So... in my last post, I was super excited for the month of June. And yes, the month of June was AWESOME, as was July. And August is going really well, too. The concert was absolutely amazing, the HP7 Part 2 premiere was soo good (and very emotional), my trip to Florida was beautiful and super relaxing, my jobs working in the nursery and doing physical therapy have been great, my best friend's surprise bridal shower and bachelorette party went off more or less without a hitch, and her wedding was just about perfect and she looked STUNNING. Overall, I've had a wonderful summer. :D
It's all about to come to an end, though. I move back to college on Thursday and classes begin the following Monday. I guess I'm ready, but I wouldn't say I'm excited. I'm just not one of those hard-core college lovers. Some people just excel while at college... they find themselves and really blossom. I'm just not one of those people. I don't hate college, but I don't love it either. I could take it or leave it.
Plus, it's hard to be excited about going back to school when the majority of the girls I'll be living with in the suite are big partiers (and I'm definitely not). I have a feeling I might be spending a lot of the semester feeling out of place in the dorm. In addition to that, I'm not feeling as confident in my new major as I originally was. I'm not sure I want to be an elementary school teacher now, and I'm at a loss when it comes to figuring out what I want to do instead. I really have no idea. Teaching? Another form of child care? English? Something in the medical field, like an ultrasound tech or a physical therapist? Culinary studies? Like, seriously. All of those are things I've considered, and I don't feel more passionate about one than the others. I need help or inspiration or... something. So hopefully I'll be able to use this semester to figure out what I want to do with my life, haha.
I'm still reading, though. Just because I changed my major doesn't mean I love English any less! :)
Currently Reading: The Help by Kathryn Stockett.
Number of books completed: 14.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
JUNE.
I have been looking forward to the month of June for quite some time now. Particularly the week of the 12th... more specifically June 15 and the seven days that follow. And now... it's here! Well, June is. But the 15th is almost here.
The 15th is the day I see Josh Groban in concert! (!!!) I'm so, so, so excited. And because Mr. Groban is so wonderful and generous, he made student tickets available, so it's only costing me $25 to see him LIVE. The whole thing hasn't completely sunken in for me yet, haha. And I fully realize I sound like a crazy fangirl right now, but hey... if the shoe fits... ;)
And then the day after that glorious concert, I hop in a car with two of my best friends and head down to Florida for a week of fun in the sun. I've never been to Florida or anywhere similar, so this trip is super exciting for me.
On top of these oh, so exciting things, I officially started my job in the church nursery in June. I get to play with and care for little ones of the infant stage through kids 2-3 years old. It's a pretty wonderful gig, I must admit. The only part of the job that's not so great is making phone calls trying to get an assistant for each Sundy. Well, two assistants, actually - One for each service. I'm not a huge fan of making calls to people I'm not super familiar with, but I'm managing.
I'm still trying to get a second job to work during the week since the nursery job is only on Sundays. I've applied to several places, so we'll just have to see what happens. I'm trying to remain optimistic... :)
Currently Reading: Harry, A History by Melissa Anelli. (I wanted to reread the HP series before the last movie comes out, but I decided to read this instead, and then read the 7th book in July before attending the MIDNIGHT premiere... in costume. Woo!)
Number of books completed: 8. (I didn't finish that Wally Lamb book, but I read Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones.)
The 15th is the day I see Josh Groban in concert! (!!!) I'm so, so, so excited. And because Mr. Groban is so wonderful and generous, he made student tickets available, so it's only costing me $25 to see him LIVE. The whole thing hasn't completely sunken in for me yet, haha. And I fully realize I sound like a crazy fangirl right now, but hey... if the shoe fits... ;)
And then the day after that glorious concert, I hop in a car with two of my best friends and head down to Florida for a week of fun in the sun. I've never been to Florida or anywhere similar, so this trip is super exciting for me.
On top of these oh, so exciting things, I officially started my job in the church nursery in June. I get to play with and care for little ones of the infant stage through kids 2-3 years old. It's a pretty wonderful gig, I must admit. The only part of the job that's not so great is making phone calls trying to get an assistant for each Sundy. Well, two assistants, actually - One for each service. I'm not a huge fan of making calls to people I'm not super familiar with, but I'm managing.
