Project 52 Catch up: Week 10: Morning

Project 52 Catch up: Week 9: Patterns

Project 52 Catch up: Week 8: Pink

Project 52 Catch up: Week 7: Time

Project 52 Catch up: Week 6: Red

One of the other things that I would like to do during my remaining time over the summer is catch up on my project 52. I got sidetracked from my project 52 during my internship and have yet to go back to it. I am updating weeks 6-10 tonight and hopefully over the next few days/weeks I will catch up with 11-28. (Topics remaining: round, shine, envy, soft, perspective, love, start, free, texture, toys, downtown, summer, heat, fantasy, water, shadows, light, night)

Enjoy the next few posts!

Summer Goals

A check in with the summer goals!

* Run at least 4 x a week for the remainder of the summer (if not more)

- FAIL. Every time I wake up early to run, I find out that there is too much smoke outside from the brush fires in Pender County. I dont want to run outside when the air is so hazy :( I have gone to the gym some more, but I really want to run outside. I am going to try again tonight, we'll see how that goes.

* Create something- I haven't crafted in so long and I miss it!

- CHECK. See post below for my awesome new jewelry organizer. I want to make another for my boss (since she supplied me with all of the corks) and one more thats a little larger so I can house all my jewelry. I also want to do at least one more crafty thing, but I dont know what that is yet. I'll keep you updated.

* Read at least 5 new books off of my list

- IN PROGRESS. I have read "Turn of the Screw" by Henry James and "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac. I was actually not all that impressed with either of these books, which is surprising considering how popular and iconic On the Road really is. I got through the first half of the book just fine, but the second half just seemed overly redundant and unnecessary. I kind of ruined the whole no buying books thing with a trip to Books a Million the other day. I got a book on John F Kennedy, a book called The Irregulars, One Day by John Nichols, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. A friend also lent me The Zombie Survival Guide, so I have plenty to choose from. I am thinking of reading The Zombie Survival Guide alongside another book? I think I am going to tackle The Scarlett Letter next off the list, time is ticking for 3 more reads OFF the list (plus whatever else I want to read not on the list)

* Find a job

- CHECK. I can't get into any details yet, but I am fairly certain that I have a job for the fall. I am recommended to the board of education for the position, but I guess I need to go in and sign paperwork and be accepted by the BOE?

* Pay off hospital bills from surgery

- Slowly but surely. I have knocked down the amounts on my two remaining bills, but I don't think these will be completely paid off by summer's end. At least I will have made a good dent in them?

What I did today

One of the things that I have been able to cross off my summer goals list is the one about creating something. I have been wanting to do this project for awhile, but I didn't have enough time or corks to do it with. Since I have been working at an Italian restaurant all summer (where we sell a LOT of wine), I was finally able to get the corks needed for this project :) I also had to find a cute frame to make this project complete. *Drum roll please*.....

My newest jewelry holder!

I also have been able to read two of the books off my list: Turn of the Screw and On the Road. More about that later!

Life as of late

Grad school- just a few days until it is done! I have been very proud of myself because I kept up with ALL of my work, have not procrastinated, and actually got a lot of work done well ahead of time! Unfortunately, I should have procrastinated this time because one of my professors actually decided to get rid of a major assignment because too many people looked "tired" and "overwhelmed." Guess who actually had already finished hers? That's right- this girl right here. TIme management people- it goes a long way.

Job Interview- it went really well yesterday! It was very low key and more like a conversation with several of the faculty members, but I think I liked this method better than the traditional type of interview. I have some things that I have to think about, but I should hear in a few days whether I got the job or not.

Running- I met my goal last week of four days. I will have to run today, tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday to meet it this week, but I think that it is do-able!

Weekend- This weekend I am going to my grandparent's 50th anniversary celebration and I am so excited about it! We are traveling to Greensboro. Friday my sisters and I are going shopping, Saturday is the vow renewal and celebration, and we will come home on Sunday. It will be a short trip but I am looking forward to the time away! The only down side to this is that I have to leave my precious Meredith for the weekend but I am leaving her with a family who will take very good care of her and who have a few dogs to keep her occupied!

Hot Hot Hot!

So I have gotten on a semi-regular running pattern again and it's about time! I decided that during these hot summer months I would probably do short runs, a mile or so in length, and work on speed more than anything. I of course will have some longer runs, but in general I am thinking this is a good way to go. When the fall months get here, that is when I will focus more on distance to get to the 10k on October 15th. The other day I posted about how abysmal my running time was for the mile, and now that I am hyper aware of that abysmal time, I was able to cut off three minutes so it is in the not quite as embarrassing range. Yes, that is how bad it was that I can cut off three minutes and still not really want to own my number right now....

Today's run was HOT and HUMID and WINDY! It is supposed to rain later today so the air was very heavy and I had to work a lot harder to get my run in. Even though I dont feel like I am any smaller since starting to run again, I do feel like things are starting to tighten up and that is always a good thing in my book :)

A week and a half until grad school is over! I am down to mostly big projects to do. I will have a final in each class and I have a research paper/presentation and a case study for one class, and a presentation for the other! I can't believe grad school is almost over. On one hand, this has felt like the longest year of my life and it felt like it would never end. On the other hand, looking back, it doesn't seem like it has been that long at all.

