etc.
Through all my searching and all my resume dropping, i kept seeing and hearing about nannying and tutoring, which is something i had never really done but wanted to try it. So, i did.
I got a job as a nanny/household manager for a family in Chanhassen w/ 12 and 14 yr old kids; one boy one girl. The parents are very wealthy, which makes sense if theyre going to have a nanny and someone to run their house. The mom is a senior VP for Best Buy (her dad started/owns Best Buy), and the dad (well, and mom) own a winery called Fantesca out in Napa Valley, CA, which is just up and running in the last few years. The family is extremely nice and great, but they definitely are high-maintenance and need the help. I'm not sure how much info on them is polite, so ill leave it at that.
It has been a big adjustment for me in many ways. I have to be out in Chanhassen at 630am every weekday (25miles away), i work a few hrs every morning, and then later again around 230 in the afternoon through dinner time. I sometimes do overnight, which means im away from my friends and family even in my lazy hours. i drive, easily, 400+ miles/week and it can often be very anti-social because i am at their house all day sometimes. of course, making phone calls, receiving service persons, etc is some socialness, but it's very minimal. remember, im used to Perkins where im talking to ppl/customers all day long and around other servers/cooks with whom i am in close quarters and talk to all day. so, yes, i know real jobs can be fairly independent, but it's a change ive had to adjust to- so dont be too hard on me!
Overall, i like the job, it's great pay, im supporting myself well, but im not getting my paper done or studying enough for the GRE, and im exhausted all the time and see nate/friends/family alot less. it's a trade off and im learning to adjust my time. I think this is great experience of what it's like to be in charge of a household and keeping it running smoothly, and also what it's like to cart teenagers around everywhere. it really makes me appreciate all those rides growing up!!!! Thanks mom and dad! Let's just say it's a great lesson in leadership, decision-making, problem-solving (like when my car died and i had to get kids places and had no one to come rescue me.... and i did it!), and just plain hard work.
As for plans, i am looking at Art History graduate programs across the board because i am leaning towards a career in museum work. i have spoken with some professors and other professionals about how to go about this, and based on what i have for background and what i want, it looks like Art Hist. is my destined path at the moment. i dont have any particular schools picked out yet to which i am applying, but im narrowing it down slowly as i research programs, professors, facilities, location, etc. I also have to take into account the 'nate factor'. Nate's graduating (for sure!! yay!) in december and is job searching, applying, and interviewing this fall already for positions in computer science. so, we have to work that out as well.
Right now, i am about to start volunteering for the Minnesota Center for Photography in Mpls, near where i live, which is a gallery that puts on photo exhibitions, lectures, and has regular exhibits as well. In the spring i will be vying for an internship position w/them, which sounds promising. And other potential opportunities for me that i know of are the MIA intership to which i had applied in the spring for a summer internship, but they weren't taking interns due to their summer-fall 05 renovations + spring 06 moving and re-situating within the museum. So, i was encouraged to reapply for summer 06. So we'll see about all this, but i am at least hoping and pursuing.
This saturday Nate and I are finally going to use the free Minnesota Zephyr train tickets his dad gave us a couple years ago. it's a 4-5 hr train ride through MN on the antique, preserved train with semi-formal dresscode and 5-course meal! i have been looking forward to that date for weeks! im really excited to get out and do something fun like that. fall colors are piquing, unless the frost gets to it before saturday....boo on that.
oh yeah- also, i am currently living w/one of my closest, long-time friends, Laura. We finally found time in our busy college years to live w/each other for a few months before she heads out to DC for an internship in january. it's really nice living w/someone you know and already trust before moving in together, which is a great and comfortable change for me. however, it seems like we see each other almost less than when we lived apart! we have such differing schedules that it's almost impossible to sit down and eat or chat for more than 10-15 mins! i still like knowing that she's around though.
well, that's my update for now. i think i have said alot, so feel free to post me a msg or drop me an email @: mcca0465@umn.edu or mucacann@hotmail.com
take care and happy autumn :)
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
word of the day: labile
labile: Open to change; apt or likely to change; adaptable.
So, i officially have 3 more days of classes as an undergrad, and 5 more days after that of finals. College have truly gone by in the blink of an eye. hence, my vocabulary word. My life, very soon, is going to move onto its next phase: graduate status, holder of a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology and a minor in Latin. what exactly am i going to do with that? well, we'll just have to wait and see, wont we? my dad thinks that i am going to become an accountant like his at work, who studied archaeology for 10years and well...is now a pudgy accountant who loves Famous Daves.
No; he doesnt really- but my dad does like to tell me about this guy every chance he gets, and i dont mind cuz it is pretty funny.
I have 2 big papers left to finish (of which are mostly done), one small Latin writing assignment, and one Latin final left---and then im allllll done!! hooooraaaaaaaaaay!! and... *sigh...... so sad!
Recently, i was accepted and inducted into the official nerd club of america: Eta Sigma Phi National Classics Honorary Society. it was so exciting to be recognized for all of my good grades and 'achievements' in Latin!! The induction ceremony was Monday the 2nd of May, in which we had a bit of a 'candle and book' meeting, so to speak. All of the inductees, including myself, were officially announced as members after being crowned with an ivy wreath, shaking hands with the club president, and affirming vows of sanctity and loyalty to the society. it was AWESOME!! when Nate picked me up afterward, seeing my exclusive, special crown, i noted that he seemed jealous and thought i'd ask what he thought. he promptly shook his head, hung it, and sighed. i think he was just jealous of my sweet wreath....
If you havent seen the movie: "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy," you should!!
On thursday i am going to see Jason Mraz, (for the second time), perform at Coffmann [Student Union]. im pretty pumped for that, esp since the first show i saw a couple years ago was really good. he does much more improv and unknown material than his popped-up albums.
Congrats Laura for getting your internship in D.C. for next year!!! Way to go! i knew you could do it!!!
that's all for now
[dont forget to call or visit your mothers on Sunday!!!]
So, i officially have 3 more days of classes as an undergrad, and 5 more days after that of finals. College have truly gone by in the blink of an eye. hence, my vocabulary word. My life, very soon, is going to move onto its next phase: graduate status, holder of a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology and a minor in Latin. what exactly am i going to do with that? well, we'll just have to wait and see, wont we? my dad thinks that i am going to become an accountant like his at work, who studied archaeology for 10years and well...is now a pudgy accountant who loves Famous Daves.
No; he doesnt really- but my dad does like to tell me about this guy every chance he gets, and i dont mind cuz it is pretty funny.
I have 2 big papers left to finish (of which are mostly done), one small Latin writing assignment, and one Latin final left---and then im allllll done!! hooooraaaaaaaaaay!! and... *sigh...... so sad!
Recently, i was accepted and inducted into the official nerd club of america: Eta Sigma Phi National Classics Honorary Society. it was so exciting to be recognized for all of my good grades and 'achievements' in Latin!! The induction ceremony was Monday the 2nd of May, in which we had a bit of a 'candle and book' meeting, so to speak. All of the inductees, including myself, were officially announced as members after being crowned with an ivy wreath, shaking hands with the club president, and affirming vows of sanctity and loyalty to the society. it was AWESOME!! when Nate picked me up afterward, seeing my exclusive, special crown, i noted that he seemed jealous and thought i'd ask what he thought. he promptly shook his head, hung it, and sighed. i think he was just jealous of my sweet wreath....
If you havent seen the movie: "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy," you should!!
On thursday i am going to see Jason Mraz, (for the second time), perform at Coffmann [Student Union]. im pretty pumped for that, esp since the first show i saw a couple years ago was really good. he does much more improv and unknown material than his popped-up albums.
Congrats Laura for getting your internship in D.C. for next year!!! Way to go! i knew you could do it!!!
that's all for now
[dont forget to call or visit your mothers on Sunday!!!]
Monday, April 11, 2005
not Panglossian, but certainly optimistic and happy
hello all
to all those with whom ive been keeping up: it's been so wonderful to hear and see you.
to all those with whom i have indeed not been keeping up: i am deeply sorry- it's april of my senior year of college, what do you expect??? hope to hear/see you soon :)
with that said...
i'll get my biggest news out of the way first.
last wednesday i went to my final followup regarding my hand issues. i saw my specialist and then also met his colleague, a surgeon. as it turns out he will be MY surgeon. yes, the verdict is in: i need surgery to fix my ever-aching hand. on of monday, may 23rd i will be having that surgery. ppl keep asking me how i feel about it, and my only response is indifference right now. i say this because all the positive and negative consequences seem to be balancing each other right now and im not really weighing to one side or the other. naturally, of course, i am VERY glad that i am finally getting some serious fix-up to the damn thing. FINALLY. this is GOOD.
On the bright side, it is with good odds that i may again have a normally usable left hand. this means that simply tasks like washing dishes, washing my hair, opening doors, riding a bicycle, putting on my backpack, driving, [typing, as im doing now], etc may once again be niether a strenuous and nor stressful task. not to mention all the over-use that my right hand has to make up for lack of use of the other, thus making that one hurt as well. a nice balance again would certainly be great.
Also, i will not have to worry about finding a job of which i am physically capable; this has been a big worry of mine since quitting Perkins, starting another job in an office, and still having issues despite the simplicity of tasks. i think ive found a job for the summer and possible fall (hopefully while interning at MIA, Minneapolis Institute of Arts) that can just get me by while focusing attention on the internship. however, it requires that i have much more use of my left hand; so, again, surgery is positive, provided there are positive results.
Last, but not surely not least, i can resume my normal, beloved activites and hobbies, and join in those activities that i miss or would like to do again. some of these include: [rock] climbing w/nate and his brothers (they are avid climbers and do it all the time) which also means spending more fun, quality time with those guys; riding my bicycle and motorcycle more often (cant lean on my left hand for very even a few minutes sometimes right now); perhaps waterskiing and tubing again w/the fam (hangin onto the rope); diving intramurally or recrationally; and so much more.
let's just say that i'm very glad to have this done, despite the nervousness and anxiety about any surgery. there's always a risk. i keep telling myself that the worst that could happen is that my hand gets messed up forever, because if this happened, it would have been like that anyway w/o the surgery. so... i think in the end the surgery is worth it.
So: YAY! :)
There are, as there would be w/anything major like this, some downfalls that i will mention, despite my hesitation to dwell on them.
