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!

Book Review: Something Borrowed

found here

After all of my "serious" reading (The Secret Life of Bees, The Help, The Other Hand), I decided that I wanted to read some good old fashioned chick-lit. When I went to see Water For Elephants (awesome movie by the way, and fairly close to the book as I remember it), I saw the trailer for this movie and decided to read the book first. The movie looked pretty cute, so the book should be too, right?!

Brief summary:

Rachel met this amazing guy, Dex, in law school and was practically in love with him, until he met her best friend Darcy. Dex and Darcy started dating and now, years later, they are engaged. On the night of Rachel's 30th birthday, Darcy goes home early because she is pretty wasted, and Dex and Rachel end up spending the night together. The result is a fairly complicated situation in which Dex is still engaged to Darcy but seeing Rachel on the side. Who will Dex end up choosing in the end?!

My opinion:

I was looking for chick lit, and that is exactly what I got. Don't hold expectations that are too high for this book and then you won't be disappointed. No, it isn't a life changing novel or anything, but it is a pretty good read. Its a modern day romance novel with complicated love situations that you are just dying to know how they end. I did read it fairly quickly (let's face it, the writing is very straightforward and the plot is not complicated), but I enjoyed the book a lot. I am considering reading Something Blue later this summer, which is the follow up novel, told from the perspective of Darcy, a totally unsympathetic character. Should be interesting.

Book Review: The Other Hand aka Little Bee

found here

I bought this book back in the Summer of 2009 when I was in England. The bookstore was having a buy one get one half off sale and I really wanted to read "My Sister's Keeper," so I sprang for both. The back of the book intrigued me. I got "The Other Hand," which apparently is the UK title for the book. I picked it up, but never ended up finishing it. Then I hear all this buzz about a book called "Little Bee" and I think to myself, "That sounds familiar." Lo and behold, it's the same book! So I pick it up again, start reading it, and put it down without finishing it. Finally, last week after finishing "The Help," I decided that I just needed to finish the darn thing already. I started the book again from the beginning and I finally did it, I finished it.

Brief plot summary:

A Nigerian girl meets a wealthy British couple who are on a "holiday" in Nigeria one day. A traumatic event occurs and the British couple flee back home. Five years pass, and they hear from the Nigerian girl again. More traumatic events happen. The girl and the wife spend some time together. The novel ends with another traumatic event.

My opinion:

The back of the book told me that this story was unique, compelling, and one of a kind. I am assuming they put this on the back of the cover to get people to read it. Well played marketing department, well played. I enjoyed the first part of the book and felt that it was compelling. There is one part of the book that I found particularly insightful, when Little Bee is talking about scars and how they are beautiful because they meant that the person bearing them survived. It was pretty deep stuff. However, I felt supremely let down by the ending of the book. I felt like the book just sort of fizzled out and then I was left thinking "Was that it? The end of the book?!" Maybe I had too high of an expectation of the book because the back of the book was so intriguing: "We don't want to tell you what happens in this book. It is truly a special story and we don't want to spoil it[...] Once you have read it, you'll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens either. The magic is in how it unfolds." Who wouldn't be intrigued by that?! My overall rating of the book is a 3/5 because the book did hold me until the last few chapters!

The Help: Book review

found here

I just finished this book last night and all I have to say is: wow! This book is over 500 pages long and I flew through it in less than 3 days. I started in when I was babysitting on Wednesday night and read almost half of it in less than 3 hours. I didnt have a whole lot of reading time on Thursday, but yesterday I babysat for most of the day and I devoured the rest of the book. I have heard of other people having similar experiences too!

Basic plot:

This book is told from the perspective of three different people: two African American maids (or "help") and one Caucasian woman. The book is set in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s, during the Civil Rights era. The premise of the book is that the white woman, Miss Skeeter, aspires to be a writer. At the onset of the novel she is part of the socialite group of white women who have help in their homes. Miss Skeeter begins to see the injustices of the "help" system. She decides she wants to write a book from the perspective of the help to share the stories of what it is really like to work in a white family's home. There is only one problem: she has no idea what is it like to work as the hired help. The book details her struggles to get the African American community to open up to her and share their stories, the good and the bad, of being the hired help.

