I haven't written in a long time but I suppose that I've had an exciting/typical couple of months. I suppose I can start with the least recent and move forwards...

A few months ago was the housing draw. I drew for a suite with Julia, Christina, Chelsea, Robyn, Alicia, Shauna, and Nicole. We got an 8-person suite in Pontigny (one of the newest buildings on campus... also where Justin and the guys will be living next year too!) We're on the first floor, opposite the RD, but I'm pretty excited--should be a fun semester with a new group of people... I'm always up for change.

A couple of weeks ago I registered for classes. Next semester will be stressful but my classes sound interesting! This is what my typical weeks will look like:

Monday:
9:30-10:20: American Literature II
11:45-12:50: Critical Theory
1:00-2:05: American Theory and Methodology
2:30-4:10: Honors Colloquium

Tuesday:
2:30-4:10: Age of FDR

Wednesday & Friday:
9:30-10:20: American Literature II
11:45-12:50: Critical Theory
1:00-2:05: American Theory and Methodology

Thursday:
12:00-12:50: Teaching Writing Internship Course
2:30-4:10: Age of FDR

This and 5+ hours of work in the writing center is what will take up nearly all of my time in the fall. BUT, my spring semester will be a relaxing, incredible semester in Sydney, Australia! I'll be spending 10 days in Fiji for orientation, and then spending the rest of the semester taking only 3 classes in Sydney. I'll visit New Zealand for my spring break (I hope!) and I'm really looking forward to it! I'm just about done applying at the moment--I have one last essay to write and i have to get everything settled with my advisor (today) but I'm almost there!

I spent Spring Break in Washington, DC with Julia and Jake. We ate incredible food, visited all of the monuments and museum's, and relaxed for the week. I don't think that I've eaten so many varieties of food in such a short period of time. I think that we had Indian, Pakistani, Lebanese, Mexican, American, Italian, Japanese and Greek. Just reaffirmed my love for all things edible.

Next, I cut 10 inches of my hair off! It sits above my shoulders now and I've dyed it 4 times recently... I become a bit compulsive with changing my hair once I get started. I'll probably cut it one more time before summer, and maybe dye it darker again. Who knows.

Last weekend was one of the most eventful of the semester. Friday night was Lupe Fiasco on campus. Allie and a friend came to visit as prospective students, and they hung out with friends while I went to Lupe with some others. It was decent, not amazing, but fun nonetheless. Asher Roth was meant to play on campus but due to a bunch of controversy he was asked not to. There were rumors that he would play on campus but he didn't... School wasted 7 grand due to breaking the contract and asking him not to play. A lot of people were pissed. Oh well.

Saturday was UVM's Springfest. Christina, Hannah, and I got there around 12:30 and hung around until 6. Random stuff went on all day but the highlight was Ratatat playing. We were up at the front by the stage for a while but after being knocked over multiple times we moved so that we could dance. They were great, a lot of dancing was done, and great food was had. Also, UVM has a hula hoop team! Kinda crazy.

That night was fun too. Reconciled with Mary the day before over tea, and hung around with her and Grant and Christina all night. Danced a lot at the Turtle Underground up north and then got busted at a party, which was too bad. Didn't ruin the night though... the rest of it was typical but fun.

Tomorrow Rustic Overtones are playing at the Higher Ground downtown and Hannah and I are working as merch-girls for them. We're gonna hang around and sell t-shirts and watch the show for free. I'm really excited! Haven't seen them since the fall when we played 4-square and such.

This Saturday is P-Day, and should be a great time. We only have a week and a half left of classes, and then I've got a paper and two final exams the week after. I'm done on Tuesday afternoon, though, but I'll be sticking around until Friday. I'm so excited for summer--the weather, the lack of homework, seeing everyone from home, everything. I think that I'll be working for my dad's friend in his law office but if not I'll be at summer camp and the Marriott. I'm hoping I'll be able to make a good amount of money so that I'll have enough Australia!

Everything else is going well for the most part. Things are wonderful with Justin and I really couldn't be happier.

I suppose that this is just a bunch of rambling. Oh well!

I'm well into the second semester of the year and so far it has been a ridiculously hectic, busy time for me. I'm taking five classes and they all require a whole lot of work:

MWF 10:30-11:20 I have British Literature II with Christina Root, my advisor. The class is a lot bigger than the one I had with her last semester and I have a little bit of a harder time speaking out in class. My appreciation for poetry has gone up, though, and I have it with John and Julia which is a plus.


M 5:00-6:00pm & W 1:00-1:50 I have American Studies I, which is basically a survey of the 1960's in the United States. The class is insanely interesting most of the time and sitting through class is like sitting through story time (college style--immense note taking included). My professor is a really cool guy and I'm actually planning on picking up an American Studies major to go with my English major--the two overlap quite a bit. Pretty exciting!