I'm still trying to get a second job to work during the week since the nursery job is only on Sundays. I've applied to several places, so we'll just have to see what happens. I'm trying to remain optimistic... :)
Currently Reading: Harry, A History by Melissa Anelli. (I wanted to reread the HP series before the last movie comes out, but I decided to read this instead, and then read the 7th book in July before attending the MIDNIGHT premiere... in costume. Woo!)
Number of books completed: 8. (I didn't finish that Wally Lamb book, but I read Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones.)
Friday, May 27, 2011
A change of plans.
Well, blog... the regular update thing was nice while it lasted, though it didn't last long.
In all fairness, the whole purpose of this blog is a little bit irrelevant now. As an English major, I originally planned to use blogging as a way to keep myself writing in hopes possibly pursuing a career in writing. However, in my last months of my freshman year, I changed my major. I am now an Elementary Education major, so I guess this blog is purely for entertainment purposes now...? Sweet.
Sidenote: I thought changing my major would be a little bit more work or take longer than it did, but after doing it, I felt like I needed one of Office Max's Easy Buttons. Seriously. I went to the Education building, talked to the secretary for about a minute, filled out the top of a form with easy stuff like my name, address, current major, and student ID number, and then left. Like, really? It's that easy to make a life-altering change.
Majoring in Elementary Ed. is something I had been considering since the tail end of my senior year of high school when I helped out with a program called Read Across America. For this event, high schoolers in the FEA (Future Educators of America) and the Book Club (which I was in) went to the elementary school and ran various stations and helped the elementary students celebrate Dr. Seuss day. It was during this event that everything just kind of clicked for me. I felt that teaching elementary school was what I was MEANT to do, and I don't know why it took me so long to figure it out. I'd always enjoyed working with children, and I'd been doing so ever since I was old enough to not be considered a little kid myself. With the encouragement of my friends and family, I was firm in my decision. (And even better, while my friends and I at the Art station talked with the teachers of the class, they informed us that we were the best and most organized station they'd been to all day. They hoped we were actually pursuing a career in education. :D)
Unfortunately, I had this realization after already being accepted to my college as an English/Literature major, so I had to wait to make the change. But it's pretty much official now, and I'm very excited about it!
I'll still keep track of the books I've completed as I still have a strong love for books and literature. And I hope to continue writing the occasional blog, just for my own benefit. Writing is definitely something I enjoy and I don't get to do it much, outside of writing papers for class. However, I will be deprived (if we want to call it that) of even that responsibility as I'm now on summer break! YAY!
(A brief update on my summer activities: My best friend is getting married and asked me to be her maid of honor. It's a position I took on with pleasure, but it's been keeping me busy, for sure. My summer's been full of wedding planning, job searching, reading, and spending time with friends... so far, it's been a rather successful summer. Minus the job searching. :()
Currently Reading: I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb. (I don't know if I'll complete this book, though. A lot of the characters are irritating... plus, it's roughly 900 pages.)
Number of books completed: 7.
A book that I read during my lack of blogging - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It is INCREDIBLY good... definitely became one of my favorites. Of course, it appealed to several of my interests, but I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who, for whatever reason, happens to read this. :)
In all fairness, the whole purpose of this blog is a little bit irrelevant now. As an English major, I originally planned to use blogging as a way to keep myself writing in hopes possibly pursuing a career in writing. However, in my last months of my freshman year, I changed my major. I am now an Elementary Education major, so I guess this blog is purely for entertainment purposes now...? Sweet.
Sidenote: I thought changing my major would be a little bit more work or take longer than it did, but after doing it, I felt like I needed one of Office Max's Easy Buttons. Seriously. I went to the Education building, talked to the secretary for about a minute, filled out the top of a form with easy stuff like my name, address, current major, and student ID number, and then left. Like, really? It's that easy to make a life-altering change.
Majoring in Elementary Ed. is something I had been considering since the tail end of my senior year of high school when I helped out with a program called Read Across America. For this event, high schoolers in the FEA (Future Educators of America) and the Book Club (which I was in) went to the elementary school and ran various stations and helped the elementary students celebrate Dr. Seuss day. It was during this event that everything just kind of clicked for me. I felt that teaching elementary school was what I was MEANT to do, and I don't know why it took me so long to figure it out. I'd always enjoyed working with children, and I'd been doing so ever since I was old enough to not be considered a little kid myself. With the encouragement of my friends and family, I was firm in my decision. (And even better, while my friends and I at the Art station talked with the teachers of the class, they informed us that we were the best and most organized station they'd been to all day. They hoped we were actually pursuing a career in education. :D)
Unfortunately, I had this realization after already being accepted to my college as an English/Literature major, so I had to wait to make the change. But it's pretty much official now, and I'm very excited about it!