I previously was planning to participate in another excavation this summer; this time in SW France on a Roman dig. this now cannot happen due to the surgery; i simply feel that i wont be ready. my hand is going to be in a sling and splint for at least 2 weeks, and then 3-4 weeks is supposed to be allotted for my arm/hand to rest and recover further w/o the bracing. hence, trying to lug baggage half-way around the world alone, and of course the digging doesnt look like such a great way to treat my hand during an important healing process. i was, of course, not too thrilled about this aspect of the whole thing. however, in some ways it's good. i think that w/all my travels in this past year, i kind of want a summer off to spend time w/family and friends at home, especially before becoming submerged in an intense internship in the fall. i do NOT want to burn out. thus, losing my opportunity in France is not a complete 'loss.'
So that's my biggest news: hand surgery in late May, and no France this summer.
There is some irony to the story, however. Nate has a condition in his hand called 'Ganglion cists.' They are often reoccurring, even after treatment and/or surgery. he has had some treatment and one surgery in the past to remove the [most often benign] cist on top of his right hand/wrist in the past, but it has come back and again needs surgery. Nate needs his surgery soon too, but fortunately the cist doesnt hurt him at all; it's simply a big, unsightly bulge on the top of his hand, which can get in the way or occasionally ache.
So, he's decided to have his surgery a few weeks after my surgery. i cant help laughing, honestly. picture a couple, 2 people, walking side by side down the street, both in slings. besides the sympathy feelings, doesnt it just sounds kind of hilarious?? hehe.... At least we can plan our surgeries in such a way as to mostly avoid this, and also in such a way as to be able to help each other while put out of commission for a while. i think that after he helps take care of me during my post-op issues, helping him will simply be routine in the reverse.
what do ya have to say to that??! at least it's all going to be over soon.
As for school, i think in the next two weeks i am going to start losing my marbles in the last few stressful weeks of college. i have my senior research paper to finish and another large research paper to write as well, but less intense. of course, i 2 classes on top of that, one pass/fail grading, and one latin course which completes my Latin minor. the former i am really starting to neglect and not care about simply because i have to pass only, and the latter i am doing just fine in and surprise myself constantly at how much latin i truly have learned. so i am primarily focusing on the papers, which will soon be consuming all of my extra free time.
Recently i have read Harry Potter years 2 and 3, which have been absolutely spectacular! i read year 1 last summer while traveling in europe and loved it, and simply havent gotten around to reading the next few. i wish they had existed when i was younger, but i am thoroughly enjoying them nevertheless now! they have even started to give me weird, vivid dreams!! i end up not sleeping well because my brain tries to continue the dream and follow the plotline in the dream which results in less quality sleep (lack of REM cycles)!!!! sheeeesh!! ive started year 4, which my brother Steven claims is probably the best so far (including year 5), and hopefully i will finish that one soon enough. im just starting to think that maybe drowning myself in my paper research might be a good idea as a break from Harry Potter, no less!! maybe ill sleep better!! hahaah....
it's late now that i have been typing forever and ever, so i'll end it here for now.
sleeeepy...
to all those with whom ive been keeping up: it's been so wonderful to hear and see you.
to all those with whom i have indeed not been keeping up: i am deeply sorry- it's april of my senior year of college, what do you expect??? hope to hear/see you soon :)
with that said...
i'll get my biggest news out of the way first.
last wednesday i went to my final followup regarding my hand issues. i saw my specialist and then also met his colleague, a surgeon. as it turns out he will be MY surgeon. yes, the verdict is in: i need surgery to fix my ever-aching hand. on of monday, may 23rd i will be having that surgery. ppl keep asking me how i feel about it, and my only response is indifference right now. i say this because all the positive and negative consequences seem to be balancing each other right now and im not really weighing to one side or the other. naturally, of course, i am VERY glad that i am finally getting some serious fix-up to the damn thing. FINALLY. this is GOOD.
On the bright side, it is with good odds that i may again have a normally usable left hand. this means that simply tasks like washing dishes, washing my hair, opening doors, riding a bicycle, putting on my backpack, driving, [typing, as im doing now], etc may once again be niether a strenuous and nor stressful task. not to mention all the over-use that my right hand has to make up for lack of use of the other, thus making that one hurt as well. a nice balance again would certainly be great.
Also, i will not have to worry about finding a job of which i am physically capable; this has been a big worry of mine since quitting Perkins, starting another job in an office, and still having issues despite the simplicity of tasks. i think ive found a job for the summer and possible fall (hopefully while interning at MIA, Minneapolis Institute of Arts) that can just get me by while focusing attention on the internship. however, it requires that i have much more use of my left hand; so, again, surgery is positive, provided there are positive results.
Last, but not surely not least, i can resume my normal, beloved activites and hobbies, and join in those activities that i miss or would like to do again. some of these include: [rock] climbing w/nate and his brothers (they are avid climbers and do it all the time) which also means spending more fun, quality time with those guys; riding my bicycle and motorcycle more often (cant lean on my left hand for very even a few minutes sometimes right now); perhaps waterskiing and tubing again w/the fam (hangin onto the rope); diving intramurally or recrationally; and so much more.
let's just say that i'm very glad to have this done, despite the nervousness and anxiety about any surgery. there's always a risk. i keep telling myself that the worst that could happen is that my hand gets messed up forever, because if this happened, it would have been like that anyway w/o the surgery. so... i think in the end the surgery is worth it.
So: YAY! :)
There are, as there would be w/anything major like this, some downfalls that i will mention, despite my hesitation to dwell on them.
I previously was planning to participate in another excavation this summer; this time in SW France on a Roman dig. this now cannot happen due to the surgery; i simply feel that i wont be ready. my hand is going to be in a sling and splint for at least 2 weeks, and then 3-4 weeks is supposed to be allotted for my arm/hand to rest and recover further w/o the bracing. hence, trying to lug baggage half-way around the world alone, and of course the digging doesnt look like such a great way to treat my hand during an important healing process. i was, of course, not too thrilled about this aspect of the whole thing. however, in some ways it's good. i think that w/all my travels in this past year, i kind of want a summer off to spend time w/family and friends at home, especially before becoming submerged in an intense internship in the fall. i do NOT want to burn out. thus, losing my opportunity in France is not a complete 'loss.'
So that's my biggest news: hand surgery in late May, and no France this summer.
There is some irony to the story, however. Nate has a condition in his hand called 'Ganglion cists.' They are often reoccurring, even after treatment and/or surgery. he has had some treatment and one surgery in the past to remove the [most often benign] cist on top of his right hand/wrist in the past, but it has come back and again needs surgery. Nate needs his surgery soon too, but fortunately the cist doesnt hurt him at all; it's simply a big, unsightly bulge on the top of his hand, which can get in the way or occasionally ache.
So, he's decided to have his surgery a few weeks after my surgery. i cant help laughing, honestly. picture a couple, 2 people, walking side by side down the street, both in slings. besides the sympathy feelings, doesnt it just sounds kind of hilarious?? hehe.... At least we can plan our surgeries in such a way as to mostly avoid this, and also in such a way as to be able to help each other while put out of commission for a while. i think that after he helps take care of me during my post-op issues, helping him will simply be routine in the reverse.
what do ya have to say to that??! at least it's all going to be over soon.
As for school, i think in the next two weeks i am going to start losing my marbles in the last few stressful weeks of college. i have my senior research paper to finish and another large research paper to write as well, but less intense. of course, i 2 classes on top of that, one pass/fail grading, and one latin course which completes my Latin minor. the former i am really starting to neglect and not care about simply because i have to pass only, and the latter i am doing just fine in and surprise myself constantly at how much latin i truly have learned. so i am primarily focusing on the papers, which will soon be consuming all of my extra free time.
Recently i have read Harry Potter years 2 and 3, which have been absolutely spectacular! i read year 1 last summer while traveling in europe and loved it, and simply havent gotten around to reading the next few. i wish they had existed when i was younger, but i am thoroughly enjoying them nevertheless now! they have even started to give me weird, vivid dreams!! i end up not sleeping well because my brain tries to continue the dream and follow the plotline in the dream which results in less quality sleep (lack of REM cycles)!!!! sheeeesh!! ive started year 4, which my brother Steven claims is probably the best so far (including year 5), and hopefully i will finish that one soon enough. im just starting to think that maybe drowning myself in my paper research might be a good idea as a break from Harry Potter, no less!! maybe ill sleep better!! hahaah....
it's late now that i have been typing forever and ever, so i'll end it here for now.
sleeeepy...
Friday, April 08, 2005
Yer mom goes to college....
So it's late, but i thought i'd say hi, esp since i havent in so long.
HI
Nate wont be around to bother me this weekend (goin home to rochester) and emily (my roomie) hopefully will be out on a date...or two...w/her new hopeful named none other than....Nate. so, perhaps ill make myself sit down at my comp and actually write something interesting for all u plethera of readers out there.
here's the brief update, to be explained in toto soon....
-no france this summer
why?
-hand surgery: mon. may 23rd
-latin midterm yesterday: awesome. nate says im good at it for some reason
-days ridden motorcycle yet: zero (what the hell is wrong w/me???!!!)
-days ridden bicycle yet: zero...well, 5 minutes in the cul-de-sac (cant find my lock!)
-hours basking in the sun on my apt deck (i love decks): all day today (except one class and an hour @the library)
-# of qtips left in my jumbo-sized 750ct box: 730 (approximately- you think i actually counted???)
-nights i got more than 8hrs of sleep lately: zeeeero. typical. *shakes head
-i saw 'Finding Neverland' which was awwwwwwwwwwesome
-and 'Closer' which was surprisingly realistic and good
-finished first 3 books of harry potter
-sprained ankle is VERY slowly 'getting better'
well, that was random
gnite
HI
Nate wont be around to bother me this weekend (goin home to rochester) and emily (my roomie) hopefully will be out on a date...or two...w/her new hopeful named none other than....Nate. so, perhaps ill make myself sit down at my comp and actually write something interesting for all u plethera of readers out there.
here's the brief update, to be explained in toto soon....
-no france this summer
why?
-hand surgery: mon. may 23rd
-latin midterm yesterday: awesome. nate says im good at it for some reason
-days ridden motorcycle yet: zero (what the hell is wrong w/me???!!!)