TTH 10:00-11:40 I have a 400-level Honors English Seminar on Glamour with a man named Joel Dando. The class is small and a lot of fun for the most part. Joel himself is a great guy and I believe that it is his last semester on campus. Christina is in the class with me, too. This week we focused on a movie called Paris is Burning--a documentary about drag queens in 1980's NYC.

TTH 1:00-2:15 I have Buddhist Religious Thought. The class is interesting but goes by pretty slowly, as the style is almost entirely lecture-based. I've learned a lot, though, and it just makes me want to go to Tibet or India and study Buddhism more. I got a 97 on the midterm this week and I'm pretttttttty excited.

TH 2:30-4:30 Is my Teaching Writing course that is supplemented with tutoring in the writing center on Wednesdays 4-6. The class is probably my favorite of the semester and teaching in the writing center is really cool as well. Tomorrow in class we are receiving the results of our Myers-Briggs personality test and for the semester we are writing a short memoir.

I'm also involved in Little Brother Little Sister this semester and am subbing for a girl who is abroad in London. My little's name is Aubrie and she is in 5th grade. She is a very competitive tomboy-ish girl but she is hilarious and way too knowledgeable for her age. So far we've gone bowling and pet-store window shopping, and have played a whole lot of air hockey and pool. Christina and Chelsea both participate in LBLS so the three of us have a good time hanging out with our littles together.

After a long, somewhat rough semester and a week-long stint being (not-so) productive at the library (see picture) it is FINALLY Christmas break. I've received all of my grades and am pretty excited about how they turned out.

Child Development: B+
Honors Philosophy: A-
Honors Intro to Lit: A
Understandings of God: B
Genres: Fiction: B+

I'm really looking forward to next semester's classes; they should be more challenging but a lot of fun as well.

Other than the brain-numbing essays that led to the end of the semester, the last few weeks were a lot of fun. I may not have mentioned this before but I will be adding another radio show to my agenda next semester (Mondays 1-2pm). I will be working as an assistant to Garret Sullivan during his show. Definitely tune in, it will be a lot of fun! I also was accepted as a substitute for the Little Brother Little Sister program and will have a 5th grade little sister for the entire semester--I'm really looking forward to that.

And as for break, it has been wonderful so far! I've started back up at the Marriott to make some quick cash and I've spent a lot of time with the family. Justin is visiting at the moment (today--Christmas eve--is our 1-year of dating anniversary). We went out for an incredible dinner at Walter's in the Old Port and then hung out with my dad for a while before heading to bed.

Christmas is tomorrow... I'm really looking forward to it. I love the holidays at home :)

So I've decided on studying abroad during the Fall semester next year. I'm going to Sydney, Australia from Mid-July until December 5th... I'm ridiculously excited and started the application process yesterday. The first 10 days of the semester will be spent in FIJI and then mid-semester there is a 5-day trip to the Great Barrier Reef! It sounds absolutely incredible. Our Fall is their Spring so I'll be there at the tail-end of their Winter and the beginning of their Summer. Hello 85degrees in December! I'm only thinking about the positives and pushing the negatives out of my mind for the moment.

I'm also putting off writing a 5-7 page essay for my Genres:Fiction class about Society's gender expectations and the pressures that are put on men and women to fulfill the stereotype. It is interesting but I can't seem to focus enough to do it. I've had the equivalent of about 3 cups of coffee today. Shaking. If I can get 3 pages of this essay done today I will be content. I also have a MID-TERM on Tuesday in my Philosophy class. The last 2 weeks of classes this semester are going to be rough. I have three 5-7 page essays due and a 45-minute education presentation to do, among other typical assignments. I don't have any finals though! So nice!

Thanksgiving Break starts Tuesday! I can't wait to go home! My dad is here today, too, and is bringing me out for dinner and grocery shopping. I miss him a lot, can't wait to see him.

Justin came up this week which was really nice. I miss him when he's not around and love it when he is here.

The LEAP retreat was absolutely amazing. The high from it lasted for days and though its worn off I still appreciate everything about it. I'm going to see a band tonight that is led by one of my professor's sons. Should be interesting. I'm also going to a LEAP party tomorrow night. Busy Busy.

I can't wait to have time to breathe next week.