I'll still keep track of the books I've completed as I still have a strong love for books and literature. And I hope to continue writing the occasional blog, just for my own benefit. Writing is definitely something I enjoy and I don't get to do it much, outside of writing papers for class. However, I will be deprived (if we want to call it that) of even that responsibility as I'm now on summer break! YAY!
(A brief update on my summer activities: My best friend is getting married and asked me to be her maid of honor. It's a position I took on with pleasure, but it's been keeping me busy, for sure. My summer's been full of wedding planning, job searching, reading, and spending time with friends... so far, it's been a rather successful summer. Minus the job searching. :()
Currently Reading: I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb. (I don't know if I'll complete this book, though. A lot of the characters are irritating... plus, it's roughly 900 pages.)
Number of books completed: 7.
A book that I read during my lack of blogging - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It is INCREDIBLY good... definitely became one of my favorites. Of course, it appealed to several of my interests, but I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who, for whatever reason, happens to read this. :)
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Weird.
High school is a strange thing.
I'm on spring break from college for the week, and I went to see the musical at my high school last night. When I was in high school, I was pretty involved in the theatre program, whether I was on stage, back stage, or just attending. As usual, the school put on an excellent performance. It felt weird to be back in the building, though.
I think it felt so strange not only because I'm not a student there anymore, but because I moved away from the area the summer I graduated. Just being back in my old town and seeing people I used to see on a daily basis again felt unnatural. It was really good to see a lot of the people I saw, but it was odd. A good odd, though ... if that makes sense.
One thing that I thought was interesting was the people who did (and didn't) say hi. When you're in high school with these people, you think you can tell which ones will be friendly and greet you after you've graduated, but I was taken by surprise last night. There were people who I thought would be super friendly and say hello, but they would make eye contact and simply walk away. Others, people who I didn't feel I was very close with in high school, came up to greet me and were genuinely curious about how I was and how college was going.
I guess this is all simply part of growing up and moving on to new phases of life. Like I said, I had a great time. I just made some interesting observations is all.
Currently Reading: The Shack by William Paul Young.
Number of books completed: 4.
I'm on spring break from college for the week, and I went to see the musical at my high school last night. When I was in high school, I was pretty involved in the theatre program, whether I was on stage, back stage, or just attending. As usual, the school put on an excellent performance. It felt weird to be back in the building, though.
I think it felt so strange not only because I'm not a student there anymore, but because I moved away from the area the summer I graduated. Just being back in my old town and seeing people I used to see on a daily basis again felt unnatural. It was really good to see a lot of the people I saw, but it was odd. A good odd, though ... if that makes sense.
One thing that I thought was interesting was the people who did (and didn't) say hi. When you're in high school with these people, you think you can tell which ones will be friendly and greet you after you've graduated, but I was taken by surprise last night. There were people who I thought would be super friendly and say hello, but they would make eye contact and simply walk away. Others, people who I didn't feel I was very close with in high school, came up to greet me and were genuinely curious about how I was and how college was going.
I guess this is all simply part of growing up and moving on to new phases of life. Like I said, I had a great time. I just made some interesting observations is all.
Currently Reading: The Shack by William Paul Young.
Number of books completed: 4.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Beth is grateful.
Apparently, blogging at least once a week was a bit optimistic. And I hate to use the excuse "I'm busy!" because it's so overused, but... it's true. College keeps a person occupied pretty much all the time. However, since no one reads this besides myself, I guess it's not a huge deal that I haven't written in over a week again.
Being at college teaches you things that you cannot learn in a classroom. It teaches a person a lot about themselves and how they handle situations, how they interact in relationships (with friends, family, or otherwise), and just plain helps them realize who they are.
One thing I've learned through being at college is that I have no right to complain. About anything, really. By meeting new people and hearing about their lives/experiences, I've learned that I truly have it pretty easy.