My opinion:

I absolutely LOVED this book! Like I said, I just devoured it in a matter of days and now I wish I had taken more time with it! I thought the writing was phenomenal and the story was very unique. When the story is told from these different perspectives, Stockett takes on different dialects and you can distinctly hear each character's own voice. You laugh and cry along with the characters as you re-live the humorous and not so humorous tales of being the hired help. There was only one episode in the book that left me confused as to why it was even in there. It sort of felt like this episode was thrown in at random. You will recognize the scene when you see it! I feel like I know these three women after reading the book. Phenomenal read, go read it and tell me what you think!

Secret Life of Bees

Found here

I started to read this book back at the very beginning of the semester (I am a teacher, so yes, my life still is divided into semesters!), but I never was able to finish it! I must say that the first chapter or so of this book is less than compelling, but don't let that stop you from reading it! I started to read it at the beginning of the semester to see if it was something that I wanted my 9th graders to read. I stopped reading it because things got crazy and I wasn't drawn in by the first few pages. I picked it up again because I was stuck for ideas on my next novel. I devoured it after that!

A VERY basic plot summary:

Lily, a young white teenage girl, lives in South Carolina in the 60s. She ends up running away from home and taking her maid with her to escape their old life. Lily is in search of answers regarding her mother who died when Lily was very young. Her search brings her to a small town in South Carolina where she finds much more than the answers she was searching for.

Ok, so I dont want to give anything away, but its a great novel.

My opinion:

After the first chapter, I was drawn into the book. The characters are very realistic and lovable, the plot is compelling enough to make you want to read on to find out what happens next. My ninth graders are all absorbed in the book and love it. The only thing that I would say about this book is it is very much a feminine book. I offered my students two choices: Lord of the Flies (a very "boy" book) and Secret Life of Bees, and the class was divided into boys and girls with a few exceptions. I love how this book speaks to the power of female bonds. In that regard, I think it is a novel that every girl should read. I have yet to see the movie so I dont know how it compares, but I usually find the books far better than the movies!

My first "big girl" job application

Today I have been working on many different things, but most important of which is my first big girl job application. I submitted my application to 17 different school districts today and I have about 20 more that I would like to submit my application to. Hopefully one of these applications will bear some fruit!

In an ideal situation, I would find a job locally and I would be able to stay with family for the first year or so in order to start knocking down some of those pesky student loans; however, at this point I am willing to take a job anywhere just to have one!

More updates to come!

Hello again blogging world!

I'm baaaack!

I have been super busy lately but things are about to calm down for awhile! For the last month I have been doing full-time student teaching and working on my final portfolio for grad school. Full time teaching ended on Monday and the portfolio was submitted tonight (due on Monday). For once in my life I can say that I didnt COMPLETELY procrastinate on something huge and submitted it before the last possible moment. Go me!

Full time teaching went well, but I am glad its over. I know that full-time teaching is what I will be doing for the rest of my life, but I wont be dealing with grad school at the same time. I did have some struggles with the classes that I picked up from my clinical teacher, but I anticipated that because she has had these students all year and not just this semester. These two classes didnt really see me as their teacher because they have been under her instruction all year long.

I'm not entirely too sure if my portfolio is what the college of education is exactly looking for, but it will have to do. Part of the reason that my portfolio was so annoying was because it was a pilot semester for a new portfolio and lucky me! I was chosen to participate in the pilot program. The expectations werent clearly defined from the beginning and it doesnt seem like anyone really knows whats going on, so I guess we will just have to see when it all is said and done!

Now it is onto job searches! (Yes, that is plural...) I need to find both a part time job for the summer, something like waitressing, and a career-job for the fall. Let the search begin!

Meredith is doing well and is as cute as ever!

I'm super ready for spring break!

I'm very ready to be done with grad school!

And... that's about it. I'm glad to be back blogging world- you'll see much more of me now. I will catch up on my project 52, I have about half of my pictures taken they just arent uploaded yet....

Giveaway

I have (for the most part) stopped blogging about giveaways- but this one is quickly coming to a close and I love the blog that is giving it away! Meghan from Little Girl in the Big world is giving away a Stella and Dot necklace as well as a 25$ gift card to either Dunkin Donuts or Target. She is celebrating 100 followers and over 200 posts since she started blogging. I have been following Meghan's blog for several months now and I just feel like we have a lot in common, which is why I enjoy her blog so much! If you get a moment, go and check out her blog :)