I am in the process of looking for a place of my own for the fall. I think it is time for me to move on, be more independent, and just live my life!

I got a job interview! I am super stoked! It is Wednesday so I will keep you updated!

Oh Life...

Summer school has taken over my life. Only two weeks left until complete freedom! Those two weeks, however, are going to be killer. I made myself a nice (long) list of all of the stuff I had to do between now and the END of grad school and it's not looking pretty folks. (and by stuff I mean reading, reflections, papers, quizzes, projects, tests, etc etc etc). I can do anything for two weeks right?!

The last few days I have been running a mile with out stopping. I should have never quit running after my 5k in October but I couldnt stand the thought of running in the cold- I wasn't that hardcore yet but I can't stop again this winter! So I am slowly building my stamina back up and I am hoping for a 10k in October (the same race as last year, just longer). My mile time is pretty abismal though, so abismal that I won't admit it right now. Maybe when I get to my ideal time (I think 8 min/mile is a pretty decent goal for a girl who has never been a runner?!) I will shamelessly admit what I am at now (don't worry, I won't forget this number).

I am contemplating joining WW. My sister joined about a month ago and has been seeing some fabulous results. I am hoping that I could get some similar results and have an accountability partner at the same time?!

I got a summer job at this restaurant, and I like it. I am liking the money coming in after almost a year of not having a job. Hallelujah income!

In honor of summer, I have a few goals:

* Run at least 4 x a week for the remainder of the summer (if not more)

* Create something- I haven't crafted in so long and I miss it!

* Read at least 5 new books off of my list

* Find a job

* Pay off hospital bills from surgery

and most importantly....

* Enjoy myself- it will be the first time that school is not in my immediate future and I feel like I need to take chances, enjoy my life a little, do something outside of my comfort zone!

My sweet baby girl...

Here are a few pics of my sweet baby girl!

Meredith just LOVES to cuddle!

There are some nights that she just isnt content unless she is right next to me...

How sweet!

...and she got settled down and started to drift off

... and she's out!

Oh Joy...

Summer session starts tomorrow. Kill me now. I went on Blackboard last night and read over my syllabus for one of my two classes and it is already looking like it is going to be a killer month. I can do it though, its only one month right?! 5 weeks. I can do five weeks. The horrible part of this summer session is the fact that I have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Two days a week doesnt sound so bad right?! Wrong- because my classes go from 8:30-12:15 and from 1-4:45. Yes, that is correct. I have two 3 hour and 45 minute classes back to back. I am sure its going to be a great time. Tonight I am going to get a head start on the reading because there is a ton of that for this one class already- yay.

In other news, I found a job. Go me. I trained on Saturday and I work again on Wednesday. It's just a waitressing job, but I will take just about anything at this point. I am searching for a teaching job for the fall and I have my eye on one job in particular- we will see how that goes.

I started running again- go me. I have myself on a schedule to run a 10k in October (the Bridge Run that I did the 5k of last year).

And... that's about it. Here's a picture of me in my cap and gown just for kicks and giggles....

Book Review: Feed

found here

So before I delve into my massive booklist that I outlined last night, I decided to go ahead and read this book Feed by MT Anderson. This book is required by one of my summer classes, so I decided to go ahead and knock it out.

A brief overview:

This book takes place in a future where computer chips have taken over the basic brain functions in humans. The world is deteriorating and humans live in the mass consumer market where their "feed" is tailored to their personality and advertises to them constantly. This "feed" takes over the basic functions of the human brain: the emotions, movement, thought, etc. People no longer have to know anything, they can look it up in their feed. Titus, the main character, and his friends take Spring Break on the moon where he meets this unusual girl named Violet. Violet is so unusual because she decides to start fighting the feed and brings Titus along.

My opinion:

I am going to admit that I was very confused the first part of the book. It was not until you got into the book a little bit that the idea of the feed was explained to you at all. I felt lost and had no clue what the narrator was talking about until about 30 pages in. When it was explained, I understood a little better and started to enjoy the novel a little bit more. This novel is classified as YA, but I think even that classification is stretching it a little bit. Yes, the book would probably appeal to YA readers, but there was quite a bit of language in the book that I just felt was completely unnecessary. I think that Anderson makes a very valid point about people being too driven by the consumer market, too easily swayed by the advertisements all around them. Overall, I think I would give this book a 3/5.

Life Update!

So I've been a pretty busy bee lately. I finished up my internship (so sad!), I organized EOC tutoring for the high school I interned at, I graduated, and now I am back at school tutoring and currently seeking employment in several different forms.

