So here we are, fall semester finals again. Hard to believe that I started writing this two years ago.

Well, the weather is a little cold, snow has been coming on and off but nothing stuck yet so I feel like we are probably in for a bad winter when I get back in January through sometime around Spring Break. I am just hoping that the weather holds long enough for me to get home without too many delays.

This might be the least stressful finals period I have ever had in my life. I only have a paper and one test spread out over a week. Despite finals being a week later than they used to be, I get to get home before too much of the Christmas travel hits. My last test is Friday night and the paper I am supposed to be working on right now (I have been surprisingly productive today) is due tomorrow so they are nicely spaced.

Linderman is incredibly crowded right now but I have my coffee and a comfy chair so I should be good to go for another few hours of work before dinner with a friend and video games. That's not true... I will probably take an extended break soon and finish this paper between dinner and video games. I only have two pages to go. Remember when that used to be long paper? I also remember when all my teachers told me that I would always write papers that were at least 10 pages long plus citations in college. Truth: I can count the number of papers I have written solo of that length or longer on one hand. No teacher wants to grade a full classroom's worth of really long papers. The only type of paper I have worked on that was consistently longer than ten pages would be group papers because there was maybe only four to eight groups in the class. I love all of the strange things that teachers tell you about the next school you get to ie when you learn cursive, the teachers tell you that you will always use it but in fact it's nice to know but it is rarely used.

Okay enough distraction. Back to work.

Happy Holidays!

Yesterday it started to flurry. This brings out very mixed feelings because as much as I like the snow, it means that it will keep getting colder which I am not a fan of. The good thing about fall semester though is that the cold keeps me inside which means that I am slightly more productive during finals time because it was far more comfortable to be curled up in the library with some hot chocolate or other warm drink and a book or laptop than in the spring when it is so much nicer to be sprawled outside getting tan and then trying to get work done.

This is the start of the last week of classes which is probably the most difficult week of the semester because while some classes end in finals, others end in projects or papers which are almost always due at the end of the semester. This coming week, I have a group paper, an individual paper and two group presentations which is really hard because as a result of all the groups, that means that we have meetings on top of everything else. The nice thing is that after Friday, I have a fairly chill week in comparison since I just have a final paper and a final.

I am looking forward to having a break from school to recharge and spend some time with my family and friends from home. I get to be here for just under two more weeks before it is back to the slightly warmer weather. I have all sorts of sweaters to look forward to using.

The first four weeks of next semester are going to be really rough but I can look forward to spending my final undergraduate semester with my friends and having a very chill second half of the semester, which will be a nice departure from right now. Well, back to work on my paper!

Another Turning Point

Today is Veteran's day, by many other students, it is a day the is marked by a lack of school and celebrated for that reason. We don't get the day off but it wasn't until this year that I really began to understand the significance of this holiday. It's weird because between now and next Veteran's day, life will be drastically different. Right now, if I know soldiers, they are friends of friends or friends of my parents but this time next year, it will be my best friend serving our country. Regardless of what people do in the military, the point is that they are ready and willing to serve our country with everything they have. I don't really know what else to say because these men and especially the woman are so incredibly awesome.

I feel like I have nothing else to say on that subject without rambling or getting too emotional so on to other current issues.

I had to register for my final semester of college classes. I have to petition for graduation (everyone has to, it is not because I am missing something, Mom) before March and before I know it, I will be on the field in a cap and gown with my friends. I would like to think that I am ready for all that.

Side note, I realized that I have given more tours in the last two weeks than I usually have in all of first semester. But they have been a lot more fun than usual which is great and totally worth it!

Okay, now I am really using this as an excuse not to be writing my GC reflection paper which is due tomorrow before I go into work. I am being responsible. I ate dinner before I started work and have Harry Potter on now.