-days ridden bicycle yet: zero...well, 5 minutes in the cul-de-sac (cant find my lock!)
-hours basking in the sun on my apt deck (i love decks): all day today (except one class and an hour @the library)
-# of qtips left in my jumbo-sized 750ct box: 730 (approximately- you think i actually counted???)
-nights i got more than 8hrs of sleep lately: zeeeero. typical. *shakes head
-i saw 'Finding Neverland' which was awwwwwwwwwwesome
-and 'Closer' which was surprisingly realistic and good
-finished first 3 books of harry potter
-sprained ankle is VERY slowly 'getting better'
well, that was random
gnite
Saturday, March 26, 2005
Day before Easter=homework
So, on what was a lovely day in minneapolis outside (getting into the 40's regularly now!) all i have done thus far is homework, of which i have done a large amount of tedious Major Project stuff- but im still not satisfied w/my day's accomplishments. maybe ill go for a moonlit walk w/nate or something; i mean, it WAS a full moon last night! At least the werewolves and other horrendous creatures stirred by the peak lunar movements have safely gone back to their dwellings. tonight would be a nice, safe night to go. hmm..
i havent completely decided whether im going this summer to france or not. i think the biggest factor is my hand; ive got to ask the director about what she thinks and how rigorous the activities and student assignments are. perhaps i can help in other activities which dont involve wheelbarrows, like last summer. also, more interesting info i have found out is that there are about 4-5 international students and approx. 20-25 university of Poitiers, France students w/some english also on the dig. good thing i took so much french, have kept it up moderately, and have latin in my reperatoire as well. all the language skill is certainly going to be of use, and make things much more fun because ill be able to interact socially so much more. plus, my roomie Emily speaks nearly fluent French because her mother is native Belgian and brought Em up on French and Dutch. SO- i can have as much help til then as i like. plus she mumbles french to herself all the time, which is quite amusing..., and i get reminded of forgotten words. sometimes ill be in the shower thinking about how a conversation would go in french, and mumbling to myself trying to talk it out, playing (of course) both sides of the dialogue. yes, it may seem strange, but it's more practice than no attempts at all. haha...
i thought it would be awesome to go to a different chruch service this year for Easter, but it depends. nate and i are still not sure if we're doin the annual Mankato migration tomorrow (depends on a project nate has due on Monday morning), so we'll see. i thought maybe the St Paul Cathedral would be awesome, despite the close quarters on EAster morning when the flooding of Catholics (and some others) who have forgotten the rest of the year's services, save xmas, come pouring in, much like everywhere else. so it wont really matter which chruch we go to- we'll be rubbing shoulders with the likes of em no matter what. i have never been to a service at St paul's, so we'll see. my dad suggested St. Agnes' church in Frogtown, where [Great-]Gramma Kathryn used to go when she was in town. They had Latin services, and if they still do- that would be AWESOME. i'll bet i'd understand half of it, despite the corruption of pronunciation by the Church. it's awesome that a modern church would preserve that tradition, esp for ppl like me, even though the idea that what was being said wasnt always understood by the average Joe/Jane. eh well- that's what progressive religion should do, right? adapt teaching methodology.
oh yeah, i'm not technically Catholic, (brought up Lutheran as many of you know), but i was told once by a Catholic family member that it was ok because i was at least baptized Catholic. pick pick pick. make of it as you will.
i suppose that's enough controversial and touchy topics for today.
the point is that Easter is tomorrow and i should celebrate too. having grown up on Catholic Easter mass, you could say that ive grown fond of it and miss it. i love all the formality, traditional'ness, loud and lovely music from above/behind, etc etc. i think i was actually sad the year i was stuck in a hotel bathroom w/my auntie Pat sick and puking, and missing the service. eeew, i know- sorry.
well, a week from Wednesday i'll find out whether the doc suggests surgery for my hand. i had a cortizone shot about a month ago, to start, and then have to follow up about that. it worked brilliantly for about 1.5 weeks, then back to square one. because it's a steroid, i cant take it forever or very frequently, thus im expecting an affirmative on the surgery- which im not very happy about. BUT, it could be worse, right? it's just going to be stressful in my decision about the dig in mid-june and fitting the surgery in b4 then and amid my last couple months of finishing school. so, hmm- guess we'll just take this one step at a time.
my foot that i sprained is healing nicely, and i have started walking normally on it, finally. it's still tender and gets tired more easily, but that's better than not walking on it at all!! so cheers to that.
well, it's been a wonderful study break, and i should probably get back to work. that's all the real news i have for now. i always love hearing from ppl via email, even if it's just one line (e.g. Scott!!! :)
take care
cheers
i havent completely decided whether im going this summer to france or not. i think the biggest factor is my hand; ive got to ask the director about what she thinks and how rigorous the activities and student assignments are. perhaps i can help in other activities which dont involve wheelbarrows, like last summer. also, more interesting info i have found out is that there are about 4-5 international students and approx. 20-25 university of Poitiers, France students w/some english also on the dig. good thing i took so much french, have kept it up moderately, and have latin in my reperatoire as well. all the language skill is certainly going to be of use, and make things much more fun because ill be able to interact socially so much more. plus, my roomie Emily speaks nearly fluent French because her mother is native Belgian and brought Em up on French and Dutch. SO- i can have as much help til then as i like. plus she mumbles french to herself all the time, which is quite amusing..., and i get reminded of forgotten words. sometimes ill be in the shower thinking about how a conversation would go in french, and mumbling to myself trying to talk it out, playing (of course) both sides of the dialogue. yes, it may seem strange, but it's more practice than no attempts at all. haha...
i thought it would be awesome to go to a different chruch service this year for Easter, but it depends. nate and i are still not sure if we're doin the annual Mankato migration tomorrow (depends on a project nate has due on Monday morning), so we'll see. i thought maybe the St Paul Cathedral would be awesome, despite the close quarters on EAster morning when the flooding of Catholics (and some others) who have forgotten the rest of the year's services, save xmas, come pouring in, much like everywhere else. so it wont really matter which chruch we go to- we'll be rubbing shoulders with the likes of em no matter what. i have never been to a service at St paul's, so we'll see. my dad suggested St. Agnes' church in Frogtown, where [Great-]Gramma Kathryn used to go when she was in town. They had Latin services, and if they still do- that would be AWESOME. i'll bet i'd understand half of it, despite the corruption of pronunciation by the Church. it's awesome that a modern church would preserve that tradition, esp for ppl like me, even though the idea that what was being said wasnt always understood by the average Joe/Jane. eh well- that's what progressive religion should do, right? adapt teaching methodology.
oh yeah, i'm not technically Catholic, (brought up Lutheran as many of you know), but i was told once by a Catholic family member that it was ok because i was at least baptized Catholic. pick pick pick. make of it as you will.
i suppose that's enough controversial and touchy topics for today.
the point is that Easter is tomorrow and i should celebrate too. having grown up on Catholic Easter mass, you could say that ive grown fond of it and miss it. i love all the formality, traditional'ness, loud and lovely music from above/behind, etc etc. i think i was actually sad the year i was stuck in a hotel bathroom w/my auntie Pat sick and puking, and missing the service. eeew, i know- sorry.
well, a week from Wednesday i'll find out whether the doc suggests surgery for my hand. i had a cortizone shot about a month ago, to start, and then have to follow up about that. it worked brilliantly for about 1.5 weeks, then back to square one. because it's a steroid, i cant take it forever or very frequently, thus im expecting an affirmative on the surgery- which im not very happy about. BUT, it could be worse, right? it's just going to be stressful in my decision about the dig in mid-june and fitting the surgery in b4 then and amid my last couple months of finishing school. so, hmm- guess we'll just take this one step at a time.
my foot that i sprained is healing nicely, and i have started walking normally on it, finally. it's still tender and gets tired more easily, but that's better than not walking on it at all!! so cheers to that.
well, it's been a wonderful study break, and i should probably get back to work. that's all the real news i have for now. i always love hearing from ppl via email, even if it's just one line (e.g. Scott!!! :)
take care
cheers
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Chillin on this final spring break
It didn't occur to me until just now that this week may very well be the last 'spring break' of my life.
Oh glorious spring breaks! Whence have you come, and to where have you gone?!
So i'm working on capitalization and punctuation. i really hate it in informal typing; it just takes up those extra miliseconds between thought and the buzz of my fingers on the keyboard which can inhibit my creative flow. so, i apologize for my past illegibility, and simply explain the inconsistency of any ensuing entries.
:)
Thus far on spring break (started last friday) i have done a total of.....
0 hours of homework
abundant hours of sleep
ridiculous amounts of sitting on my ass
watched at least 4 movies
gone to rochester to visit nate's family
took an evening at my own folks' place
not called my friends enough
spent mucho mucho time w/nate
much blank 'space for thought' time due to my ass-sitting
etc
etc
i would like to say that i basically began my spring break last tuesday evening. the reason is as follows:
i sprained my foot; yes, my foot, not my ankle. how does one do this you ask? well, apparently i did it on the treadmill last monday afternoon.
i run frequently or use the elipticals (running machine), so i didnt think anything of my normal workout that day, until tuesday about 12-1pm when my left foot started hurting so much i couldnt walk on it. i thought i just had a cramp or stepped wrong for a minute, but as it turns out my brushing it off was worthless.
nate drove me home from work that afternoon after i called him whimpering and almost crying in pain. oh, i felt fine when i sat down- which i just couldnt understand! and it was the whole outside of my foot and into the heel- how weird!
anyway, adam, nate's older bro, and laura were both coming over that night to make/eat indian food @my place w/nate, emily (roomate) and i- so i couldnt cancel on them and go to the doc!! miss indian food?? are you kidding me?!! so i toughed it out for the night and decided to see how the darn foot was the next day.
not so good; actually kinda worse.
so i stayed home, missing some work and a class, hoping upon hope that it would just go away. i didnt need another injury! especially w/my left hand being hurt and in pain too!! sheeeeesh!
so, around 7pm, i finally relented to going to the doc and nate took me. the doc said i have a sprained foot, which is technically a torn or stretched ligament. i told him i didnt understand how i got it and why i wounldnt feel it for 24 hours after doing it (i didnt recall running funny, or turning it, or anything!). he said that it was endorphines. ah, i see. damn. says it's common in runners.
