I suppose it has actually been more than one week since I last wrote here, but not much has happened. I've been busy working on a number of papers, midterms, essays, projects, and trying to squeeze in some hours at Starbucks. It's been pretty constant. We had "reading week" here last week--the break consisted of a Monday and Tuesday. I was fortunate enough to have Sunday to Wednesday free to work on the pile of work I was given, and I even got most of it done.
I'm healthy again too, which is nice. I'm kind of tired, but for the most part I am well. I burned my arm on the oven door on Tuesday in an attempt to keep the dog from snagging the chicken off the pan. It's been a rather nasty experience. First is was considerably moist. It was oozing for a few days, but then finally scabbed up. Now it is dry and cracking and bleeding. I have a cream that I have been putting on it, but it just doesn't seem to be aiding anything at all.
I've been stressed. Really stressed. But I am pulling through, painfully, but getting through this nonetheless. I need to pick up some serious extra hours at Starbucks if at all possible, which means my homework and sleep time will have to be somewhat sacrificed, but my hours are being cut back without my consent and I am having trouble getting enough money to make rent, let alone pay my bills and down my debt. Stupid taxes. I have those to do as well. Being a grown up is hard.
My friends have been fantastic though. I've come to adore a great number of the people I have met out here, and leaving them to head home for the summer will be tough, despite the fact that I am returning to a town full of people I love. I like it though.
I got an A on my first of three linguistics tests today, which is very comforting. Up until this past week or two, I have not had a single assignment or test. Now I am beginning to really see how well I am doing in my classes which really helps! My walls at home are covered in sticky notes again, but now there are maps, and current events that I've cut from the Globe and Mail as well. It helps. It all helps.
I've seemingly gotten into the habit of doing some intense physical activity to help deal with my stress. I burden myself with a muscle-numbing workout when I am too stressed to sleep, or in my "freak out" moments when I really have no sight of the light at the end of the tunnel. I wouldn't say that it helps me in any other way than giving me a sense of accomplishment. It's pretty cool.
The weather out here has been amazing. The patio at work is open. It is February. I never thought I would see the day when people would be wearing shorts and skirts in February in Canada and not be frozen. Wonderful.
Anyway, that is a wee bit of an update on me. I'm still alive and pumping blood, but life has me running around like a crazy-person.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Another Week, Another Illness
So I am sick again, but I'm already getting over it. I took all of Tuesday off and slept for about 13 hours, and I was feeling better for work on Wednesday.
I have this one class that makes me feel like I am wasting my time. English 105 is pretty much a review of what I feel is common sense, and all the same things my High school English teacher taught me. I mean, seriously. I had to pass some lame placement exam to get me in a class that is simply a review of High school English?? How stupid is that? Oh well, I have to take it if I--it is a core requirement on my Bachelors degree, and I need it before I can go into any other English classes. It's just one of those things that you just wish you didn't have to waste your time on....
As far as my other classes go, I must admit, I just do not feel like I am putting in the time they demand. I mean, I get the readings done, I take the notes, and my comprehension is there, but, for instance with Linguistics, I just can't recall the information when I need to. I also have several assignments, papers, and presentations which are already coming up with looming due dates--and midterms (already!!!!!!!) to go with them...and then there will be finals again in a month and a half, and then what? And then what indeed.
I'm thinking that I'll be headed back to Linden for the whole summer, and will then try to find some work to use up all that lovely free time I will have. I went to work the other day, and it was a fabulous day too, and I realized that I'll likely only have another month or two with that job, and it made me light hearted--and sad.
I think this past Saturday was to worst day of work I have ever had. I went home and felt like the customers had taken part of my soul; I just felt like I was done with people and was so happy to go home to an empty house and wallow in my self pity. But then on the other hand, my co-workers are some f the best people I have ever met, and my heart will be sad when I say goodbye to them. Even worse, leaving the family that I live with now! Goodness, I never expected to grow so close to the family I moved in with ( which was a very naive assumption on my behalf, and if you know me at all, you will understand why), and moving out of their house will be incredibly sad. They don't feel like my own family, but they certainly have a very special place in my heart. I firmly believe that a great deal of my success out here and my ability to adapt to life out here was because of them and their open hearts. Such wonderful people, let me tell you!