Keep my head up i know I'll be fine

The first Vagina Monologues meeting was yesterday and it was awesome! I am super excited about our cast because I think that we have enough bonding events planned that they will gel as a group which is most of the fun of being a part of the show. I was worried that people wouldn't be happy with their parts but on the whole, most people are satisfied which is a load off my mind because I don't want to have anyone be discontent. Becca and I still have worries about the show but knowing that we have a cast that looks to be pretty dedicated makes life a lot easier. It's weird to see how my involvement has changed my college career with regards to VM. I started it because it was something my ex was passionate about, and made it through a crazy year with all sorts of drama surrounding the show to the point where I almost decided not to do it again. But, I knew the producers my sophomore year and they were awesome girls so I figured that I might as well. Then I went away and found an e-mail offering me this opportunity and I couldn't imagine my senior year without it now.

Honestly, there has been so much going on that I can barely think straight about everything that has happened lately. The most significant change in the past few weeks (besides having a cast) was that STAR Academy started again. STAR brings in children from the local community who need an extra push to be successful members of society. The program has Lehigh students (or STAR graduates) tutor for an hour and half about two Saturdays a month. This is program I have been involved in throughout all of my Lehigh time and has allowed me to make all sorts of new friends. I had the same tutee for the first three years but she graduated last June (very proud of her) and is now continuing her education elsewhere. My new tutee is a senior in high school so we are starting the application process all over again. It's more exciting to be doing that then looking for a job right now.

Now I need to go dig through my basement to see if I still have books from freshman year to write my capstone paper.

We R Who We R

I don't really know what to say but I guess I can just make you aware of the random things that I have learned over the past few weeks.

1. 96 is the ideal number of people for marching band formations so our band has 97 for formations plus a drum major

2. Student Auxiliary Services are very nice people

3. I have to register for my final undergraduate semester NEXT WEEK.

4. I have not been so good at the talking on my tours, my throat hurts after I finish giving them but a lot of them are still fun, especially when I get questions.

5. I AM ON TRACK TO GRADUATE.

Okay, now I am going to bed. Will post more when I am not so tired.

You're Not Thinking About Tomorrow

I always mean to post more and then I get distracted (as usual) and somehow forget. So more thoughts with numbers so that there is some reason in the chaos of things I want to talk about.

1. My mom thinks I should write about the things I learned in high school that have most benefited me in college. I want to but that would need to be another post entirely and I think that is a unique experience because it was more the life lessons I learned both in the classroom and outside during those years that helped most rather than the by the book educational things.

2. We had Vagina Monologues auditions this week which means that the show is coming together. Slowly but surely, it's becoming something more than a really long to do list. The to do list is huge but everything is an exciting prospect. I spent more time in the Women's Center this week then ever before but it is still awesome. One of my friends asked me how I knew so many people as I said hi to what felt like a billion people that I knew from the copious time I spend at the Women's Center. They are genuinely awesome people to spend time with and even being a senior, it's been really nice getting to know new people.

3. Pacing Break has come and gone. It never feels like long enough since it is only two days but at the same time, I was going to take advantage because I would rather have one much longer weekend than two three day weekends. I went to DC to babysit some of the cutest kids I know. Campbell and Reagan are amazing and I know I will never have kids of my own who are as great as the two of them are, young as they are. My mom also came out to babysit with me and then play tourist for a little while and then stayed through the following weekend for Parent's Weekend with my younger sister. Mom and I went to the International Spy Museum. It was AWESOME! And that is saying that as my 21 year old self and not as my six year old inner child. It is not by any means a boring museum nor is it geared towards children since the history of conflicts are needed to understand the importance of the espionage roles.

4. We are over half way finished with the semester (I think, it gets confusing) but this year is already flying by. It feels like each new semester goes faster than the last. Although spring semester drags while we are in it because of the cold. There is still so much to accomplish this semester!

5. This weekend is young alumni which has been fun seeing the people who have graduated relatively recently all come back and return to college for the weekend. While work has put a damper on being able to spend as much time with them as I would like, it's just been nice to see them all.

Okay so I think this is enough of a break from my essay and I should really get back to it. Although it has been good fun reflecting on all of the things that have happened since the last time I sat down and wrote but I am hoping that between this time and the next, there is not such a lag.