i was offered no crutches or anything and simply told to keep it elevated and apply heat for 7-10 days. hence- i started my spring break early. i spose it's better than a broken foot!!!
so, i have a gimpy left side: sprained foot and torn cartilage in wrist. how awful! i keep thinking how thankful i am to have nate to take care of me so much and be around- plus emily is great too. also, work is very flexible. thank god i didnt have any big spring break plans! all i can really do i take a short walk once in a while...so im gonna try and use emily's exercise bike to pump my blood. i started to get so stir-crazy on wed-fri last week when all i was doing was hanging around!!!
other than these frustrations testing my resiliency, i toughed it out for a Flogging Molly show last thursday night, which was awesome- as they always are. it made me soo happy to get out of the apt!! nate helped me hobble to and from the bus downtown, or gave me piggy back rides- so i cant complain too much. ;)
i saw the old classic movie "Patton" this weekend w/nate's fam, and it was pretty awesome for a war movie. it wasnt so much enwrapped in the war for the blood of it aspect, but for the character of the people, esp. General George Patton. He thinks he's some type of reincarnated military general from over milennia, which made him quite a nerdy subject for me to examine. for example he thought he was a Greek and a Roman general, one during Napoleon's time, etc etc. basically he was a historically literate poet nut who was a REAL person during WWII and had a descent film made about him. i'd highly recommend it.
then i caught a cold. well, then i knew i had hit the number 3- that is, if you're superstitious, you'd know that bad things come in 3's. so at least it wasn't worse. so yeah, im pretty banged up these days. shoulda knocked on wood harder somewhere, or maybe then i woulda just broken whatever limb with which i hit it??? who knows.
THEN, i got my application response to this dig in SW France that i applied to for 3.5 weeks this summer. I was ACCEPTED!!!!! i didn't think i'd have a problem getting on the crew because of my past dig experience, my study abroad, and of course- all my relevant college coursework. but, there's always that doubt in your mind. anyhow, im pretty excited to have that opportunity this summer and i will probably take it, depending on how my hand is doing and how willing the supervisors are in adjusting to my abilities to haul dirt w/one hand...
so yeah, go me!!!
The job search is on. as soon as i can strap on my nice, black heeled boots (need a strong, healed foot...) to go with some nice clothes, i'm out the door to go bug companies to hire me for a year at least starting this summer sometime. i don't really want to go back to serving (waitressing, for those not caught up w/the PC term) partially cuz of my hand, and partially cuz the work just plain sucks. it's rough on your body; the money can really suck you in; and you really don't get as much respect as you might think. so, i think serving's out. i'm thinking about finding a job in a jewelry store. i've always thought that would be interesting and i'm willing to learn the trade. nate complained when i told him and said that forever after i would 'analyze anything he ever bought me.' hahahha.... well, it's either that or have a poor girlfriend. i'd think he'd much prefer a sugarmomma than a gf w/empty, holey pockets. so, if you know anyone who's hiring, let me know!! or any descent-paying job, in which i can also get healthcare benefits if necessary!!
*sigh......
does anyone actually read this? if so, please let me know by leaving me a message! it'll help me know how often to update my blog!! AND it's reallyyyyyyyy nice to hear feedback and just to hear 'hello'!! like from you, chad!!
well, that's 'all' for now
take care, happy st. pat's on thursday- drink an extra Guinness for me.
Oh glorious spring breaks! Whence have you come, and to where have you gone?!
So i'm working on capitalization and punctuation. i really hate it in informal typing; it just takes up those extra miliseconds between thought and the buzz of my fingers on the keyboard which can inhibit my creative flow. so, i apologize for my past illegibility, and simply explain the inconsistency of any ensuing entries.
:)
Thus far on spring break (started last friday) i have done a total of.....
0 hours of homework
abundant hours of sleep
ridiculous amounts of sitting on my ass
watched at least 4 movies
gone to rochester to visit nate's family
took an evening at my own folks' place
not called my friends enough
spent mucho mucho time w/nate
much blank 'space for thought' time due to my ass-sitting
etc
etc
i would like to say that i basically began my spring break last tuesday evening. the reason is as follows:
i sprained my foot; yes, my foot, not my ankle. how does one do this you ask? well, apparently i did it on the treadmill last monday afternoon.
i run frequently or use the elipticals (running machine), so i didnt think anything of my normal workout that day, until tuesday about 12-1pm when my left foot started hurting so much i couldnt walk on it. i thought i just had a cramp or stepped wrong for a minute, but as it turns out my brushing it off was worthless.
nate drove me home from work that afternoon after i called him whimpering and almost crying in pain. oh, i felt fine when i sat down- which i just couldnt understand! and it was the whole outside of my foot and into the heel- how weird!
anyway, adam, nate's older bro, and laura were both coming over that night to make/eat indian food @my place w/nate, emily (roomate) and i- so i couldnt cancel on them and go to the doc!! miss indian food?? are you kidding me?!! so i toughed it out for the night and decided to see how the darn foot was the next day.
not so good; actually kinda worse.
so i stayed home, missing some work and a class, hoping upon hope that it would just go away. i didnt need another injury! especially w/my left hand being hurt and in pain too!! sheeeeesh!
so, around 7pm, i finally relented to going to the doc and nate took me. the doc said i have a sprained foot, which is technically a torn or stretched ligament. i told him i didnt understand how i got it and why i wounldnt feel it for 24 hours after doing it (i didnt recall running funny, or turning it, or anything!). he said that it was endorphines. ah, i see. damn. says it's common in runners.
i was offered no crutches or anything and simply told to keep it elevated and apply heat for 7-10 days. hence- i started my spring break early. i spose it's better than a broken foot!!!
so, i have a gimpy left side: sprained foot and torn cartilage in wrist. how awful! i keep thinking how thankful i am to have nate to take care of me so much and be around- plus emily is great too. also, work is very flexible. thank god i didnt have any big spring break plans! all i can really do i take a short walk once in a while...so im gonna try and use emily's exercise bike to pump my blood. i started to get so stir-crazy on wed-fri last week when all i was doing was hanging around!!!
other than these frustrations testing my resiliency, i toughed it out for a Flogging Molly show last thursday night, which was awesome- as they always are. it made me soo happy to get out of the apt!! nate helped me hobble to and from the bus downtown, or gave me piggy back rides- so i cant complain too much. ;)
i saw the old classic movie "Patton" this weekend w/nate's fam, and it was pretty awesome for a war movie. it wasnt so much enwrapped in the war for the blood of it aspect, but for the character of the people, esp. General George Patton. He thinks he's some type of reincarnated military general from over milennia, which made him quite a nerdy subject for me to examine. for example he thought he was a Greek and a Roman general, one during Napoleon's time, etc etc. basically he was a historically literate poet nut who was a REAL person during WWII and had a descent film made about him. i'd highly recommend it.
then i caught a cold. well, then i knew i had hit the number 3- that is, if you're superstitious, you'd know that bad things come in 3's. so at least it wasn't worse. so yeah, im pretty banged up these days. shoulda knocked on wood harder somewhere, or maybe then i woulda just broken whatever limb with which i hit it??? who knows.
THEN, i got my application response to this dig in SW France that i applied to for 3.5 weeks this summer. I was ACCEPTED!!!!! i didn't think i'd have a problem getting on the crew because of my past dig experience, my study abroad, and of course- all my relevant college coursework. but, there's always that doubt in your mind. anyhow, im pretty excited to have that opportunity this summer and i will probably take it, depending on how my hand is doing and how willing the supervisors are in adjusting to my abilities to haul dirt w/one hand...
so yeah, go me!!!
The job search is on. as soon as i can strap on my nice, black heeled boots (need a strong, healed foot...) to go with some nice clothes, i'm out the door to go bug companies to hire me for a year at least starting this summer sometime. i don't really want to go back to serving (waitressing, for those not caught up w/the PC term) partially cuz of my hand, and partially cuz the work just plain sucks. it's rough on your body; the money can really suck you in; and you really don't get as much respect as you might think. so, i think serving's out. i'm thinking about finding a job in a jewelry store. i've always thought that would be interesting and i'm willing to learn the trade. nate complained when i told him and said that forever after i would 'analyze anything he ever bought me.' hahahha.... well, it's either that or have a poor girlfriend. i'd think he'd much prefer a sugarmomma than a gf w/empty, holey pockets. so, if you know anyone who's hiring, let me know!! or any descent-paying job, in which i can also get healthcare benefits if necessary!!
*sigh......
does anyone actually read this? if so, please let me know by leaving me a message! it'll help me know how often to update my blog!! AND it's reallyyyyyyyy nice to hear feedback and just to hear 'hello'!! like from you, chad!!
well, that's 'all' for now
take care, happy st. pat's on thursday- drink an extra Guinness for me.
Saturday, March 05, 2005
lazy saturday
so today i have hardly done anything...
i got up today around 2pm and then fell back asleep around 3 cuz i wasnt feeling very well...until about 530pm. i dont know what's wrong w/me or how the hell i slept this much- BUT.. i did. i guess everybody needs a day off sometimes. i havent been sick once (knock on wood) since last spring, in such a way as to put me out of commission for a whole day of school or work. well, i take that back- a couple of bad sick days in athens, but that's different. i got hauled around everywhere last semester!!!
so anyway, im finally feeling better and at nate's place. i spose i should work on my homework sometime tonight too. nate's makin us some 'damn quesadillas' [cf. napolean dynomite] so that we can fill our empty, howling bellies.
yesterday, i would have to say, was the best work day of my young life thus far. i split a bottle (and then a little) bottle of wine with my lovely colleague after the dept. lecture which we had to set up, serve food/drink, and then clean up. my boss told me before the lecture, just before she went home for the day:
"now, this is your first time working at a department lecture and i will just say a couple things. whatever goes on between us in the office, stays with us in this office. you'll understand soon enough..." of course, i am breaking code by telling all you wonderful ppl about my experience, but i think it's worth the risk.
after 'manning' the food and wine stations for all the nerdy, yuppy social hour after the lecture on none other than 'barbarism'... (HA), my colleague john and i began the clean up rush.
we had to swindle the remains of the wine bottles in the lecture room away from the 'glowing' professors and students into the office to be 'stored' and 'disposed of.' well, i bring the rest of the cheese to the office and john's there w/the remains of the wine, and another bottle still there, untouched. i ask him what we're going to do w/the rest of the wine, and he says that we have to 'get rid of it.' like how?...im wondering. ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, i get it...