Anyway, so that is the news. I have to get going to my lame-o class now. You know what? I am looking forward to summer even for the reason that I will have something more stimulating and less repetitious to write about other than school and work and school and work and...you get the point.
I have this one class that makes me feel like I am wasting my time. English 105 is pretty much a review of what I feel is common sense, and all the same things my High school English teacher taught me. I mean, seriously. I had to pass some lame placement exam to get me in a class that is simply a review of High school English?? How stupid is that? Oh well, I have to take it if I--it is a core requirement on my Bachelors degree, and I need it before I can go into any other English classes. It's just one of those things that you just wish you didn't have to waste your time on....
As far as my other classes go, I must admit, I just do not feel like I am putting in the time they demand. I mean, I get the readings done, I take the notes, and my comprehension is there, but, for instance with Linguistics, I just can't recall the information when I need to. I also have several assignments, papers, and presentations which are already coming up with looming due dates--and midterms (already!!!!!!!) to go with them...and then there will be finals again in a month and a half, and then what? And then what indeed.
I'm thinking that I'll be headed back to Linden for the whole summer, and will then try to find some work to use up all that lovely free time I will have. I went to work the other day, and it was a fabulous day too, and I realized that I'll likely only have another month or two with that job, and it made me light hearted--and sad.
I think this past Saturday was to worst day of work I have ever had. I went home and felt like the customers had taken part of my soul; I just felt like I was done with people and was so happy to go home to an empty house and wallow in my self pity. But then on the other hand, my co-workers are some f the best people I have ever met, and my heart will be sad when I say goodbye to them. Even worse, leaving the family that I live with now! Goodness, I never expected to grow so close to the family I moved in with ( which was a very naive assumption on my behalf, and if you know me at all, you will understand why), and moving out of their house will be incredibly sad. They don't feel like my own family, but they certainly have a very special place in my heart. I firmly believe that a great deal of my success out here and my ability to adapt to life out here was because of them and their open hearts. Such wonderful people, let me tell you!
Anyway, so that is the news. I have to get going to my lame-o class now. You know what? I am looking forward to summer even for the reason that I will have something more stimulating and less repetitious to write about other than school and work and school and work and...you get the point.
Monday, February 04, 2008
32 is the D F in which W F
Another Monday has come, and pretty much gone, and now I am left sitting in the sorry excuse for a "cafe" at my school for two hours, waiting for the bus to come and take me home. I wait the two hours because the bus that comes at 10:05pm will take me right to my house, whereas the bus that I would have to connect with (otherwise) at the mall, which leaves at 10:03pm, would only take me as far as the bus stop, which is a 13-30 min. hike from my house, depending on the load I'm carrying on my back (which, on Mondays, consists of: 1 laptop and lap top bag with cords, 3 textbooks, one of which is hardcover, 1 notebook or binder, food containers and a water bottle, and various small items, in addition to my 130lb. self and bulky-ish winter jacket--after 9 hours of classes). Thus the reason I have decided to be lazy and wait for the bus to drive me home.
This week has been...a week. It was not the most catastrophic of weeks, and not the best of weeks by any means. I feel somewhat as though I let myself down, perhaps. A social situation arose this week, for which I was unprepared to deal with, and I feel as though I handled it most immaturely. It might not have bothered me so much but for the fact that I am blessed enough to be a leader to some younger girls, and I don't feel right advising them to act assertivly, when I myself don't take my own advice. Sometimes, in certain situations, I get flustered somewhat easily.
On the upside, however, I got the chance to briefly see a familiar face this past week. One of my old classmates from Acme lives here in Abbotsford (I think I have seen him three or four times now, since I moved out here), and he dropped my my house for a wee bit. It was cool seeing someone I actually know from home again. I mean, I know I was just home a couple weeks ago, but it almost feels like Linden and Abbotsford are entirely mutually exclusive. if that makes any sense; the two places certainly don't coincide, and I am even somewhat outwardly different in both places. I mean, obviously I am more outgoing back home because everyone knows me and I know everyone, and here it is not the same case. I mean, I have a ton of friends here, but our relationship is somewhat different as we are all students, working part time and at school full time, and many of my friends commute to Abby. It makes it somewhat difficult, but I'm getting used to it. I have a couple outings in the works at the moment, which is really encouraging.
