I'm Done!

Yup! I'm done with college! Well, technically not until Monday. I still have a paper to write that's due after the weekend. And yes, I have contemplated not writing it... But I promise I will! :) I won't get my grades for another week or so and probably won't get my diploma for a while. I'm just glad to be done with classes!

Though I'm not entirely done. In the fall, I'm taking Italian with Dearest at the community college down here. It's just a fun little something we can do together in preparation for our upcoming trip to Italy. Dearest wants to be fluent when we go, which won't be for at least two years. We're going to try and speak only Italian around the house. I sense a lot of "bene" and "pizza" and "si."

Strangely, I'm not as excited about school being over and I thought I would be. I've been waiting for this day since I started college and now that it's here... I guess I expected there to be more jumping off the walls in excitement. Maybe it's because I still have a paper to write. I best get on that.

The End is Near

The end is near.... of school, that is. I am officially 13 days (and just 4 days of classes) away from being a college graduate. I applied for graduation last week- apparently you have to inform the school that you'd like to stop paying unreasonably high tuition and just get your degree. My last day of class is July 23rd, so if you try and get in contact with me I probably won't answer til oh, the 26th? ;) I'm taking two classes: a lit class and screenwriting. I'm finding that if I can keep up with the assignments, I should be home free.

I also started a new job. Yes, in the middle of the most important quarter of school, I decided to pick up a second job. It's only part-time, maybe 20 hours a week, of being a hostess at a local Japanese restaurant. It doesn't pay much right now, but I'm advancing to Lunch Coordinator now and hopefully a server once I'm done with school. I didn't want the task of learning the menu and basically another language all while juggling classes. I enjoy the atmosphere of working in a restaurant again and the people are fun.

Wedding planning has come to a near stand still. I think we have the guest list finalized, just a few tweaks here and there as the day gets closer. Dearest and I will be taking engagement pictures in early August and I'm really excited about them. I absolutely love our photographer and can't wait to see more of her amazing work. I'm really envious of her- writer and photographer? She's really got it all.

As for Dearest and I... We're doing really well. We've been trying out a new recipe almost every night: some good, others bad. We're just enjoying our new place and both trying to make it through these last few weeks of summer school alive.

Hope you're all doing well! Next time I write, it'll probably be as a college grad!

Happy -1 Anniversary!

This past week Dearest and I celebrated our -1 year anniversary of marriage! (Okay, okay, I might have been the only one celebrating.) We threw a house warming bbq last weekend because... you guessed it! We moved! After being rejected from the last apartment we applied for, we got a better place! There's so much more space and it's so sunny and bright that you can't really ever be in a bad mood here. Plus we're literally a block away from the beach. It's surfer town out here, so we're thinking about learning. The kitchen is so much bigger- Dearest and I can cook together now! We've been settling in nicely with our new furniture- another couch and a sweet dining table we found on craigslist. If you didn't make it down for the bbq, you are always more than welcome and we'd love to see you!

As far as the wedding goes, everything seems to be falling into place. Now that the one year mark has passed, I feel as though I need to get moving on other details. My current task- flowers. Who knew there were so many different options?!

School is.. almost over! I have exactly ten, yes count 'em, t.e.n. days of college classes left. Ever. And Dearest is very jealous. :) I've paid my dues and I'm so ready to be done! I'm going out by taking two classes that I'm excited about: travel writing and screen writing! We'll see if I'm still excited about all the writing I'll have...

A "College" Education?

The end of the quarter is coming up and that means finals. Final papers, final exams, final projects. I went to meet with my TA this afternoon to discuss my final paper. I'm not sure what roles TAs at other schools play, but at my school (the school shall remain nameless to protect the guilty), the TA's have more power than the Professors. All exams and papers are graded by TAs according to their standards, which vary all the time. It's seems like it's not about content, but more how they feel a college paper should read. And it bugs me that I'm paying for a college education, but I'm basically being taught by almost grad students. Sometimes they seem more interested in their own studies than provide time to really be a TA. Sadly some of the professors arent much different. A lot of them are there to do research, so they dont take an interest in teaching. :( It's quite disappointing. Note to all you looking at 4-yrs- go for a place that's less about research and more about the students. You'll get more out of your education.

My Dossier

A little more about myself:
I have 39 weeks (that's 3 quarters plus 3 weeks of this current quarter) left of college. Can you tell that I'm anxious to finish? Truth be told, I've always struggled with school and at one point I dropped out. "But your parents are paying! School is important, you need a college education!" I've heard all the reasons, but college is for some and it's not for others. Luckily I wised up (all the credit should go to my parents and Dearest) and decided to go back. I still dislike it, but it's getting more and more interesting. Currently I'm taking a Script Analysis class (I'm a Film major) that I really enjoy, mostly due to my love of writing. I've even gone out on a limb and applied for a Screenwriting seminar where I'd write a full-length script. Always my worst critic and afraid of rejection, I wasn't going to apply, but it's a way of challenging myself. Hopefully I'll get in! :)

I'm a photography junkie! My trusty Canon Elph is with me at all times and I've got pictures of just about everything. As my dad once said, "I don't need to bring a camera on vacation. I can just look at your (refering to me, my brother, and my mom) pictures as a slideshow and relive the trip. Second for second!" It's true, I have TONS of pictures. I try to put them into scrapbooks, but sadly a lot get trapped in cyberspace. I love crafts, mostly sewing purses (I rarely buy them) and making other odds and ends. Most recently I made a poinsetta wreath out of ribbon for Christmas! I enjoy decorating the house (more of that homemaker in me), but my love for polka dots sometimes takes over... Hence my blog's polka dot background! I try to keep it to a minimum, but it's pretty apparent when you look at our apartment.

I'm an easy going person, I don't like arguments or picking a fight. I respect your views and I hope you respect mine. I seem pretty reserved, but if you get to know me better, I'll talk your ear off. :) Friends and family are very important to me and I love to hang out with people. I'm just a little social butterfly! I'm not really sure what else to say, but if you've got questions, I've got an answer! Or at least an attempt at one. ;)