so i grab a cup and start 'helping.'
well, that bottle of wine went fast between the 2 of us scurrying to finish up cleaning and get outta there.
we rock, paper, scissor'ed for the extra bottle (he won...little rascal), he stuffed it in his coat (sooo ghetto!!!) and we made a break for it, he to his fiancee and show (in a band) and me to nate, waiting for me outside...
needless to say, i was very happy upon seeing nate and had quite alot with which to chatter away his ear.
never got to do THAT at perkins.
i guess working in an adult enviroment has really taught me alot already.
so next week is week 8 of 15 of my last semester of college. god. where has the time gone??
also, this is the last week before spring break (which i just realized) which is also awesome. i plan to take that break as is and not do a whole lot except, well, take a break. of course, there will be a bit of hw, visits home, laundry, movies, sleep (not always a common thing), job hunting, etc.
i am going to need a job this summer and fall after i graduate because i cant keep my student job [this is what you asked me auntie jen] in the Classical and Near Eastern Studies office (wont have student status anymore after graduation). so i am going to try jewelry stores, or whatever good paying one i can find. perhaps i can get one more easily if i tell them im not just gonna leave again in september, like most summer workers.
so we'll see.
for this fall, i am applying to get an internship at the MIA, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (museum), hopefully in the ancient art section. ive inquired about the details and if i got it, i would be doing research and writing projects for the museum for up to 6 months, depending of the need of the project. so yeah, wish me luck on that one.
so, in case you were wondering what im doing w/my life, that's it. im taking at least a year off of school after this may and going to work and try for internships to figure out what i want to do, or not do as the case may be.
for those of you whom i will see at easter (if we're still doing that) i am working on putting together my photo albums from last summer and this past fall. the summer one is done, and fall is in progress- hopefully to be finished over spring break (which is a fun project for that week). then FINALLY i can show everyone where ive been and what ive been up to. sorry i am so photo-digitally-impaired!!! nate's gonna help and add his photos too, so it should come out great.
well, i'd better go for now. gotta eat this 'damn quesadilla' in my lap!!
mooo!!
i got up today around 2pm and then fell back asleep around 3 cuz i wasnt feeling very well...until about 530pm. i dont know what's wrong w/me or how the hell i slept this much- BUT.. i did. i guess everybody needs a day off sometimes. i havent been sick once (knock on wood) since last spring, in such a way as to put me out of commission for a whole day of school or work. well, i take that back- a couple of bad sick days in athens, but that's different. i got hauled around everywhere last semester!!!
so anyway, im finally feeling better and at nate's place. i spose i should work on my homework sometime tonight too. nate's makin us some 'damn quesadillas' [cf. napolean dynomite] so that we can fill our empty, howling bellies.
yesterday, i would have to say, was the best work day of my young life thus far. i split a bottle (and then a little) bottle of wine with my lovely colleague after the dept. lecture which we had to set up, serve food/drink, and then clean up. my boss told me before the lecture, just before she went home for the day:
"now, this is your first time working at a department lecture and i will just say a couple things. whatever goes on between us in the office, stays with us in this office. you'll understand soon enough..." of course, i am breaking code by telling all you wonderful ppl about my experience, but i think it's worth the risk.
after 'manning' the food and wine stations for all the nerdy, yuppy social hour after the lecture on none other than 'barbarism'... (HA), my colleague john and i began the clean up rush.
we had to swindle the remains of the wine bottles in the lecture room away from the 'glowing' professors and students into the office to be 'stored' and 'disposed of.' well, i bring the rest of the cheese to the office and john's there w/the remains of the wine, and another bottle still there, untouched. i ask him what we're going to do w/the rest of the wine, and he says that we have to 'get rid of it.' like how?...im wondering. ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, i get it...
so i grab a cup and start 'helping.'
well, that bottle of wine went fast between the 2 of us scurrying to finish up cleaning and get outta there.
we rock, paper, scissor'ed for the extra bottle (he won...little rascal), he stuffed it in his coat (sooo ghetto!!!) and we made a break for it, he to his fiancee and show (in a band) and me to nate, waiting for me outside...
needless to say, i was very happy upon seeing nate and had quite alot with which to chatter away his ear.
never got to do THAT at perkins.
i guess working in an adult enviroment has really taught me alot already.
so next week is week 8 of 15 of my last semester of college. god. where has the time gone??
also, this is the last week before spring break (which i just realized) which is also awesome. i plan to take that break as is and not do a whole lot except, well, take a break. of course, there will be a bit of hw, visits home, laundry, movies, sleep (not always a common thing), job hunting, etc.
i am going to need a job this summer and fall after i graduate because i cant keep my student job [this is what you asked me auntie jen] in the Classical and Near Eastern Studies office (wont have student status anymore after graduation). so i am going to try jewelry stores, or whatever good paying one i can find. perhaps i can get one more easily if i tell them im not just gonna leave again in september, like most summer workers.
so we'll see.
for this fall, i am applying to get an internship at the MIA, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (museum), hopefully in the ancient art section. ive inquired about the details and if i got it, i would be doing research and writing projects for the museum for up to 6 months, depending of the need of the project. so yeah, wish me luck on that one.
so, in case you were wondering what im doing w/my life, that's it. im taking at least a year off of school after this may and going to work and try for internships to figure out what i want to do, or not do as the case may be.
for those of you whom i will see at easter (if we're still doing that) i am working on putting together my photo albums from last summer and this past fall. the summer one is done, and fall is in progress- hopefully to be finished over spring break (which is a fun project for that week). then FINALLY i can show everyone where ive been and what ive been up to. sorry i am so photo-digitally-impaired!!! nate's gonna help and add his photos too, so it should come out great.
well, i'd better go for now. gotta eat this 'damn quesadilla' in my lap!!
mooo!!
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
I'm Baaaaaaaack!!! go gophers!
hey everyone!
i hope this entry finds you all well and taking care. Currently, i am back in good 'ol minnesota, living in my minneapolis apartment with my roommate emily. i am taking my last semester at the U of M, TC and will be graduating in may with a degree in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology and a Latin minor. what will i do after that, and with that.. you ask? well, ill leave that to succeeding entries......HA! leaving you hanging for now!
im doing pretty well and well in school so far for my last semester (AHHHHHHH! by the way....)
health: i found out about a week and a half ago from this really cool test called an arthrogram that i have torn catilage in my left wrist and wil need treatment of some sort. i have been seeing a hand specialist and will go back for a follow-up from the test about what i can do to fix it, i.e. surgery, therapy, etc. needless to say, i have a lot of pain, frequently, in my left hand and lower arm, which is driving me to wits end. so hopefully these doctors are as smart as they should be and can fix it. here's hoping. a diagnosis after 4 years is GOOOOD news!!! wheeew!
i am indeed still with nate, my boyfriend of more than 2 years. he is doing well, and still enjoys his endless rock-climbing and computer nerdiness. he will be graduating with a degree in computer sciences this fall from the U's IT program.
this is all just an update, despite that many of you may already know much of it.
well, im at work, so i'd better go.
i will continue to update this periodically this spring and let it morph as time goes by!
note the net address change from: www.chrisingreece.blogspot.com to www.chrisinmn.blogspot.com
alright, take care and ttfn!
-c
i hope this entry finds you all well and taking care. Currently, i am back in good 'ol minnesota, living in my minneapolis apartment with my roommate emily. i am taking my last semester at the U of M, TC and will be graduating in may with a degree in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology and a Latin minor. what will i do after that, and with that.. you ask? well, ill leave that to succeeding entries......HA! leaving you hanging for now!
im doing pretty well and well in school so far for my last semester (AHHHHHHH! by the way....)
health: i found out about a week and a half ago from this really cool test called an arthrogram that i have torn catilage in my left wrist and wil need treatment of some sort. i have been seeing a hand specialist and will go back for a follow-up from the test about what i can do to fix it, i.e. surgery, therapy, etc. needless to say, i have a lot of pain, frequently, in my left hand and lower arm, which is driving me to wits end. so hopefully these doctors are as smart as they should be and can fix it. here's hoping. a diagnosis after 4 years is GOOOOD news!!! wheeew!
i am indeed still with nate, my boyfriend of more than 2 years. he is doing well, and still enjoys his endless rock-climbing and computer nerdiness. he will be graduating with a degree in computer sciences this fall from the U's IT program.
this is all just an update, despite that many of you may already know much of it.
well, im at work, so i'd better go.
i will continue to update this periodically this spring and let it morph as time goes by!
note the net address change from: www.chrisingreece.blogspot.com to www.chrisinmn.blogspot.com
alright, take care and ttfn!
-c
Saturday, December 25, 2004
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
yup, this means i made it safely home- and nate too.
i got home yesterday, MN time, about 230pm in the afternoon. just in time to finish decorating the tree, eat some snacks, and then eat dinner and open presents w/family. it was my parents, my 2 brothers, my grampa (mom's dad), and nate and adam (nate's older brother who lives in st paul). it was really nice to see everyone and make it home in time for all the xmas eve festivities. we do it the scandanavian way, so we have all the activity on the eve of xmas, instead of xmas day. so getting home just in time made me really happy, to say the very least.
so, now im relaxing and enjoying the sNOW (!!) and delights of christmas day: food, fireplace fire, lounging in pj's, quiet, family, etc etc...... verrrrrrrrry nice.
it's good to be home and good to be back. merry christmas everyone.
"i'll be home for christmas....you can count on me......"
i got home yesterday, MN time, about 230pm in the afternoon. just in time to finish decorating the tree, eat some snacks, and then eat dinner and open presents w/family. it was my parents, my 2 brothers, my grampa (mom's dad), and nate and adam (nate's older brother who lives in st paul). it was really nice to see everyone and make it home in time for all the xmas eve festivities. we do it the scandanavian way, so we have all the activity on the eve of xmas, instead of xmas day. so getting home just in time made me really happy, to say the very least.
so, now im relaxing and enjoying the sNOW (!!) and delights of christmas day: food, fireplace fire, lounging in pj's, quiet, family, etc etc...... verrrrrrrrry nice.
it's good to be home and good to be back. merry christmas everyone.