I Wanna Jump in the Cold Water

I have not been good about updating this and for that, I apologize but I have had a lot going on and no real time to sit down and write about it. This might also have been the most literal title I have ever used. So, things I have to say about life right now:
1. This weather is insane. It goes from pouring rain to really hot within hours. I don't want it to be fall yet because then it gets too close to the real cold but this heat is a little ridiculous. It's back to be being too hot to sleep! Maybe that's just me though... Also, my room tends to be warmer than the rest of my house and we can't really figure out why.

2. I now live in the Women's Center. I really wish I had discovered it earlier! Today I got to make buttons, like turn them from paper circles into full pins. It's surprisingly awesome despite how lame it sounds. The people who work there (because you don't have to be a woman to work in the Women's Center) are fantastic. They are funny and silly and just great people to be around.

3.I feel like I might be falling behind on Vagina Monologues things but I don't know what I could be doing differently. We got our scripts this week and started pushing people to sign up for auditions and getting forms which is all super exciting. We are really looking for support and ways to get people to donates something! Whether that something is time or items or monetary support, we just know that we have a lot of options to help us fund-raise. Our goal seems reachable but it's still daunting.

4. I love my roommates. Or I guess housemates would be a better term for them since that is what they are. We have been hanging out playing video games, watching TV together (especially crazy wedding shows) and then just getting "stuck" downstairs. By stuck I mean going downstairs on a mission and then taking forever to make it back upstairs because we get distracted by spending time with each other.

5. Classes are going pretty well, they are not that different from other semesters. I don't have one class that I am in love with like I usually do that but I don't know if that is because I am lacking classes that I truly dislike also so on a relative basis, they are all good.

I guess that is all I really have to say tonight. The heat is making me distracted because all I want to do is jump in the shower and then try to get some sleep before I overheat again. Well, for tonight, I shall be going.

A Moment, A Laugh

I actually have time to sit and write something! I know it's been a while since I have written an actual update as to what has been going on but the truth is that there has been a lot. I am co-producing Lehigh's production of The Vagina Monologues this year and while the show might now be until February, there is a lot to be done before we can even work on getting together a cast. Being producer was never something I thought was a possibility but so far, it's been pretty amazing and I know it's going to be even more work than it has been already but it will also get even better as we get more people involved with all the new ideas that my co-producer and I hope to incorporate into our show.

Other things, classes have started. Senioritus exists already but nowhere near as badly as it did in high school. Maybe because I don't have a job yet or maybe because I am more engaged with my classes now than I was in high school. It's going to be a good year academically. The new STEPS building is awesome. I am a little sad that I don't have a class in there. I might have to schedule an elective there just for fun next semester.

It's been really nice being back, seeing people I haven't seen in six months, meeting people from all the organizations that I am rejoining as time has passed. This is shaping up to be a really great semester. Stay tuned for how things shape up to be.

Let's Get Together

Senior year starts tomorrow and to be honest, I am finally psyched. There is a ton to do that is all super exciting and at this point, almost all of my friends are back and it has been amazing seeing all of them as well as meeting a ton of new people. I missed out on recruitment last year so I am catching up on meeting our new pledge class and so far, they seem like a really great group of girls.

My room is still a bit of a disaster zone for now but a light week of class for now should make that a little bit easier to fix, trying to make sure that I can stay focused and not watch "How I Met Your Mother" instead.

And it happened... I got distracted... I got to talk to my roommates (they are seriously awesome) and then started watching more DVDs. So I will leave it with this for now, because to be honest, it's almost midnight and I have senior things to do tomorrow before I really start class but it's kind of an anti-climactic last first day of school. Still, my schedule this semester, is awesome.

It has been a really strange summer so far and it is bound to stay this way. The main reason that this is so weird is that part of me feels like this is not my home anymore. Most of my high school friends are not sticking around as they are paying higher rent than I am and as a result are living in their apartments/houses. I came home thinking I needed a break from being in new places, but now I wonder if I should have just appreciated my summer before the "real world" starts. My life is split between being here, back at school and a little in DC. I am thinking that if I choose to get a job, DC might be the best place for me, specifically, somewhere on the red line would great. It's strange feeling like I have no real place to call home anymore. Is home where my parents are or is it someplace else? School is home in a more general sense because I move from room to room each year.