- I get along really well with my family. By no means are we perfect, but my parents aren't drug addicts, my brothers and I treat each other like friends, and I enjoy the time I get to spend at home. Not everyone I've met at school can say that.
- I have amazing friends. People say that you find out who your true friends are when you go to college because they are the ones who will remain in contact with you. I have to say, I have a pretty solid group of friends. I love and trust them, and the feelings are reciprocated. I would go to the moon and back for them and I feel confident that they would do the same for me.
- Even though I expressed doubt in the quality of my college in a previous post, I'm at college. I'm gaining an education, life experiences, new friends, independence, responsibility, and so many other great things. Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to go on to higher education, but I have that privilege.
- I'm not particularly wealthy, but I have enough money to afford the things that I need and still have a little bit to spend on the occasional splurge (even if it's just a cookie every now and then at lunch).
- All things considered, I'm happy with myself. I like the person that I am. Personally, I think that's a pretty huge deal. Obviously, there are things about myself that I would like to improve upon, but I generally like me, however rough some of my edges may be.
I truly hope that this doesn't sound like I'm tooting my own horn or boasting about how good I have it or something. My life certainly isn't perfect. I just felt that I should take a moment to realize and appreciate how fortunate I am to have these things in my life. And the next time I catch myself complaining, I should stop and consider all of the things listed above and decide if what I'm complaining about is really worth the effort of getting upset over.
Currently Reading: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. (I know, I know! I'm working on it, but required reading is eating up my time.)
Number of books completed: 3.
Being at college teaches you things that you cannot learn in a classroom. It teaches a person a lot about themselves and how they handle situations, how they interact in relationships (with friends, family, or otherwise), and just plain helps them realize who they are.
One thing I've learned through being at college is that I have no right to complain. About anything, really. By meeting new people and hearing about their lives/experiences, I've learned that I truly have it pretty easy.
- I get along really well with my family. By no means are we perfect, but my parents aren't drug addicts, my brothers and I treat each other like friends, and I enjoy the time I get to spend at home. Not everyone I've met at school can say that.
- I have amazing friends. People say that you find out who your true friends are when you go to college because they are the ones who will remain in contact with you. I have to say, I have a pretty solid group of friends. I love and trust them, and the feelings are reciprocated. I would go to the moon and back for them and I feel confident that they would do the same for me.
- Even though I expressed doubt in the quality of my college in a previous post, I'm at college. I'm gaining an education, life experiences, new friends, independence, responsibility, and so many other great things. Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to go on to higher education, but I have that privilege.
- I'm not particularly wealthy, but I have enough money to afford the things that I need and still have a little bit to spend on the occasional splurge (even if it's just a cookie every now and then at lunch).
- All things considered, I'm happy with myself. I like the person that I am. Personally, I think that's a pretty huge deal. Obviously, there are things about myself that I would like to improve upon, but I generally like me, however rough some of my edges may be.
I truly hope that this doesn't sound like I'm tooting my own horn or boasting about how good I have it or something. My life certainly isn't perfect. I just felt that I should take a moment to realize and appreciate how fortunate I am to have these things in my life. And the next time I catch myself complaining, I should stop and consider all of the things listed above and decide if what I'm complaining about is really worth the effort of getting upset over.
Currently Reading: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. (I know, I know! I'm working on it, but required reading is eating up my time.)
Number of books completed: 3.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Let it snow, let it snow, let it STOP.
Okay, so I realize that I set out to update this at least once a week and it's been a little over a week since my last post. But another reason for this blog is to keep track of my reading progress, and I didn't want to write another update until I finished Catching Fire, which I did this afternoon. Again, SO GOOD. I'm kind of glad I waited until all of the books were out to begin reading the series because now I don't have to wait in agony for the next book to be released!
Anyway, it took me a lot longer to read Catching Fire than it did for me to finish The Hunger Games because I'm back at school and I have required reading and other obligations. And this week has been a pretty busy one, hence the lack of update. However, it's now the weekend and I finished most of my homework, so... Here I am!
As the title of this post suggests, we've been getting a lot of snow recently. Sometimes, this amount of snow can be pretty exciting. However, when it doesn't get you out of the classes you don't want to go to and completely soaks your shoes and pants, it's not really something to celebrate. It's really just become a nuisance. It makes it harder to get to class and everyone is perpetually cold, wet, and miserable. It's gotten to the point where my friends and I have started condemning the snow rather than appreciating its beauty. And I hear there's supposed to be more snow coming this week... Oh, joy.