"i'll be home for christmas....you can count on me......"
Friday, December 17, 2004
i lied...one more....THEN many goodbyes and much traveling.....
Well, i just finished my very-last-final.... ugh!! i DID it! it's all done and turned in and everything. i made it. end of story.
thanks for the support everybody! i have loved hearing lil emails or posts here and there :)
This morning at the center, it has been pretty dead up til about a few minutes ago, but i think because many ppl are done, theyre sleeping in and gonna come at the last minute (noon) for the last provided lunch in the cafeteria. it looks good from what i can see. theyre treating us pretty well this morning: esp w/REAL oj and lil cookie things too!
well, i just found out i got an 'A+' on my final and as a final grade for one class, so that's good. too bad the + doesnt transfer....HAHA!!
pretty sure i did fine on everything else, just need to contest one of my 4 final exam grades whenever the prof gets here. so not too bad for being away every weekend and dealing with and being absorbed into so MANY other things while studying and living abroad. there's so much more than just academics and it's been a struggle to do all that i wanted in both.
it's almost time for my last CYA lunch....
i think the rest of the day after lunch is going to be spent w/tessa shopping and wandering around town in our last few days here. and then maybe some big communal CYA dinner somewhere. it sounds like many lil groups of kids are planning things here and there and it should be a good relaxing and social time b4 everyone goes home.... and many of us never see each other again..... :(
i have gotten many email addresses and made plans to keep in touch w/many ppl, but it will never be the same....
i think THIS is finally it ppl. sorry for the tease yesterday. i may keep up a less often entered journal when i get back to keep in touch, but we'll see. it's not gonna be for a while. i think im gonna relax for a LONG time b4 i get going on any major projects again. i think making photo albums and reading non-text books is going to be the extent of personal projects over break.
so, take care, see ya soon, and best of luck to those of you whom im leaving for good....
-chris :)
'....no more 3 X 5's...............'
thanks for the support everybody! i have loved hearing lil emails or posts here and there :)
This morning at the center, it has been pretty dead up til about a few minutes ago, but i think because many ppl are done, theyre sleeping in and gonna come at the last minute (noon) for the last provided lunch in the cafeteria. it looks good from what i can see. theyre treating us pretty well this morning: esp w/REAL oj and lil cookie things too!
well, i just found out i got an 'A+' on my final and as a final grade for one class, so that's good. too bad the + doesnt transfer....HAHA!!
pretty sure i did fine on everything else, just need to contest one of my 4 final exam grades whenever the prof gets here. so not too bad for being away every weekend and dealing with and being absorbed into so MANY other things while studying and living abroad. there's so much more than just academics and it's been a struggle to do all that i wanted in both.
it's almost time for my last CYA lunch....
i think the rest of the day after lunch is going to be spent w/tessa shopping and wandering around town in our last few days here. and then maybe some big communal CYA dinner somewhere. it sounds like many lil groups of kids are planning things here and there and it should be a good relaxing and social time b4 everyone goes home.... and many of us never see each other again..... :(
i have gotten many email addresses and made plans to keep in touch w/many ppl, but it will never be the same....
i think THIS is finally it ppl. sorry for the tease yesterday. i may keep up a less often entered journal when i get back to keep in touch, but we'll see. it's not gonna be for a while. i think im gonna relax for a LONG time b4 i get going on any major projects again. i think making photo albums and reading non-text books is going to be the extent of personal projects over break.
so, take care, see ya soon, and best of luck to those of you whom im leaving for good....
-chris :)
'....no more 3 X 5's...............'
Thursday, December 16, 2004
one more LEFT!!!...then many goodbyes...
well, i have finished all three of my exams, plus 2 other final papers. i have ONE PAPER LEFT TO FINISH!!! yaaaaaaay! im almost done, so that's good. as im sure youre all dying to hear about the academic ends to my experience here, ill save you from any more info, except that ill be done tomorrow.... [yay!!!]
well, ppl are starting to leave, esp. starting tomorrow after all the finals must be done and turned in. it's starting to get SAD!!!!..... many ppl, including my roomies leave this weekend, and a few next week.... and then i leave w/nate next thursday. ill prolly wake up singing the beatles again on my last day.
i think im struggling now to decide whether i should make a more reflective entry or what. so you get what you get ppl.
i am honestly ready to be done here and move on to a period of processing all this at home and spending time w/family and close friends from home. i am really gonna miss the ppl here and feel like (as always in experiences like this) that i have just gotten to know them and have become ever more close just in the last few weeks. i think i have been dwelling on these thoughts alot and have expressed some of them on here already, so i dont really feel like saying more right now.
dont know if i'll be making more entries before i come back, cuz my internet access is cut off at the end of the day tomorrow....so:
ill just say merry christmas, ho ho ho, and see ya soon!
if you wanna see pictures, gotta find me!
signing off for a while,
ciao, au revoir, yassu.
..yesterday...all our troubles seemed so far away....why'd she have to go? i dont know, she wouldnt say......oh, i believe in yesterday......
well, ppl are starting to leave, esp. starting tomorrow after all the finals must be done and turned in. it's starting to get SAD!!!!..... many ppl, including my roomies leave this weekend, and a few next week.... and then i leave w/nate next thursday. ill prolly wake up singing the beatles again on my last day.
i think im struggling now to decide whether i should make a more reflective entry or what. so you get what you get ppl.
i am honestly ready to be done here and move on to a period of processing all this at home and spending time w/family and close friends from home. i am really gonna miss the ppl here and feel like (as always in experiences like this) that i have just gotten to know them and have become ever more close just in the last few weeks. i think i have been dwelling on these thoughts alot and have expressed some of them on here already, so i dont really feel like saying more right now.
dont know if i'll be making more entries before i come back, cuz my internet access is cut off at the end of the day tomorrow....so:
ill just say merry christmas, ho ho ho, and see ya soon!
if you wanna see pictures, gotta find me!
signing off for a while,
ciao, au revoir, yassu.
..yesterday...all our troubles seemed so far away....why'd she have to go? i dont know, she wouldnt say......oh, i believe in yesterday......
Saturday, December 11, 2004
one down...
well, just took my first final for my Ancient Greek Athletics course. ive had a stomach ache since last night from stress, and now im starving since some of that stress has been released- hehe...that's gooooood. i think it went well, even if it was one of the hardest tests as far as studying goes, ever. we had to study alot of things, but only know a fraction on the test- sounds typical i know, but still. i prolly just stress too much, and it went really well i think, so should be no worries- but im not jinxin myself just yet. well, 5 finals to go.... (for 3 classes, mulitiple parts).... i can do it... must...keep...going.....
i think a bunch of us are gonna have pizza for lunch to celebrate our victory over the first hurdle...heh... mmmmmm....pizzzzza......
just an update on those law violators: they confessed and the innocent are legally acquitted, and the guilty must pay stiff fines + lawyers' fees, etc. no fun, but we're pretty much all back to normal now. life goes on. justice is served.
sometimes after looking at nate's blog i get all sad and jealous that i cant put pics up due to lack of digital camera...again- i apologize for the last few months, but oh well. you have nate's to look at and keep u occupied for the time being. when i get back im planning on making an album or 2 or 3...... come find me and ill share them w/you!
victoria- i found u something yesterday at the supermarket....something u cant get in the states!!!..... :)
well, the rest of the weekend, plus most of the rest of the week is going to be devoted to studying for finals, taking finals, writing finals (take-home exam parts), and finishing off term papers. everthing will be done by noon on friday the 17th---- hooooray! but til then, it's cram and crunch time! sounds like some name of a cheesy cereal......'cram and crunch' ...hmmm....
other than that, i havent lost my health yet, but i am sneezin a bit more- prolly from not gettin outside and gettin sunshine from all my indoor studyin. hopefully ill retain my health during this last week so i can finish up strong. that would most certainly be nice :)
well, this'll remain more of a short entry for today. who knows when ill write next, but just know that most likely ill prolly b reading or studying or taking tests, or trying to sleep here and there......
time 4 pizza
i think a bunch of us are gonna have pizza for lunch to celebrate our victory over the first hurdle...heh... mmmmmm....pizzzzza......
just an update on those law violators: they confessed and the innocent are legally acquitted, and the guilty must pay stiff fines + lawyers' fees, etc. no fun, but we're pretty much all back to normal now. life goes on. justice is served.
sometimes after looking at nate's blog i get all sad and jealous that i cant put pics up due to lack of digital camera...again- i apologize for the last few months, but oh well. you have nate's to look at and keep u occupied for the time being. when i get back im planning on making an album or 2 or 3...... come find me and ill share them w/you!
victoria- i found u something yesterday at the supermarket....something u cant get in the states!!!..... :)
well, the rest of the weekend, plus most of the rest of the week is going to be devoted to studying for finals, taking finals, writing finals (take-home exam parts), and finishing off term papers. everthing will be done by noon on friday the 17th---- hooooray! but til then, it's cram and crunch time! sounds like some name of a cheesy cereal......'cram and crunch' ...hmmm....
other than that, i havent lost my health yet, but i am sneezin a bit more- prolly from not gettin outside and gettin sunshine from all my indoor studyin. hopefully ill retain my health during this last week so i can finish up strong. that would most certainly be nice :)
well, this'll remain more of a short entry for today. who knows when ill write next, but just know that most likely ill prolly b reading or studying or taking tests, or trying to sleep here and there......
time 4 pizza
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
not so boring news.....!
well, today my horoscope from the onion is:
'Cancer: (June 22—July 22)Legends have it that the statue of Lincoln on the National Mall will stand up for an honest man, but they give no clue as to why it would show up in your driveway and take a nine-iron to your car.'
oh , the onion, you crack me up, make me swoon, and sometimes... just make me shake my head.
as of yesterday evening as i was gleefully walking AWAY from the premises of school with Tessa, she asked me if i "heard about saturday night". i said, no, and then she proceeded to tell an unjust tale of 5 CYA kids getting arrested by the Athens police, for none other than public drunkenness and FLIPPING A CAR. seriously, how do 5 scrawny kids, (she told me the names), EVEN DO that??? not to mention lack of coordination & judgement when drunk. plus, these kids are the studious kids that ppl LIKE. not the ones you'd expect to get in trouble- AT ALL. they spent BOTH saturday night AND sunday night in JAIL (!!!), and were released yesterday late afternoon. tessa and i actually ran into them coming towards school and asked them if they were alright. they were going to meet the CYA admin. ppl. this is only PART 1.