I'm all registered for classes as of this morning. My schedule for next semester looks something like this:

Monday:
10:30-11:20- British Literature II (Honors)
5:00-6:40- Intro to American Studies (focus on the 60's) Lecture

Tuesday:
10-11:40- Honors English Seminar on Glamour
1:00-2:15- Buddhist Religious Thought
2:30-4:10- Teaching Writing (for the writing center on campus)

Wednesday:
10:30-11:20- British Literature II (Honors)
12:00-12:50- Intro to American Studies (focus on the 60's) Discussion

Thursday:
10-11:40- Honors English Seminar in Glamour
1:00-2:15- Buddhist Religious Thought
2:30-4:10- Teaching Writing

Friday:
10:30-11:20- British Literature II (Honors)

I'm pretty excited about how it turned out. I didn't get into Buddhism originally but I'm in it now! :) Also, I switched into a 400-level Honors seminar about the evolution of Glamour in the 1920's media and literature.

My Understandings of God class has gotten to be really interesting lately. We began our half-semester long study of Eastern Religions and are focusing on Buddhism now. We've been practicing meditation every class (for about a half hour each time) and have been speaking about how Buddhists believe one can obtain and more relaxed and centered life. It really interests me and I've found myself waking up to say "today will be a wonderful day" more often than not. Our assignment for next week is to go to a yoga studio and take a class and then be able to discuss it. I'm definitely in my element :)

I'm going on a retreat called LEAP this weekend too... I'm leaving at 3:30 this afternoon and returning Sunday evening. I've heard amazing things about the retreat from nearly everyone that has been on it and Justin keeps telling me that I'll get a lot out of it. The retreat is famous for being one big secret kept by everyone who has been on it. I'm not allowed to bring a cell phone or laptop or homework or anything of the sort. I can't wait.

I officially dropped my Education major a few weeks ago. I'm still an English major now but I will be picking up a minor eventually as well. I was pretty set on my minor being Religious Studies but if I might still pick up Sociology. I was also accepted into the Teaching Writing course (I had to take a qualifying quiz--I was told I received the highest score!) and after taking the course I will be a writing coach in the on-campus Writing Center. It's great to know that I have something like this going for me.

I had the most realistic and horrifying dream last night. I was half-awake and I believe that I was stuck in a state of sleep paralysis but had a dream that there was someone in the room with me (other than my sleeping roommate on the bunk above). I was, quite unfortunately, asleep facing the wall and couldn't turn around to prove my mind wrong. The person in the room was, of course, out to get me and I couldn't do anything about it. I was sweating and trying to yell to Julia that I was really scared and I only managed to whisper "I can't sleep"... She whispered "keep trying!" back to me and I couldn't utter anything more. I felt someone grabbing at my leg and my arm and I still couldn't move... I'm quite sure I had a panic attack right there in bed. Every once in a while I would calm down for a minute hoping that it would allow my muscles to move again, but before I could move I would panic. After what felt like hours of this dancing between this sleeping and waking nightmare I could finally move again. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep for the rest of the night.

It seems only proper to have had this dream on the weekend of Halloween.

Justin came up and we had a wonderful time. Every time I see him I almost burst inside. He means more and more to me every day that we are together (or apart) and I can't say I've ever felt like this about anyone.

I'm really homesick for anywhere but here. Last night was very unsettling.

While taking a spontaneous bus ride to the Boston area this past Saturday I found myself in a place that I did not quite enjoy. Numbness had taken over my entire body and mind and I was not as truly happy as I know I should be in my life. With this being said, I found myself staring out the window in a state completely opposite of what I would call blissful. I was surrounded by 40 or so people of whom I’d never met before; the woman in front of me was snoring relentlessly and the man across the aisle was one of about 25 with giant orange Ray Ban sunglasses who sat hugging his skateboard and talking with his “bro” over the phone. I began to think about my life and what was truly important to me. I didn’t notice at first but realized after just a few minutes that I had been intently watching the yellow road line that restricted drivers from crossing over the edge. This line flowed and flowed and never stopped. Sometimes, but not too often, there would be a small interruption in this unbreakable yellow line; a dead animal or a crevice in the face of the highway would lead to a momentary break but the line would always find itself and regain its fullness.

While gazing and mindlessly thinking I realized that this line is a metaphor for life. I would even go so far as to say that I understood it as a symbol. Life goes on and on, sometimes with ease, but often times the feeling of gliding through life is interrupted by hard times and moments of loss. I stared at this line for upwards of fifteen minutes before tearing my gaze away; I couldn’t stop. My faith was in that line—I cheered it on as if I were a spectator at a sports game. The people, the bus, and the Vermont scenery around me melted away and for just a blinding moment the only thing that existed was that line within me. It wasn’t a line of restriction as I had previously believed it to be, it was a line of possibility. This stroke of yellow paint keeps vehicles and their riders safe—it not only represents the line of life, but it attempts to nurture life in itself. I did not want the moment of realization to end, but as all things do, it did as well.

I believe that this line, to me, was a symbol for the process of human existence and what it can be for any person that opens their mind to its possibilities.