Hello again
Dear reader, prepare to be...UPDATED!
1. I successfully made it though another History Day national contest, and quite adeptly, if I may say so myself. Having made it through one national contest made it that much easier; we were able to see where we went wrong last year, and correct those mistakes this year. It also helped immensely to have another staffer (Mark) along for the ride this year; he was a real trooper and we literally couldn't have done it without him. In any case, a good time was had by all, and our praises were sung mightily.
2. I've begun my Latin lessons with Brother Peter. Things seem to be going relatively well so far, though Brother Peter can be a real hardass when it comes to memorizing paradigms, the bane of my existence. I know that I should memorize them, but there are so many! I still get frustrated with myself when I have a hard time with a particular concept or chapter, but so far those times have been few and far between. It helps to have a support system too, someone who tells me how smart I am. But more on that in item 6 (how's that for a tickler?).
3. Ryan finally left for Utah to study Wildlife Ecology. And I don't use "finally" in the exasperated way, as in: "Finally, he's gone! Now I can spend my weekends alone, playing video games without any friendly interruptions." No, it just seemed as though he would never leave, i.e. I couldn't believe that he was leaving. But now he's gone, and there are now officially none of my college friends living in the Northwest. Don't get me wrong. I still have friends here, friends that I love and enjoy. But all my "college buddies" are gone. Ryan is in Utah, and Brad and Becky are back in Minnesota. It's sort of lonely in Washington now...which brings me to item 4.
4. I'm still moving forward with my grad school plans (see item 2), but I really need to get my rear in gear if I want to keep to my timeline. To that end, I plan on picking up transcripts soon (i.e. when I'm next in Roseburg...see item 5), and begin working on my applications, especially my Statement of Purpose, which I've heard can be a real pain/time consumer. So far the schools that remain on my list are: Oregon State, University of Oregon, Portland State University, and Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. I'm not sure that I want to go as far as MD for grad school, but if they offer me the big bucks I may have to reconsider.
5. I'm turning 30 in about two weeks. It's a milestone, and I plan to celebrate by getting very drunk. Ok, not really. I'll be at my parents' house, and that's not really a side of myself that I want to share with the people who conceived and gave birth to me. But I am excited. Not only will my parents and Cleo and Jerry be there; but my Uncle Dave and Aunt Hannah are coming down from Spokane; family friend, Sam; and my brother is flying in from P-town, ID.
I'm not sure what else to say, except that I'm incredibly happy and content. And, seeing as how my fingers are beginning to cramp, I think I'll call it quits for today. Enjoy!
1. I successfully made it though another History Day national contest, and quite adeptly, if I may say so myself. Having made it through one national contest made it that much easier; we were able to see where we went wrong last year, and correct those mistakes this year. It also helped immensely to have another staffer (Mark) along for the ride this year; he was a real trooper and we literally couldn't have done it without him. In any case, a good time was had by all, and our praises were sung mightily.
2. I've begun my Latin lessons with Brother Peter. Things seem to be going relatively well so far, though Brother Peter can be a real hardass when it comes to memorizing paradigms, the bane of my existence. I know that I should memorize them, but there are so many! I still get frustrated with myself when I have a hard time with a particular concept or chapter, but so far those times have been few and far between. It helps to have a support system too, someone who tells me how smart I am. But more on that in item 6 (how's that for a tickler?).
3. Ryan finally left for Utah to study Wildlife Ecology. And I don't use "finally" in the exasperated way, as in: "Finally, he's gone! Now I can spend my weekends alone, playing video games without any friendly interruptions." No, it just seemed as though he would never leave, i.e. I couldn't believe that he was leaving. But now he's gone, and there are now officially none of my college friends living in the Northwest. Don't get me wrong. I still have friends here, friends that I love and enjoy. But all my "college buddies" are gone. Ryan is in Utah, and Brad and Becky are back in Minnesota. It's sort of lonely in Washington now...which brings me to item 4.
4. I'm still moving forward with my grad school plans (see item 2), but I really need to get my rear in gear if I want to keep to my timeline. To that end, I plan on picking up transcripts soon (i.e. when I'm next in Roseburg...see item 5), and begin working on my applications, especially my Statement of Purpose, which I've heard can be a real pain/time consumer. So far the schools that remain on my list are: Oregon State, University of Oregon, Portland State University, and Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. I'm not sure that I want to go as far as MD for grad school, but if they offer me the big bucks I may have to reconsider.
5. I'm turning 30 in about two weeks. It's a milestone, and I plan to celebrate by getting very drunk. Ok, not really. I'll be at my parents' house, and that's not really a side of myself that I want to share with the people who conceived and gave birth to me. But I am excited. Not only will my parents and Cleo and Jerry be there; but my Uncle Dave and Aunt Hannah are coming down from Spokane; family friend, Sam; and my brother is flying in from P-town, ID.
I'm not sure what else to say, except that I'm incredibly happy and content. And, seeing as how my fingers are beginning to cramp, I think I'll call it quits for today. Enjoy!
posted by Rachel | Tuesday, August 29, 2006
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