Part 2
so these totally unexpected dilinquent and publicly destructive kids told us, as other kids were saying, that they were framed, wrongfully accused, and seriously pissed off. as they should justifiably be provided this is true!!! so word got around later that night and this morning that a few other kids, who did NOT get arrested and jailed, were ACTUALLY responsible and not fessing up and letting the other kids take the rap.---which has generally agreed upon, except for those who partied w/the guilty all the time this semester, that this is completely cruel, low, and just downright wrong and mean. who wouldnt agree to that??
so, all the kids involved, presumed innocent and guilty, had to meet w/the CYA staff to sort it out and get the guilty to confess. if you knew the kids who are said to actually be responsible, you would still of course be disappointed, but honestly, NOT surprised. theyre the loud, arrogant partiers that many of us wonder about their reasons for being here in Athens and on study abroad. so yeah. in the end, apparently they finally fessed up after being severely pressured and all the backlash and post-confess dealings must be sorted out. there is no end of the story yet, just that those boys are in severe trouble and gonna have to pay serious fines and damage reparations. i mean, they trashed some random Athenian's car!!! and they made 5 innocent kids go to a foreign jail, (2 were girls, which i think is even more horrible- sorry feminists), deal w/not really ever knowing what's going on or what ppl are saying in Greek, same clothes, lost study time before finals, missed classes all day yesterday, TRAUMA and anger, etc etc etc. wow. so we'll see what develops, but i hope that those kids pay their just dues.
all i really know to say is that it made for interesting conversation between us students over the last 24 hours. just thought i'd share the story.... SHEESH!!!!!!!
on a lighter note, i saw the movie ALEXANDER last night. HAHAHAAHHAHA!!!! good god, it was horrible, despite the modest entertainment value. i wont even say anything about historicity cuz it's not worth my time or brain power. it's a fiction story, so i just dont care- im not toooo caught up in that type of thing ya know. it was hard not to laugh so much when collin farrel sucked through the whole thing & you just couldnt take him seriously cuz he didnt fit his character very well, and angelina jolie kept making evil faces and flaunting her massive mouth and playing w/snakes. anthony hopkins as Ptolomey was interesting as story-teller and his make up was cool, but he had no major part except the narration, i.e. his voice mostly. val kilmer: stick to batman and your batmobile. at least he had both eyes.
so there's my movie review. my suggestion: wait til the cheap theatres- it'll cost less than renting. HA!
so that's the update for now, except that the CYA farewell party for student, profs, and admin. is tonight. *sigh............
other than that, my 2nd to last philosophy class period. i must libate to the gods for this one.
ta ta
'Cancer: (June 22—July 22)Legends have it that the statue of Lincoln on the National Mall will stand up for an honest man, but they give no clue as to why it would show up in your driveway and take a nine-iron to your car.'
oh , the onion, you crack me up, make me swoon, and sometimes... just make me shake my head.
as of yesterday evening as i was gleefully walking AWAY from the premises of school with Tessa, she asked me if i "heard about saturday night". i said, no, and then she proceeded to tell an unjust tale of 5 CYA kids getting arrested by the Athens police, for none other than public drunkenness and FLIPPING A CAR. seriously, how do 5 scrawny kids, (she told me the names), EVEN DO that??? not to mention lack of coordination & judgement when drunk. plus, these kids are the studious kids that ppl LIKE. not the ones you'd expect to get in trouble- AT ALL. they spent BOTH saturday night AND sunday night in JAIL (!!!), and were released yesterday late afternoon. tessa and i actually ran into them coming towards school and asked them if they were alright. they were going to meet the CYA admin. ppl. this is only PART 1.
Part 2
so these totally unexpected dilinquent and publicly destructive kids told us, as other kids were saying, that they were framed, wrongfully accused, and seriously pissed off. as they should justifiably be provided this is true!!! so word got around later that night and this morning that a few other kids, who did NOT get arrested and jailed, were ACTUALLY responsible and not fessing up and letting the other kids take the rap.---which has generally agreed upon, except for those who partied w/the guilty all the time this semester, that this is completely cruel, low, and just downright wrong and mean. who wouldnt agree to that??
so, all the kids involved, presumed innocent and guilty, had to meet w/the CYA staff to sort it out and get the guilty to confess. if you knew the kids who are said to actually be responsible, you would still of course be disappointed, but honestly, NOT surprised. theyre the loud, arrogant partiers that many of us wonder about their reasons for being here in Athens and on study abroad. so yeah. in the end, apparently they finally fessed up after being severely pressured and all the backlash and post-confess dealings must be sorted out. there is no end of the story yet, just that those boys are in severe trouble and gonna have to pay serious fines and damage reparations. i mean, they trashed some random Athenian's car!!! and they made 5 innocent kids go to a foreign jail, (2 were girls, which i think is even more horrible- sorry feminists), deal w/not really ever knowing what's going on or what ppl are saying in Greek, same clothes, lost study time before finals, missed classes all day yesterday, TRAUMA and anger, etc etc etc. wow. so we'll see what develops, but i hope that those kids pay their just dues.
all i really know to say is that it made for interesting conversation between us students over the last 24 hours. just thought i'd share the story.... SHEESH!!!!!!!
on a lighter note, i saw the movie ALEXANDER last night. HAHAHAAHHAHA!!!! good god, it was horrible, despite the modest entertainment value. i wont even say anything about historicity cuz it's not worth my time or brain power. it's a fiction story, so i just dont care- im not toooo caught up in that type of thing ya know. it was hard not to laugh so much when collin farrel sucked through the whole thing & you just couldnt take him seriously cuz he didnt fit his character very well, and angelina jolie kept making evil faces and flaunting her massive mouth and playing w/snakes. anthony hopkins as Ptolomey was interesting as story-teller and his make up was cool, but he had no major part except the narration, i.e. his voice mostly. val kilmer: stick to batman and your batmobile. at least he had both eyes.
so there's my movie review. my suggestion: wait til the cheap theatres- it'll cost less than renting. HA!
so that's the update for now, except that the CYA farewell party for student, profs, and admin. is tonight. *sigh............
other than that, my 2nd to last philosophy class period. i must libate to the gods for this one.
ta ta
Monday, December 06, 2004
i was such a bore this weekend :(
This past weekend all i did was study. study. and more...yup, you guessed it,... studying. However, i must say that ACTUALLY having a weekend to catch up for a change, was nice- even if it's not the same as a wonderful field trip to some new greek place. seriously, all i did was study, and read, and work on a term paper- oh yeah & munch on 'Digestive' crackers which Kellie and i have grown to love. and NO theyre not really for digesting, just a stupid name. HA! i think the active highlight of my weekend was going for a walk around Kolonaki, my neighborhood, on saturday just to get some air and exercise... oh yeah, and get groceries. why do liesurely activities always end up turning into some practical and productive activity? oh well. i even went into Starbucks up the street for the first time since i got to Athens. once, i even referred to it absentmindedly as 'that american coffee shop' to my other roomie Simone. i just didnt care to remember the name! eh well, guess that's acculturation for ya.
as i told Katie, my other roomie, on sat. night, 'i think im turning into a vegetarian, but involuntarily!!! what the heck???!!' i think the fact that meat isnt offered everyday at the center for lunch and that meat is expensive to buy in the markets (or you have to go to a far away one for it to be packaged like at home in the states), i simply dont eat as much meat. AHHHH!!! it gets really annoying sometimes, but i have learned to work w/what i have and be a bit more creative. i cook veggie stir-frys ALOT w/the veggies from the friday street market. i put them on rice, or mix them into lentil soup. it does get really boring after a while and more than many things i miss from home, it's the variety of food. i think i really miss muffins. HAhaha...
i was, in fact, realllllly productive, school-wise, this weekend which was really good. i had so much reading to catch up on (and im sure youre all on the edge of your seats reading this). but seriously- i feel so much better about finals andwhatnot now. so thats GOOD.
well, i only have this week left of classes, 2 more sessions of each of my 4 classes (minus one cuz i had class already today). this is insane. i feel like it was just yesterday that i started and there were so many weeks ahead in the semester. i think semester has gone by faster than any other single semester of college yet. at times it may have felt the opposite and going slow, but mostly i feel like i just got here.
sarah- i started getting Beatles in my head again..... hey, jude....dont pass me by......
our freaking 'farewell dinner' is TOMORROW night!!!! things are starting to get sad... :( but i must say happy in ways too about coming home.
i might be going to see the movie 'Alexander' w/one of my profs tonight at 7; it just came out in greece last friday, as compared to november sometime for the US. of course, there are many of us ancient studies nerds that wanna go mock it...... hehhehehe..... i hear it's worse than Troy.... and Collin Farell plays a flaming gay-portrayed Alex. should be interesting from reviews ive had. anyone else seen it? post me comments!!!!!
ok, that's enuf 4 now. gtg do work--- it's finals time ya know!!!
as i told Katie, my other roomie, on sat. night, 'i think im turning into a vegetarian, but involuntarily!!! what the heck???!!' i think the fact that meat isnt offered everyday at the center for lunch and that meat is expensive to buy in the markets (or you have to go to a far away one for it to be packaged like at home in the states), i simply dont eat as much meat. AHHHH!!! it gets really annoying sometimes, but i have learned to work w/what i have and be a bit more creative. i cook veggie stir-frys ALOT w/the veggies from the friday street market. i put them on rice, or mix them into lentil soup. it does get really boring after a while and more than many things i miss from home, it's the variety of food. i think i really miss muffins. HAhaha...
i was, in fact, realllllly productive, school-wise, this weekend which was really good. i had so much reading to catch up on (and im sure youre all on the edge of your seats reading this). but seriously- i feel so much better about finals andwhatnot now. so thats GOOD.
well, i only have this week left of classes, 2 more sessions of each of my 4 classes (minus one cuz i had class already today). this is insane. i feel like it was just yesterday that i started and there were so many weeks ahead in the semester. i think semester has gone by faster than any other single semester of college yet. at times it may have felt the opposite and going slow, but mostly i feel like i just got here.
sarah- i started getting Beatles in my head again..... hey, jude....dont pass me by......
our freaking 'farewell dinner' is TOMORROW night!!!! things are starting to get sad... :( but i must say happy in ways too about coming home.
i might be going to see the movie 'Alexander' w/one of my profs tonight at 7; it just came out in greece last friday, as compared to november sometime for the US. of course, there are many of us ancient studies nerds that wanna go mock it...... hehhehehe..... i hear it's worse than Troy.... and Collin Farell plays a flaming gay-portrayed Alex. should be interesting from reviews ive had. anyone else seen it? post me comments!!!!!
ok, that's enuf 4 now. gtg do work--- it's finals time ya know!!!
