So... apologies on being dead for, oh, a good six months.  However, so much has happened since then it hasn't left me a lot of time to breathe, let alone post.

I completed the play, Much Ado About Nothing, albeit with no voice to speak of (er, no pun intended) for two of the performances.  I completed my thesis, and received honors for it.  I graduated (cum laude, with departmental honors).  But I don't really want to brag, so much as explain how much work I've been doing recently.  

I also was honored to be chosen as an intern with a very prestigious federal agency.  It was ten weeks, paid, and in the heart of DC.  I couldn't have asked for a better way to leave my college years behind me and move into the real world. 

I had the opportunity during my internship to work with some incredible people, and to accompany them on trips to El Paso, Texas and San Francisco, California.  Talk about perks, no?

And then, best birthday present ever, they hired me on as a full-time PERMANENT EMPLOYEE!!!!!!!!!!!!  I am ecstatic, and anxious to get back to work on Monday.  I was allowed ten days' leave to move into a new apartment (in Alexandria, which is a very nice area, btw), so I was able to go home briefly to see my dad and the animals before becoming a real, honest-to-God, independent adult.  Sooo freakin' weird.

The pay is good, as are the benefits, and even though living expenses are somewhat higher than I would like, I am hoping to save enough over the course of the next year to be able to take a trip back over to the UK.  I can't believe it has been so long since I was there studying, and I miss it with all my heart.  Here is a promise to my UK friends on LJ:  I WILL be back! ... as soon as my bank account allows :-)

I hope that has been a sufficient update on my life, after such a long absence.  Hope all of you reading this are well!!

p.s.  New things I have discovered and fallen IN LOVE with:

Heroes
Dexter
(gah!! If you do not watch these shows, for whatever reason, DROP WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND GO WATCH ASAP)

Things I have REdiscovered recently (thanks in great part to the latest film):

STAR TREK
(you likely have NO idea how much I love Trek, despite only ever watching TOS and TNG and their respective feature length films, and of course the 2009 film which freakin' KICKED ASS!... but yeah * happy sigh* oh, Trek, how I adore thee...)

So, as if I hadn't already put too much on my plate for this term, I just went and got myself cast as Margaret in a mainstage production of Much Ado About Nothing.

Am I excited? Yes.
Am I surprised? Very.
Am I intelligent? Apparently, not.

Fingers crossed I make it to graduation with my sanity intact :)

So, the weather currently? The high temp for today is a whopping 8 degrees Fahrenheit, the low around -8, not counting the wind chill, and we will have winds up to 30 miles per hour... and for those who don't want to figure out the math, this means roughly:

High: -13 C;
Low: -22 C;

with windchill: Hello, Frostbite...

It's only the first day of classes, and already I've managed to screw it all up... and it's not even really my fault! No, really. It isn't.

See, the registrar has this handy little page you can go to that shows your schedule for the following term in the format of a weekly calendar. It's always been most convenient, and until now, completely accurate. But after three and a half years of training me to rely on this page, it decides to malfunction entirely and not show that classes that are supposed to meet on Monday Wednesday and Friday actually meet on all three days. Now, generally it would look rather odd to see a class on one's schedule that appears to meet only Monday and Friday, or Monday and Wednesday, but just to make everything even more confusing, we actually DO have classes which meet only Wednesday and Friday.

Naturally, I see that I have a Tuesday evening seminar, and independent study, and two Wednesday/Friday classes, and assume it's business as usual... but no. Of course not. No, both of those courses meet on Mondays as well, so I have now conveniently missed the first classes of HALF of my courses this term. Stupid registrar.

On the bright side, the one professor is said to be a real sweetheart and explaining the mix-up shouldn't be a problem, and there was an ADDITIONAL screw up with the other class (it was listed in two places as meeting in two entirely different buildings... whoops), so there were a bunch of other people who missed today's class as well.

So, if I were to learn anything from this experience? Never under any circumstances believe what the registrar tells you. Fortunately, this is the last time I will ever have to deal with these people, so I need not cram my brain with such trivialities.



Aside from that.... life is crazy. But good.

I cannot believe I've taken so long to post!

No, wait. I take that back. This semester has been ludicrously busy. My honors thesis is taking over my life, my other classes involve a very heavy reading load, not to mention the essays... Oh, and then I decided that that wasn't nearly enough to juggle, so I joined the ballroom dance club/team and have eight hours of practice a week. And competitions hundreds of miles from school that take up entire weekends.

WHY?! ... I think I must be a masochist.

In other news, I am in the process of applying to the Centre for Criminology at Oxford and awaiting news regarding an internship (paid!!) this summer that I applied for in September, was interviewed for in October, and should have heard back about almost two weeks ago... except when has the government ever been on time?

My life, in a nutshell.

O....M..... EFFING... G!!!!

What the hell is happening is SPN this season?


*flails*

*splutters*




*thud*

I'm all for moving on, and all, but when the New York Times doesn't even mention 9/11 until page 24, despite several articles on events in the Middle East (including one about bin Laden and al Qaeda) I feel as though it's fading from our memory, and it shouldn't. Not completely.