Part of me is ready for the next year but the uncertainty of what follows scares me. I have no idea what I want to do. Do I want to get a job and push off grad school if I go at all? Do I want to go to grad school for a degree that I probably can't pay off? Do I want a job in the profit world where while I might make more, I may not be as happy? Or, if I get a job I love at a non-profit, can I afford rent?

My sister just graduated from high school, the same one I did and I realized that I will probably never have to set foot on that campus again and it was a bittersweet feeling. There were good times and bad had on that campus but it's no longer meant for me. She's going to start college (not a Lehigh but another great school) and eventually, I think she is going to start feeling what I am about being divided. Last night I told her she scares my friends because they only know about her graduating and remember her as a little kid rather than who she is now. It still scares me that she drives but I know what they mean because I feel the same way about their siblings. Liz then told me I scare her friends for the same reason she scares mine. Scare them? Right..... Try scaring myself. People I graduated high school with are done with college already. I could be done with college already. It's like going to camp on the first day, scary but exciting all at the same time. I miss camp and all that it is as a little bubble.

Well, I am at work and am now going to go finish putting labels on binder tabs.

Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer

First of all, sorry that it has been forever since I last updated this. It's been a hectic couple of weeks. Since I last posted here, I finished my semester at Georgetown and moved back to Lehigh before coming home for the summer.

Since coming home, I was working at my usual camp in the office to pass the time because it was impossible to go from doing a million things at once to not doing anything. After about three weeks of that, I went on a cruise to Alaska and had a really good time. It was probably the most exhausting vacation I have ever been on. I came home and slept for more than 15 hours! I never do that.

So I went back to camp for a week and then yesterday started my internship. I don't really know how it's going to go but everyone has been really nice and I know that I am going to learn a lot.

I really can't wait to get back to Lehigh. There are so many new things going on and I am ready to get started already!

I'm heading out to Philly for my cousin's wedding and am frustrated that I can't get to Lehigh to visit even just for a little while. I am however, enjoying the guacamole made possible by the abundance of good avocados in Southern California.

Join the crowd of aging beards a'many

For some reason, this past semester has caused me to have a lot of discussions about mustaches. I think it's because one of my co-workers is growing one which has led me to pay more attention to the people around me with them and has also led to all the interns looking up pictures of the mustache competition. We have also been led onto events like the mustache growing competition to raise money for charity. I guess I wad finally prompted to discuss this because I just saw a man in the library coffee shop with a beard i just don't understand. I am not a fan of facial hair at all and as a result I have great respect for the wives of these bearded men. I also just don't understand. A well groomed beard or mustache can be fine, but I don't get it when they are not well groomed and just look gross. It is still hair, and like the hair on your head, it should be neat if you want to be taken seriously. There are very few men that need facial hair, some really do or else they look way too young but for the vast majority, it is unnecessary.

So more about this library. It can be really frustrating sometimes because there are so many places to study but there are only a limited number of outlets. It can be very frustrating since most computer batteries don't last very long. I understand that there are certain places that are perceived to be okay for it to talk. That is fine, but the privilege shouldn't be abused. In Linderman, it is okay to talk a little and whisper but no one yells like they do here. The other night, it was so loud, it was impossible to hear myself think and I have a very loud thinking voice. It was probably a good thing that I wasn't doing real work at the time. To actually get some work done, I have to go hide in the lowest level of the library where my phone doesn't work and there are very few outlets. It might be easier to concentrate here but that doesn't mean I get very much done anyway... I am kind of a procrastinator, if we didn't figure this out already.

I'm super excited to see some family next weekend! Actually, all sorts of family, some of whom I haven't seen in a while. Plus, I get to hang out with my favorite two and half year old.

Do I really have to graduate?