Thursday, December 02, 2004
hooray for internet & week almost over
so all day i have been surfing the internet and re-looking at the U of M housing website and found a lil link that brought me into a whoooooole new world! i got registered for this site and now am able to look at more postings for roommate possibilities and i may have even found one. it's preliminary, but another senior girl named emily who is currently studying in france for the semester has a place/apt for the spring/summer and needs a roomie. i'd have my own room & rent's not bad, and other features are not bad as well. this will have to be thought out and figured out, but so far one of the things i was stressed out the most about in regards to moving back home may soon be solved- or at least close to. there are many posts and that's only my first response (and even the one i liked the most!), so here's hopin.....
that's the good news.
more good news is that i had philosophy class today and generally i leave feeling utterly exhausted and have a huge headache. today, for some reason, the class including Elly our prof was just giggly and silly and off-topic alot talking about fat pigeons, Ned (smart mouth but funny kid), PEEPS (yes, the easter candy!!), and other such things. hahaha... we tried desperately to incorporate them into our talks regarding the philosopy of Aristotle and Parmenides, so class was entertaining to say the least. you folks who are helping me get this 'education', have no fear- this is not normal. but good god, it was a fun fluke!!!
also, at the end of class, Elly and i had planned to discuss my 1st midterm cuz i had questions. i even got my grade raised and she told me that is was a better grade to begin with than i had thought. i guess she grades not normally based on %s, or at least, not to normal US grading. so that was good.
3 good things so far--- wheeew! wow! :)
1 sad one is that nate is no longer in Athens and left yesterday evening to go back to Istanbul. he msg'd me via cell and now i know he's safe and sound back in his dorm. hopefully sleeping after that long bus ride!! it's good he's back to his daily routine and working again, but im still sad he's gone. only a few weeks tho, so i guess it's ok. the visit was so nice tho and we had alot of fun.
1 sad, but good at the same time thing is that i only have one week and one class left of school, not counting finals. of course there is still MUCH to be done, it only seems like a lil bit after sooo many weeks here already. for me, it's already been over 3 months since ive been home, having left end of august to travel b4 school. so in alot of ways im missing home pretty bad, but at the same time im thinking about having to leave ppl here- which is sad. ppl have already started talking about their fly-out dates and times and what theyre doing after the semester is over. so indeed departing is in the air. i think, as any departure from a place/experience like this, will be bitter-sweet.
classes are generaly going well so far, so that's good; but i guess we'll how it all ends up.
well, i guess it's time to leave the center and go home and study for all those papers, finals, etc......goody.
ciao
that's the good news.
more good news is that i had philosophy class today and generally i leave feeling utterly exhausted and have a huge headache. today, for some reason, the class including Elly our prof was just giggly and silly and off-topic alot talking about fat pigeons, Ned (smart mouth but funny kid), PEEPS (yes, the easter candy!!), and other such things. hahaha... we tried desperately to incorporate them into our talks regarding the philosopy of Aristotle and Parmenides, so class was entertaining to say the least. you folks who are helping me get this 'education', have no fear- this is not normal. but good god, it was a fun fluke!!!
also, at the end of class, Elly and i had planned to discuss my 1st midterm cuz i had questions. i even got my grade raised and she told me that is was a better grade to begin with than i had thought. i guess she grades not normally based on %s, or at least, not to normal US grading. so that was good.
3 good things so far--- wheeew! wow! :)
1 sad one is that nate is no longer in Athens and left yesterday evening to go back to Istanbul. he msg'd me via cell and now i know he's safe and sound back in his dorm. hopefully sleeping after that long bus ride!! it's good he's back to his daily routine and working again, but im still sad he's gone. only a few weeks tho, so i guess it's ok. the visit was so nice tho and we had alot of fun.
1 sad, but good at the same time thing is that i only have one week and one class left of school, not counting finals. of course there is still MUCH to be done, it only seems like a lil bit after sooo many weeks here already. for me, it's already been over 3 months since ive been home, having left end of august to travel b4 school. so in alot of ways im missing home pretty bad, but at the same time im thinking about having to leave ppl here- which is sad. ppl have already started talking about their fly-out dates and times and what theyre doing after the semester is over. so indeed departing is in the air. i think, as any departure from a place/experience like this, will be bitter-sweet.
classes are generaly going well so far, so that's good; but i guess we'll how it all ends up.
well, i guess it's time to leave the center and go home and study for all those papers, finals, etc......goody.
ciao
Monday, November 29, 2004
wow
wow- seriously. it's monday of my second to last week of classes, then finals week. that's the update on time...
nate got here last week and since then it's been really crazy and fun :) we've hung out w/some of my friends here and there, baked some monkey balls, watched kill bill vol. 2, walked around town, ate indian food (mmmmmmmmmmmmm) for thanksgiving w/8 other kids (waay fun), and generally gotten some good time to hang out. i have, of course had to still attend classes in between, do homework, and whatnot too. but nate knew that- so i set him to reading nerdy (but interesting!!!) books, or fixing my laptop, or watching movies while i work. sometimes he even makes me dinner and does the dishes when im working too.... what a nice boy........
i think that im really starting to miss aspects of home more and more as it gets closer to the end of the semester. for example,, last night when i was wondering around w/nate and we stopped at a kiosk and i looked at a TIME magazine for a few mins, i spaced out into american culture'ness, and when i snapped out of it and looked around- i think i almost had a mild heartattack from looking out at Athens again. it was weeeeird. it was like i changed countries really fast!! i cant believe how absorbed i got into that mag for just a few minutes; it's so american that i just got sucked in like into a vaccuum. i guess you get surprised at what lil things you miss....like english in print on the street. hehe...
i think that this weekend i wanna go find a monastery to visit because i havent been to one yet since being in Greece and this weekend is my last free weekend before finals, which start the following saturday. it'll be like my last horaah for an excursion out of athens. we'll see what interesting place i find. :)
well, i think it's time for dinner
post me a message if you love me!!!! i love posts!! :) :) :)
nate got here last week and since then it's been really crazy and fun :) we've hung out w/some of my friends here and there, baked some monkey balls, watched kill bill vol. 2, walked around town, ate indian food (mmmmmmmmmmmmm) for thanksgiving w/8 other kids (waay fun), and generally gotten some good time to hang out. i have, of course had to still attend classes in between, do homework, and whatnot too. but nate knew that- so i set him to reading nerdy (but interesting!!!) books, or fixing my laptop, or watching movies while i work. sometimes he even makes me dinner and does the dishes when im working too.... what a nice boy........
i think that im really starting to miss aspects of home more and more as it gets closer to the end of the semester. for example,, last night when i was wondering around w/nate and we stopped at a kiosk and i looked at a TIME magazine for a few mins, i spaced out into american culture'ness, and when i snapped out of it and looked around- i think i almost had a mild heartattack from looking out at Athens again. it was weeeeird. it was like i changed countries really fast!! i cant believe how absorbed i got into that mag for just a few minutes; it's so american that i just got sucked in like into a vaccuum. i guess you get surprised at what lil things you miss....like english in print on the street. hehe...
i think that this weekend i wanna go find a monastery to visit because i havent been to one yet since being in Greece and this weekend is my last free weekend before finals, which start the following saturday. it'll be like my last horaah for an excursion out of athens. we'll see what interesting place i find. :)
well, i think it's time for dinner
post me a message if you love me!!!! i love posts!! :) :) :)
Monday, November 22, 2004
back in athens
so i made it through the weekend. wheeew.
we had a marathon day of 9 hours (!!!) on saturday at the site of Olympia, and w/o eating!!! it was very very crazy, and our prof's a field trip nazi. but hey, im here now. im very tired and have many things to do this week, esp since it's only a half week due to thanksgiving. maybe ill get it all done, maybe not. either way- indian food in substitute for turkey on thursday is going to be wonderful.
has everyone gotten their lovely postcards??? i hope so. mom & dad- u have another one coming, but i think i mentioned it. eh..
mary- i am so jealous of you going down to Schmidt's. BUT my bro and dad got 2 deer up north a weekend ago and hopefully therell still b some left when i get back!
i dont have much time today, but wanted everyone to know that im alive and NO more weekend field trips! this is good and bad of course, but mostly im glad to have my last few weekends free for whatever i want. thank god!
also, i wore an t-shirt, fleece hoodie, and a fleece jacket to class today- but it's sunny nevertheless. so yeah- it's cold now. the heat in our apt.s is minimal compared w/heating systems at home, so generally our apt is about 64-65 degrees F, or less if someone leaves a window open or theres a draft. boooooooooooo.
but yeah, gtg work now.
more later this week :)
we had a marathon day of 9 hours (!!!) on saturday at the site of Olympia, and w/o eating!!! it was very very crazy, and our prof's a field trip nazi. but hey, im here now. im very tired and have many things to do this week, esp since it's only a half week due to thanksgiving. maybe ill get it all done, maybe not. either way- indian food in substitute for turkey on thursday is going to be wonderful.
has everyone gotten their lovely postcards??? i hope so. mom & dad- u have another one coming, but i think i mentioned it. eh..
mary- i am so jealous of you going down to Schmidt's. BUT my bro and dad got 2 deer up north a weekend ago and hopefully therell still b some left when i get back!
i dont have much time today, but wanted everyone to know that im alive and NO more weekend field trips! this is good and bad of course, but mostly im glad to have my last few weekends free for whatever i want. thank god!
also, i wore an t-shirt, fleece hoodie, and a fleece jacket to class today- but it's sunny nevertheless. so yeah- it's cold now. the heat in our apt.s is minimal compared w/heating systems at home, so generally our apt is about 64-65 degrees F, or less if someone leaves a window open or theres a draft. boooooooooooo.
but yeah, gtg work now.
more later this week :)
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