As far as summer holidays go, I still don't know what I want to do. To be honest, I would really like to not be working at Starbucks the whole time; it is waning on my, not that it ever particularly thrilled me, and I am about done dealing with the majority of the customers we serve. Plus, I feel like it is a violation of my moral beliefs, and a total false front--it makes me feel no better than I think it would if I were one of the higher ups for Chiquita bananas or Dole or Del Monte, or something. But they have a benefits program which pays for my glasses and contacts, basic dental and medical, and you know what? I am a student--those benefits are important and far better than the health care plan that my school has! Plus, I have come to adore my co-workers. Anyway, back to summer: please pray!! I am headed home for 3 weeks in July to lead a crew of young ones into DEMO crew again this year, and I would really love, more than anything, to head south for a bit, for numerous reasons. And then there is the question of where I am going to live in the fall, for the summer while I am here, if I am, where I'll keep my stuff if I head back home for the full 5 months, where I will be working for the summer, after the summer...to many things that are filling my mind and pulling my focus away from my studies, which are far more important at the moment. So yes, prayer would be...would be wonderful.
The best moment of this past week: well, the 2 snow days we had were fabulous--especially being that there was only a couple feet of snow--and the fact that my cat is a Rastafarian. She was a wee bit testy one day; I turned on some Bob Marley, "Three Little Birds," and she just calmed right down. She rolled over onto her back with her little feet up in the air and passed out. I was happy that she stopped trying to scratch my innocent knee, and very tempted to find her some catnip....
This week has been...a week. It was not the most catastrophic of weeks, and not the best of weeks by any means. I feel somewhat as though I let myself down, perhaps. A social situation arose this week, for which I was unprepared to deal with, and I feel as though I handled it most immaturely. It might not have bothered me so much but for the fact that I am blessed enough to be a leader to some younger girls, and I don't feel right advising them to act assertivly, when I myself don't take my own advice. Sometimes, in certain situations, I get flustered somewhat easily.
On the upside, however, I got the chance to briefly see a familiar face this past week. One of my old classmates from Acme lives here in Abbotsford (I think I have seen him three or four times now, since I moved out here), and he dropped my my house for a wee bit. It was cool seeing someone I actually know from home again. I mean, I know I was just home a couple weeks ago, but it almost feels like Linden and Abbotsford are entirely mutually exclusive. if that makes any sense; the two places certainly don't coincide, and I am even somewhat outwardly different in both places. I mean, obviously I am more outgoing back home because everyone knows me and I know everyone, and here it is not the same case. I mean, I have a ton of friends here, but our relationship is somewhat different as we are all students, working part time and at school full time, and many of my friends commute to Abby. It makes it somewhat difficult, but I'm getting used to it. I have a couple outings in the works at the moment, which is really encouraging.
As far as summer holidays go, I still don't know what I want to do. To be honest, I would really like to not be working at Starbucks the whole time; it is waning on my, not that it ever particularly thrilled me, and I am about done dealing with the majority of the customers we serve. Plus, I feel like it is a violation of my moral beliefs, and a total false front--it makes me feel no better than I think it would if I were one of the higher ups for Chiquita bananas or Dole or Del Monte, or something. But they have a benefits program which pays for my glasses and contacts, basic dental and medical, and you know what? I am a student--those benefits are important and far better than the health care plan that my school has! Plus, I have come to adore my co-workers. Anyway, back to summer: please pray!! I am headed home for 3 weeks in July to lead a crew of young ones into DEMO crew again this year, and I would really love, more than anything, to head south for a bit, for numerous reasons. And then there is the question of where I am going to live in the fall, for the summer while I am here, if I am, where I'll keep my stuff if I head back home for the full 5 months, where I will be working for the summer, after the summer...to many things that are filling my mind and pulling my focus away from my studies, which are far more important at the moment. So yes, prayer would be...would be wonderful.
The best moment of this past week: well, the 2 snow days we had were fabulous--especially being that there was only a couple feet of snow--and the fact that my cat is a Rastafarian. She was a wee bit testy one day; I turned on some Bob Marley, "Three Little Birds," and she just calmed right down. She rolled over onto her back with her little feet up in the air and passed out. I was happy that she stopped trying to scratch my innocent knee, and very tempted to find her some catnip....
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