But kudos to the Post Office in this rural college town of Gambier, home to only a few thousand (including the students/faculty/staff). At least they had their flag at half-mast. I, for one, appreciate the gesture.

Well, classes are going as well as can be imagined. I kind of can't believe I've been here three weeks already. Feels like school just started. Granted classes haven't been in session that entire time, but still. Time is strange.

I haven't mentioned it yet, so I may as well do it now. Here is the list of courses I'm taking this term:
-Senior Honors in American Studies (look for a separate post on that sometime in the near future)
-Islam in America (3hr seminar on Wednesday evenings, should be very interesting)
-International Terrorism (another 3hr seminar, this on Tuesdays; according to the prof it's going to be more about America though...)
-Tudor and Stuart Britain (because I just can't help myself from taking even more British history *misses the UK terribly*)
-Imagining America in the Novel (completely AMAZING course--and prof--focusing the depictions of America in modern American novels)

So... I have a lot on my plate, but things are going rather well so far *knock wood*. I think the best part so far is that the profs for Islam in America and International Terrorism have a famous rivalry on campus... it's oh so amusing :)

More soon.

...well, not for me, no Thursday classes this term. But I still have plenty of running around to do.

First though, I should back up and say that move-in was fine, the room is not big, but large enough to suit it's purpose. I'm in a house on campus with five other girls, four of us have singles downstairs, two upstairs, and we have a big living area and kitchenette upstairs as well. Last night we hosted a joint b-day party for all the summer birthdays in our (rather sizable) circle of friends, and we could comfortably fit 20 or so people in the common area, so... sweet.

In terms of academics, some kinda big news: I was given permission (well, actually I'll not be modest this once... I was asked) to do a senior Honors thesis instead of just a senior project in American Studies. This is actually a pretty big deal because it means that I will be essentially doing an independent research project with my advisor, who is also my general academic advisor AND the department-head, this term which is graded rather strictly (as I am led to understand) but my thesis will also be evaluated by an "outside observer" in the Spring term. Apparently, the only people who are allowed to do honors are those who not only have the grades (within the major) from previous years, but who also have a project proposal that the department deems worthy of special attention. I'll be honest: I'm more than flattered, I'm floored. I only went in to figure out who was supposed to be my project advisor next term, I swear!

But anyway... the only (minor) downside to this is that with the work required by Honors, I won't be able to take all the other courses I was going to. *shrugs* I think I'll live.

I should have all my academics straightened out by the end of the week, so that's good. Additionally, I am just going to come out with it:

Doctor Who/Torchwood = AMAZING! Go watch them. Now.

That's all I've got at present. More soon.

Well, after nearly two months of silence, I have returned to the realm of the living (so to speak). Surprisingly enough, not too much to tell. This is the first week I've had off since before I went back to school in the Spring, and much of it has been spent getting ready to move back to school on Sunday. (Christ, that's only two days! *freaks*)

*cough* Er, sorry. Anyway, the rest of the summer has been divided between working 35hours a week at the University of Penn's school of Nursing on some research projects in geriatrics: one focusing on transitional care for elders with cognitive impairment and their caregivers, the other on quality of life of elders in a long-term care setting (i.e. a nursing home or assisted living facility). Interesting work, to be certain, but that does not imply that I got to do the fun stuff. Nope, much of it was data entry and cleaning up the research so someone else could officially analyze it. But it paid well enough and I like the people I was working with, so it really wasn't anything to complain of. Not that I didn't complain, mind; I did, but only on particularly dull/menial/etc days.

I was also quite intent on preparing myself for the LSAT which I will be taking the first weekend of October (please do wish me luck, as that's half the game with this damned thing). I'm not satisfied just yet, but no doubt I never will be fully satisfied with my preparation. I'll just say that I'm at least content with where I stand at the present, and so long as I practice, I should continue to improve, and do well enough on the actual exam to be pleased with myself. That said, I could indeed be taking a practice exam instead of this, but I do realize that there are better things in life than tests and papers, and as such couldn't care less about the potential waste of time updating LJ may be.

I suppose that is really all for the time being. Rest assured, I will not be so long absent between this and my next post as I've been between this post and the last.

Next time: new obsessions, re-obsessions, and being back on campus... as a SENIOR!

Home, safe and sound. If a bit disoriented, time-wise. Will post more at length once something exciting happens.

It's odd to be sitting here knowing that this computer is the only thing left unpacked.

I know that in about two hours I will get on the airline bus and leave Oxford; I know that I will board a plane at Heathrow at (fingers crossed) 5pm, and leave England. But somehow my brain forgot to process this whole situation consciously, and so now I'm trying to play catch-up with myself. The past few days have gone by so fast, and at the same time so slowly, that it's hard to really understand that this is in fact that last day abroad. Where has my year gone?

This is not, however, quite as sad as I though it would be, mostly I think because I haven't had a chance to think enough about it all before it's happening. For example, what concerns my thoughts the most right now is whether or not the taxi company received my request and will be here to pick me up on time... Rationally, I know there is no reason they wouldn't, but I worry nonetheless.