So our class schedule for next semester came out this week. Normally, I love this time of the semester. It's so full of opportunities to learn something new and there is the whole puzzle about how to get everything you need at the best times. I know I'm a dork but it's kind of fun.

This semester is different though. I am going to be a senior. Talk about scary. I technically need 23 credits in order to graduate which means that I actually get to take a real free elective. I might take something with friends but who knows, I could also just take a light schedule with only what I need and then focus on all of the other exciting things that I have going on next year.

Through talking to other people about scheduling while I have been here and as I have previously mentioned, I really appreciate Lehigh's scheduling and registration process. At Georgetown, from what I understand, they pre-register for classes meaning that they make requests of the class they want and then the registrar makes the schedule for you. Changes can be made at the start of the semester but I feel like this is confusing and a lot can happen those first few days. Who wants to be behind before they have started?

My co-worker from Australia told me that at his school, he chose his courses and then the registrar would make the times work for as many people as possible so you would know what classes you were taking but you didn't know what times until later.

I like the system that we have that most people register on their designated night at 10:00 and know exactly what they are taking by 10:05 unless something went wrong and schedules must be reworked. We have time to sort out our classes until about ten days into the following semester and the registrar maintains the right to change the class times but I have never heard of that happening. It's nice to have it all figured out and plan extracurricular activities accordingly.

Graduation already seems to be looming in the distance, fast encroaching on the life I love I can only imagine how I am going to feel throughout the next year. I thoroughly plan on making a bucket list with my housemates to accomplish everything we want to before graduation but there is so much that needs to be done! I have to admit that I haven't made a huge effort in the past but starting with this semester, I have tried to make more of an effort to experience things and have no regrets. I went to the cherry blossom festival yesterday which made me miss Lehigh more, not because of the cherry blossoms themselves but because by taking the entire afternoon to take a long walk and go see things, I came back to a really heavy feeling of stress with all of the things I have to do as a shadow over the experience. What frustrates me is that when I get an assignment at Lehigh, most of the time it really matters that I do it, usually for the educational content. Semester long projects are usually done in steps. I currently have projects that I am attempting to work on for the entire semester, but there is no time! I mean, I have class from 9-3 with only an hour break on Mondays and Fridays, I work 9-5 on Tuesdays through Thursdays and then have class from 6-8 on Mondays and Wednesdays. By the time I get back to my room, I am exhausted. I barely have time to do laundry or clean my room, let alone work on my research paper. That exhaustion continues to the weekend when no matter how much sleep I try to get, something always needs to be done and something is always more pressing than my paper. Now, we have group debates and another paper for a different class which all require the same amount of time each week as my research paper. Maybe this is why Georgetown gives so much time off? They know that students need to recuperate more often from the insane amounts of time spent on school work. I honestly don't know what I would do without this four day weekend coming up, especially because in theory I can take Thursday off from work but I would rather go to work than procrastinate all day and work is less exhausting then classes. I like that Lehigh professors seem to have a better sense of balance and while we might have one or two bad weeks with a lot of stress, that tends to lend to another couple of weeks with a far lighter load.

Now I must go and write my debate speech for tomorrow. Whoop de doo.

Little Darling, the smiles returning to the faces

Since I have been in DC, I have started skimming the headlines of the New York Times almost every morning on the bus. I have watched my friends get increasingly frustrated by their schools and heard about the thousands of students who have tried to change the way their education is being handled.

I am so glad I don't have that to deal with. Yes, Lehigh is a private school but you can get out in four years if you pay attention. One of the things that is driving me crazy this summer is that I pay for tuition and a meal plan and housing but that doesn't cover everything that I need to get by. It seems like a really small thing but the fact that Lehigh doesn't charge for printing is privilege that I will be thankful for from now on. There, I don't have to strain my eyes reading page after page of information I need for a paper either on the computer or in a minuscule font that I was forced to use to not have it cost me a fortune to print. Their system of what I can use my dining dollar equivalents for makes no sense and is just annoying. Plus, food off campus is far more expensive than around Lehigh but there are pretty much similar types of options if you know where to look.