There was one day, though, that my school cancelled all of the later classes, so all of my suite mates were in the dorm. We all congregated in one room and colored in coloring books while listening to music from Disney movies. While some people may poke fun at a group of 18 and 19 year old girls for acting like a bunch of first-graders, we had a really good time, no matter how lame it sounds. :)
I'm not really sure what this upcoming week will bring, but so far my semester has been treating me relatively well (despite the snow). I do have a few idiot professors, but I think everyone has to deal with some of them during their time at college, right? Things in my life are going really well, for the most part, and I really have no reason to complain much. I think having to think of a reason for every day to be awesome for my "Why is today awesome?" notebook has been helping me stay positive.
Until next time, I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that the upcoming snow will actually get me out of my 8am math class! :)
Currently Reading: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Number of books completed: 3
Anyway, it took me a lot longer to read Catching Fire than it did for me to finish The Hunger Games because I'm back at school and I have required reading and other obligations. And this week has been a pretty busy one, hence the lack of update. However, it's now the weekend and I finished most of my homework, so... Here I am!
As the title of this post suggests, we've been getting a lot of snow recently. Sometimes, this amount of snow can be pretty exciting. However, when it doesn't get you out of the classes you don't want to go to and completely soaks your shoes and pants, it's not really something to celebrate. It's really just become a nuisance. It makes it harder to get to class and everyone is perpetually cold, wet, and miserable. It's gotten to the point where my friends and I have started condemning the snow rather than appreciating its beauty. And I hear there's supposed to be more snow coming this week... Oh, joy.
There was one day, though, that my school cancelled all of the later classes, so all of my suite mates were in the dorm. We all congregated in one room and colored in coloring books while listening to music from Disney movies. While some people may poke fun at a group of 18 and 19 year old girls for acting like a bunch of first-graders, we had a really good time, no matter how lame it sounds. :)
I'm not really sure what this upcoming week will bring, but so far my semester has been treating me relatively well (despite the snow). I do have a few idiot professors, but I think everyone has to deal with some of them during their time at college, right? Things in my life are going really well, for the most part, and I really have no reason to complain much. I think having to think of a reason for every day to be awesome for my "Why is today awesome?" notebook has been helping me stay positive.
Until next time, I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that the upcoming snow will actually get me out of my 8am math class! :)
Currently Reading: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Number of books completed: 3
Thursday, January 20, 2011
School's in session.
So my first week of second semester is almost over, and I've got to say... it wasn't bad. As much as I was dreading the end of break, all of my grumpiness vanished when I walked into my dorm room and all of my suite mates were smiling and yelling that they were happy to see me. You just can't be unhappy after that warm of a welcome. :)
Overall, my classes are okay, with some definitely being better than others. I think my writing class is going to be my favorite, despite the fact that the workload will probably be a bit much at times. The professor totally makes up for it, though. He's that professor that tells you to call him by his first name and instructs you to bring your "badassedness" to every class... yet still has command of the classroom and has respect from his students.
Also, I really didn't think I knew many people on campus, but in walking to classes and around campus, I've found myself greeting and being greeted by a decent number of friends/classmates. So that was a surprise. I guess I just needed some time away from school to realize how... not bad I have it. Though I'd still say that I'm not one of those people who consider college to be the best years of their life, or at least not yet.
In other news, I'm going home this weekend to see my Grandpa and Aunt Shelly who are coming to visit Mom at the new house. I think they'll be with her when she picks me up from school, so I can give them a bit of a tour and whatnot. Even after only a few days of class, I'm ready for the weekend. Eh, what can I say?
Currently Reading: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Number of books completed: 2.
Overall, my classes are okay, with some definitely being better than others. I think my writing class is going to be my favorite, despite the fact that the workload will probably be a bit much at times. The professor totally makes up for it, though. He's that professor that tells you to call him by his first name and instructs you to bring your "badassedness" to every class... yet still has command of the classroom and has respect from his students.