But I get to see my dog and cats in a relatively short amount of time... and my dad, of course. And sleep in my own bed with a decent mattress. And no longer be recognizable by my distinct accent. Not that I minded being a foreigner, but it will definitely be nice to be another face in the crowd again.

So, farewell St Catherine's and Oxford and England.

I'm going home.

p.s. England would decide to rain on my last day here...

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG......

So, I don't really know how long I've been living under a rock (read: bogged down by unrelenting essays) but if you've not seen this already...

*is speechless*


http://xfiles.com/

Today, Monday 26 May, is Memorial Day in the States. In honor of this, I would like to publicly attest to my full support of all members of the Unites States armed forces, past and present. I am a very proud and patriotic American, and I have only the greatest respect for our troops both at home and abroad. I owe my eternal gratitude to those who have fought and died for our country, whether it was in the Revolutionary War, the world wars of the last century, the present war in the Middle East, or the small but not forgotten wars that have occurred at all other times in our nation's history.

To the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, my humblest thanks.

God Bless America.

Just moved into the dorm yesterday, and it's quite nice. I finally have internet access again, which helps. I never quite realized how utterly dependent my generation is on the damn thing until I was forced to go without for almost a week. I also managed to get a single room, which most of the other American students did not. Sweet, especially as I also have my own bathroom.

The most difficult things I have to think/worry about at the moment are tutorials (naturally) which should start next week for me, and finding my way around. I am becoming accustomed to looking the other (wrong) way when crossing the street, which does help a bit. But I still get that look when I walk around that proves that it is blatantly obvious that I am not British. Although, as soon as I open my mouth, that becomes readily apparent anyway, so I guess I have to either get used to it or ignore it.

Oh, and it turns out that the dollar sucks right now and I'm paying more than double for everything. Ugh.

In other news, I won an award for an X-Files vid I did a little while back, so yay.



More later. Cheers.

So, back around the beginning of high school I decided that, no matter what, I was going to spend my junior year of college abroad. Didn't matter where, at the time. I just knew I wanted to do it. Now that the time has come, I am glad I've stuck with the plan. Except, I leave for England in a week, and I have managed to put off even thinking about packing until about 36 hours ago... meaning, I don't even know if I have everything I will need (passport and visa aside). The next seven days are going to be... interesting. On the plus side, I get to spend a year studying history in England, and hope to spend the entire month I have off between Hilary and Trinity terms traveling around as much of Europe as money will allow. This still, of course, requires me to pack my life (such as it is) into a few suitcases... aaaand once again I am wishing I never figured out how to procrastinate.

Somehow, between seeing friends heading back to their respective schools, running (a great many) routine errands, catching a baseball game with my old man, visiting with Grandma, discovering that my iPod died and is past warranty, and attempting to get organized for heading back to college myself, I managed to have a burst of creative energy that came out in a new video. It's Horatio Hornblower/William Bush. I've posted it on youtube this afternoon before I changed my mind and re-re-re-edited it, though I admit that it turned out pretty well for only a weekend's work. Now, let's see if I can't figure out how to add a link to said video...

A friend and I saw Rufus Wainwright in concert last night... Damn that man can sing.

A meme... this could be one of many, or one of a kind. I don't quite know how I feel about them yet. But if they're your cup of tea, knock yourself out.

1. Can you cook?
2. What was your dream growing up?
3. What talent do you wish you had?
4. Favorite place?
5. Favorite vegetable?
6. What was the last book you read?
7. What zodiac sign are you?
8. Any Tattoos and/or Piercings?
9. Worst Habit?
10. Do we know each other outside of Livejournal?
11. What is your favorite sport?
12. Do you have a Negative or Optimistic attitude?
13. What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?

14. Worst thing to ever happen to you?

15. Tell me one weird fact about you.

16. Do you have any pets?
17. Do you know how to do the Macarena?
18. What time is it where you are now?
19. Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
20. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?

21. Would you be my partner in crime or my conscience?

22. What color eyes do you have?
23. Ever been arrested?
24. Bottle or Draft?
25. If you won $10,000 dollars today, what would you do with it?

26. What kind of bubble gum do you prefer to chew?
27. What's your favorite bar to hang at?
28. Do you believe in ghosts?
29. Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
30. Do you swear a lot?
31. Biggest pet peeve?
32. In one word, how would you describe yourself?
33. In one word, how would you describe me?
34. Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?

1. Male or Female?
2. Fandom you most associate with?
3. Fandom you associate me with?
4. Chocolate or Vanilla?
5. Coke or Sprite?
6. One person you'd give anything to meet?
7. The most famous person you've met?
8. Something about you that you think I should know.
9. One thing you're dying to have.

Only seven more days of work this summer. Only seven. I will persevere. *breathes* And I will never be tricked into doing office work for 12 weeks again.

On the other hand, the complete lack of demand for creative energy has led to several ideas for new video projects. That's good, right?

only seven more days of work this summer... only seven more days of work this summer... only seven more days of work this summer... only seven more days of work this summer...