I know this is starting to sound all complainy so I am going to stop.

Lehigh is beautiful around this time. The snow is melting (or completely melted in some cases) and all the green is coming out again, and the flowers get planted and you can wear dresses again. Whoo, it really is one of the best times of year. I got to wear a dress and sandals after work today!

Oh Lehigh, how I miss thee. Oh by the way, did I mention we are going to the NCAA tournament! SOOO EXCITED TO WATCH MY SCHOOL!

Deep Beneath the Cover of Another Perfect Wonder

I have never seen so much snow in my life. This area got 20-30 inches of snow. Reminder, I am not at Lehigh this semester so I have no idea how much snow they got. I made my first great snow angel and the snow was so powdery, trying to move through it meant I sank in past my knees. Being a Southern California native, I never got to experience the childhood snow memories so part of me is making them up now with snowmen and snowball fights with friends. Call me what you wish but holding on to a small part of my childish side sometimes is just good, clean fun.

That wasn't going to be the original focus of what I was going to talk about today but the truth is that I have had a lot of different ideas over the past few weeks about what to write about. Not many people have the chance to study at another university in the US and know for sure that they can go back to Lehigh at the end. So far I have learned that as much as I knew it before, I picked the right school for me to spend the majority of my four year, undergraduate experience.

Our program is in no way reflective of a typical Georgetown schedule but it's weird to me to have night classes offered across the board and be so widely accepted. I love that Lehigh tends to limit the scheduling to between the hours of 8-4 allowing us to be involved in other aspects of campus life as well as our classes. Although I didn't have to participate, the process of getting classes also seems far more stressful as I watched my roommate have to deal with changing her schedule and the waitlist process. By having each class register a different night, it allows for instant (well almost, the internet moves slower that night than any other night of the year)registration so you know immediately if you got into the class because it's all based on when you hit submit rather than the preregistration process. It obviously works for them but it's all very strange to me.

One of the things I miss most about Lehigh is the architecture of what I view as the main quad consisting of Alumni Memorial. the UC, Linderman, the church and Packer lab. It all seems so cohesive and gorgeous. Georgetown has some amazing buildings that are old and beautiful but the lack of cohesion taints the landscape a little bit. Although they do win with a flat place to have a great snowball fight and build an amazing snowman.

I have a lot more to say on a wide variety of topics but for now, I have to go and get some reading done for Monday so I can spend some more time enjoying the snow tomorrow.

I'll Find My Way Back To You

So it's been over a month since I have posted and I apologize for that. Quick recap on my life:
1. I finished the first semester of my junior year and I think it was pretty successful;
2. I am on leave this semester to participate in Georgetown's Semester in Washington program which I will describe in a little bit;
3. I went home for winter break.

First, I chose to take a semester off because I needed to take a break from going to classes everyday and this program allows me to intern Tuesday through Thursday each week so that I have a change a pace for a little while which will hopefully reinvigorate my desire to learn back at Lehigh in the fall. All of that, and I would really like to have enough classes for a full senior year. The facet that I am over halfway finished with my undergraduate experience is truly terrifying and I am really not happy about this.

I have been a Georgetown student for two days and there are already things that I miss terribly about Lehigh. The first would be Linderman. I guess I unknowingly assumed that most old schools would have old libraries, unfortunately not the case. I miss the beauty and comfort of Linderman, where the modernity of the renovations fit with the restorations of its original essence. I don't know what I am going to do without such a gorgeous place to study for the semester.

I also miss that printing is included in tuition and an abundance of public printers. Seriously amazing perk that I definitely took for granted the last five semesters. I actually had to go buy a printer today and even then, it can't auto double side like the ones at school. I mean, call me a nerd that I really do miss the printers at Lehigh but I do!

On the other hand, I think that personally, I needed to take the semester off to truly appreciate the education that I am getting at Lehigh as well as the experience. I am here and it is going to be a lot of work and a very different kind than I am used to but I guess that's going to be a good thing.

I have wasted sufficient time writing this since I have a ton of reading to do tonight for class tomorrow morning. ;)