Also, I really didn't think I knew many people on campus, but in walking to classes and around campus, I've found myself greeting and being greeted by a decent number of friends/classmates. So that was a surprise. I guess I just needed some time away from school to realize how... not bad I have it. Though I'd still say that I'm not one of those people who consider college to be the best years of their life, or at least not yet.
In other news, I'm going home this weekend to see my Grandpa and Aunt Shelly who are coming to visit Mom at the new house. I think they'll be with her when she picks me up from school, so I can give them a bit of a tour and whatnot. Even after only a few days of class, I'm ready for the weekend. Eh, what can I say?
Currently Reading: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Number of books completed: 2.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Winter break is almost over. :(
Winter break is very quickly coming to a close... and I SO don't want to go back to college. My days at home have been far too relaxing and full of free time to make me miss my days in the dorm. Nevertheless, I will be packing my trunk (just like Harry!) in the next few days and resume waking up early, hustling to class, and tackling homework. Woo.
Break has been great, though. Besides Christmas and bringing in the New Year, I've celebrated a few birthdays of friends and family, spent time with family and some friends from high school, congratulated a cousin on her engagement, welcomed another cousin home from England (before bidding her farewell when she leaves for Sweden), started this blog, started a "Why is Today Awesome?" book as inspired by the 5AG, and read some really, really good books. What more could a gal ask for?
As much as I currently dread the thought of returning to school, I'm sure I'll end up enjoying myself. I have some really interesting classes scheduled. However, this semester will be a determining factor in regards to whether I'll be returning to my current university next year, or if I'll be transferring elsewhere. So far, I've been rather underwhelmed by the English program at my school. (If I can say this without sounding completely full of myself,) I can achieve As and Bs without exerting much effort, and the classes required for my major are the easiest of my courses. My family has suggested that it may be because it's the area I excel in, but if that were the case, then my fellow English majors should have no problem achieving similar grades, and that's not happening. In the spring semester, however, I have an English class that a professor tells me is pretty difficult. I plan to see how that class goes and, depending on how hard "hard" actually is, I may return next year.
On another note, I finally got to read The Hunger Games, a book that has been on my "To Read" list for SUCH a long time. People whose tastes in literature I trust have been amping it up for a while now, and I finally checked it out from the local library. HOLY POO, SO GOOD. I devoured it in two days. The only problem is, I go back to school soon, so I can't check the other two books of the trilogy out. Soo... I think I'm making a run to the bookstore today to put my Christmas money to good use. :)
Fun fact: I finished Looking for Alaska on January 10... National Alaska Young Day. It was totally coincidental and totally awesome. :)
Currently Reading: Ah! Nothing! But hopefully I'll have started Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Book 2 of The Hunger Games trilogy) by the end of the day.
Number of books completed: 2.
Break has been great, though. Besides Christmas and bringing in the New Year, I've celebrated a few birthdays of friends and family, spent time with family and some friends from high school, congratulated a cousin on her engagement, welcomed another cousin home from England (before bidding her farewell when she leaves for Sweden), started this blog, started a "Why is Today Awesome?" book as inspired by the 5AG, and read some really, really good books. What more could a gal ask for?
As much as I currently dread the thought of returning to school, I'm sure I'll end up enjoying myself. I have some really interesting classes scheduled. However, this semester will be a determining factor in regards to whether I'll be returning to my current university next year, or if I'll be transferring elsewhere. So far, I've been rather underwhelmed by the English program at my school. (If I can say this without sounding completely full of myself,) I can achieve As and Bs without exerting much effort, and the classes required for my major are the easiest of my courses. My family has suggested that it may be because it's the area I excel in, but if that were the case, then my fellow English majors should have no problem achieving similar grades, and that's not happening. In the spring semester, however, I have an English class that a professor tells me is pretty difficult. I plan to see how that class goes and, depending on how hard "hard" actually is, I may return next year.
On another note, I finally got to read The Hunger Games, a book that has been on my "To Read" list for SUCH a long time. People whose tastes in literature I trust have been amping it up for a while now, and I finally checked it out from the local library. HOLY POO, SO GOOD. I devoured it in two days. The only problem is, I go back to school soon, so I can't check the other two books of the trilogy out. Soo... I think I'm making a run to the bookstore today to put my Christmas money to good use. :)
Fun fact: I finished Looking for Alaska on January 10... National Alaska Young Day. It was totally coincidental and totally awesome. :)
Currently Reading: Ah! Nothing! But hopefully I'll have started Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Book 2 of The Hunger Games trilogy) by the end of the day.