The end of my internship was so bittersweet. I was ready to be done with school, but I was in no way prepared to leave my students. My last day at the internship, my clinical teacher threw me little parties in each of my classes and I was able to spend some time with my students. She asked each class to discuss memorable lessons or moments in class. Of course, several students mentioned times when I disciplined them, but they all were surprisingly mature about it. I was able to hold it together on my last day, but I think the only real reason that this happened was because I knew I would be coming back for three weeks to tutor for the EOC.

The last few days of my internship I spent organizing the EOC tutoring. It was a LOT of work, and a LOT of frustration, but I was really glad that I did it. Even though a lot of my work ended up being in vain because of unforeseeable factors, I took it in stride and all is well! Now I am tutoring students who need a little extra help to pass the EOC and have actually really enjoyed it and gotten some pretty positive feedback from the students who are in my tutoring groups.

I graduated on Friday!!! Even though I still have two summer classes to take, it still felt like a pretty significant milestone for my Master's Degree. I was actually very disappointed in the actual ceremony, despite my exhilaration in being DONE for the semester and at the GRADUATION point. I was miserable throughout the ceremony. First, they crammed the graduates (about 500 of them) in this teeny tiny hallway to line up. Then, the ceremony was in the basketball arena and all of the family was up in the second tier with no way to get close and take any good pictures. Third, I couldnt hear practically ANYTHING that was said during the ceremony. And finally, the ceremony was so impersonal. They herded us across the stage like a bunch of cattle so we didnt really get our moment on the stage. It was so impersonal and I was not a fan.

Finally, I am searching for employment in all forms. I am tutoring for the school right now, which is paying nicely, but I also need a summer AND a big girl job. I may have landed a waitstaff position at a little Italian restaurant in New Bern, but I havent started so I dont want to count it official. However, I still have the looming question of where will I be employed next fall that still needs to be answered.

As you can see, life is busy, but it is also oh so good. Until next time!

Summer Reading?!

I have decided that this summer, I am going to tackle (part) of my bookshelf. I have a LOT of books. (This is no understatement people) and I realized the other day that I have a ton of classic books just sitting on my shelf that I have never read. Some of them, I am rather embarrassed that I have never read (having a BA in English and all). So this summer, I will attempt to rectify that situation, or part of it at least.

I think what started this whole thing is the fact that I have had quite a bit of time to read lately, and reading for pleasure is not something that I have had time to do in a loooong time. As evidenced by my recent book reviews, I have been tearing through books lately. Since my last post, I have read both The Wind in the Willows and Little Women, classics that have for some reason escaped me over the years. I remember starting Little Women when I was younger, but I never finished it for reasons unknown. The version of Little Women that I have is only the "Little Women" part and not the "Good Wives" part, so Beth did not die, Jo has not scorned Laurie, Laurie and Amy have not gotten marries, etc etc. I like it this way. I finished the book last night and then I was going to read the second part (Good Wives), but when I heard of all of the things that happen in that second part, I decided to leave well enough alone. Right now I can pretend that none of that other stuff happens and life can go on merrily. If Beth dies, I dont think that I can do that. The Wind in the Willows was such an enjoyable read. I tore through that book in a matter of a few days, reading the first half in one sitting.

So anyways, back to the point... I have compiled a list of all of the books on four of my shelves that I have never read. (The four shelves being Brit Lit, American Lit, World Lit, and YA Lit- yes, I know that I am a bit obsessive) Below is that list:


1. Emma- Jane Austen
2. Shirley- Charlotte Bronte
3. Wuthering Heights- Emily Bronte*
4. Canterbury Tales- Geoffrey Chaucer*
5. A Tale of Two Cities- Charles Dickens
6. David Copperfield- Charles Dickens
7. Great Expectations- Charles Dickens
8. Oliver Twist- Charles Dickens
9. Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde- Robert Louis Stevenson
10. Invisible Man- Ralph Ellison*
11. The Beautiful and the Damned- F. Scott Fitzgerald
12. This Side of Paradise- F. Scott Fitzgerald*
13. The Scarlett Letter- Nathaniel Hawthorne*
14. Their Eyes Were Watching God- Zora Neale Hurston
15. The Turn of the Screw- Henry James
16. On the Road- Jack Kerouac*
17. The Bluest Eyes- Toni Morrison
18. The Jungle- Upton Sinclair
19. The Winter of Our Discontent- John Steinback
20. Uncle Tom’s Cabin- Harriet Beecher Stowe
21. Out of Africa- Karen von Blixen-Finecke*
22. The Good Earth- Pearl S. Buck
23. Medea- Euripides
24. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest- Ken Kesey
25. Lolita- Vladimir Nabokov
26. The Fountainhead- Ayn Rand
27. The Chocolate War- Robert Cormier

the asterisks denote books that I have started but never finished for one reason or another.

Now I am not saying that I will tackle this ENTIRE list this summer, because let's face it: some of these books are beasts, but I am saying that I will start to tackle them and see how far I get. I think its silly for me to spend money on books when I have shelves full of books that I have never read before and should read at some point in my life. So- onto the task! I will keep you updated as I trundle through!