Grad School

I would like to start with a soothing image from Flaming Gorge that has nothing to do with the rest of my post.

Ok, so all that freaking out in my last post was totally unnecessary. I LOVE GRAD SCHOOL! I'm really glad I was able to reduce my work hours to 30 per week so that I can focus on learning. We've been in school for over a month now, and it has been a really fun experience to use my brain again! I love being able to discuss big ideas and get a greater understanding of how the world works. Also, I like being able to talk about things in an academic setting and not feel like I have to dumb it down or try to be all cool. Our class is really great. We have 26 people, and everyone works in Child and Family Services. We have class from 6-9 on Tuesdays and 4-10 on Thursdays, so we always have a potluck dinner on Thursdays so we don't starve. It feels like we have a really good support system with our class. I carpool up to the U with two other people from my office, which is really great for me because it forces me to go to class, which isn't a problem for me right now, but I know from my undergrad that by the end of the three years they will have had to drag me there more than a couple of times.

Mundane

I just have a lot on my mind right now and need to sort through some things. This one may come off as a to-do list, so if you are looking for something interesting, you may want to just skip on past. This one is for my benefit. So I'm getting ready to start Grad school in three weeks and I am scared shitless. I'm really nervous to be back in school and working at the same time, especially now that I have a real job and the stakes are a lot higher. I'm totally excited in a lot of ways, like I can't wait to be in the classroom again learning and I'm looking forward to reading and getting to know new people and networking and such, however, I have this problem where when I get overwhelmed I kind of shut down and that's what's really freaking me out!! So now that school is starting, I've made that kind of a deadline for getting all these things done that I probably should have done forever ago, like all those New Year's Resolutions that I forgot about. I've been really trying to get organized at home and get my room/closet/kitchen/everything cleaned and in perfect order. Neatness has never come naturally to me, so this has been a real challenge. I've recruited my roommates and dearest friends to help in this endeavor. We'll see how that goes. Today I actually accomplished a lot. I cleaned out my closet (ok I need you to understand that this was a MAJOR accomplishment, and something I have been meaning to do since I moved in this place two years ago.) I also did all the dishes and cleaned the kitchen floor. I went shopping, bought some new clothes, put all those away, went shopping again for a new shredder, since I brutally murdered mine last night with one freaking peice of mail. Screw you, Chase Bank for making your statements so damn thick! Anyway, that was a $20 lesson and the new shredder isn't as bad ass as the old one, so I'm kinda bummed. Sorry for the detour. Anyway, more stuff to do--get my immunization records... um, I'm 27! I really didn't think I would be needing my immunization records at this juncture, but I do, so I gotta figure out how to do that. OH. And I decided to start putting my awesome artsy pictures up on here, since I don't have anywhere else to display my AMAZING photography skills. Back to my point. I still need to finish hanging up and folding all my clothes, clean off my desk, hang my pictures back on the wall, touch up the paint where my friend's kid hit the wall over and over with a little piece of metal, and where I scraped up the place putting my desk together. Fix the curtains in the living room, clean out all the cabinets in the kitchen, wipe out the fridge, eat some of the stuff in the freezer so my new tenant can get some stuff in there... Oh and I am getting a new roommate monday, so I am really really trying to get the house in order for her. She seems pretty cool, and basically like she will never be around. So many things are going through my mind right now!! So many little stories and things that have happened that make me laugh and little moments that I find profound and silly. I just got back from a visit to Louisiana with my family, which was great! I got to meet little Aidyn, who is adorable, despite the fact that he has whacked out parents, and spent a whole week chilling out with the family. I loved it! Coming back from vacation is always insane, though. I guess I just needed a minute to pat myself on the back for what I got done today and to figure out what my next steps are. Tomorrow I'm going to get a blessing from my friend's dad to hopefully put my mind at ease about the whole grad school thing. I just haven' t had any big changes in my life for the last couple of years, and I've really been enjoying myself, so I'm nervous for this huge change! Anyway, if you're reading this, thanks for sticking with me through the boring stuff!