Number of books completed: 2.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Reflections and Beginnings
2010 was a big year for me, particularly the second half of 2010. I graduated from high school, contemplated several career possibilities and college majors, moved away from the town I grew up in, moved again from the new house to a college dorm.... A lot of change came my way all at the same time. With that change, however, came growth. Since beginning college, I've become much more confident, I've taken on many responsibilities, I'm more independent, et cetera. There are still a great number of things that are the same, though, and the similarity that stands out the most to me right now is the fact that I have no idea what I want to do with my life. I've known for just about my entire life that I liked to read and write, and people that like those things typically become English majors or something of the like. Lo and behold, I'm currently and English/Literature major at college (though I seriously contemplated switching to Elementary Education). I'm happy with my major and my courses, for the most part. I just don't know what I want to do with my major. A friend recently told me, though, that with an English major, "the world is your oyster." I'm just going to take that and run with it.
Anyway, when I was in eighth grade (How's that for a terrible transition?), I shadowed a woman named Patti who owned a publishing company for childrens' books. While I was there, she allowed me to email questions to several of the authors she publishes. Most of the responses went something like this: "The answers to many of your questions can be found in the FAQ section of my website. Best of luck!" Not exactly awe-inspiring advice. But then I heard back from John Bianchi. He answered every one of my questions (though I'm sure I could have found many of them in the FAQ section of his website) and gave me advice as an aspiring writer/journalist/English enthusiast. He said to "Read, read, read. And write every day." I've done well with the bit about reading, but I've kind of been slacking off when it comes to writing. Ergo... this blog. I'm not saying that I'll be able to write in it every day, but I hope to post something at least once a week, on top of some writing projects at home. In addition, I want to make a conscious effort to read more. Yes, I read, as I've said. But an English major can never read too much, right? So at the end of every post, I'm going to state the book I'm currently reading and keep a running total of how many books I've completed so far in the year. So, yeah... we'll see how this whole blog thing goes.
I'm just happy I finally took the initiative to post something. I created this account on Blogger so that I could read other people's blogs. I have a bit of a habit of making accounts on websites to enjoy the efforts of other people. For example, I've had a YouTube account for years, but only use it to watch other people's videos. Of course I've contemplated the idea of making my own videos, but I don't quite have the confidence and the guts to put myself out there. I figure this is a good enough start.
Right. I've rambled on long enough. Hopefully I'll be responsible about this and keep it going.
Currently Reading: Looking for Alaska by John Green. (Rereading, actually. So good!)
Number of books completed: 0.
Anyway, when I was in eighth grade (How's that for a terrible transition?), I shadowed a woman named Patti who owned a publishing company for childrens' books. While I was there, she allowed me to email questions to several of the authors she publishes. Most of the responses went something like this: "The answers to many of your questions can be found in the FAQ section of my website. Best of luck!" Not exactly awe-inspiring advice. But then I heard back from John Bianchi. He answered every one of my questions (though I'm sure I could have found many of them in the FAQ section of his website) and gave me advice as an aspiring writer/journalist/English enthusiast. He said to "Read, read, read. And write every day." I've done well with the bit about reading, but I've kind of been slacking off when it comes to writing. Ergo... this blog. I'm not saying that I'll be able to write in it every day, but I hope to post something at least once a week, on top of some writing projects at home. In addition, I want to make a conscious effort to read more. Yes, I read, as I've said. But an English major can never read too much, right? So at the end of every post, I'm going to state the book I'm currently reading and keep a running total of how many books I've completed so far in the year. So, yeah... we'll see how this whole blog thing goes.
I'm just happy I finally took the initiative to post something. I created this account on Blogger so that I could read other people's blogs. I have a bit of a habit of making accounts on websites to enjoy the efforts of other people. For example, I've had a YouTube account for years, but only use it to watch other people's videos. Of course I've contemplated the idea of making my own videos, but I don't quite have the confidence and the guts to put myself out there. I figure this is a good enough start.
Right. I've rambled on long enough. Hopefully I'll be responsible about this and keep it going.
Currently Reading: Looking for Alaska by John Green. (Rereading, actually. So good!)
Number of books completed: 0.
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