My life as of late...
I've been really, really busy-as I will be for the rest of the semester, so if you are expecting regular posts, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. I'll try (and note I say TRY) to keep things updated weekly for all 3 of you who actually read this, but chances are you 3 will be talking to me anyway, so reading this won't matter. Whatever.

Research, Reading, and Writing...
The never-ending saga that is the life of a grad student....this is all I do lately. I have 15 chapters to read for one class alone, a paper due on Monday (almost finished), a campaign project to start working on, and a proposal to finish by the end of this week. It makes me wonder how I'm ever going to have time to finish my master's thesis, and frankly, I've been considering taking the easy way out for the past week, thanks to the mounting workload and stress the semester brings. That easy way out would be by way of the ever-popular comprehensive exam, one of the non-thesis closure options here at UIS. It wouldn't really affect my chances to pursue a Ph.D. program (I have plenty of other significant writing samples), and I'm not 100% sure I'm doing a Ph.D. anyway...but like I said, it's something I'm going to have to decide upon, and SOON. I'm still on track for doing a thesis, but the pressure (and workload) is mounting. Most people working on a thesis AREN'T taking an additional 8 hours of graduate credit...not that I'm anything special or spectacular, but I am feeling slightly frazzled.

Job Interview
I had my first official job interview this week, and I feel really good about it...I'm not going into details or anything, but I should know what's to come of it by the end of the month and I feel good about things...and if it doesn't go the way I hope it does, I'll chalk it up to good experience :0) After all, it's only my first interview, and I haven't been actively hunting. YET. I need to finish my M.A., after all.

Intution
I've been learning lately that is can be really hard to learn to trust yourself again. I hate the fact that I don't necessarily trust my intuition anymore...it has really never led me astray (except in matters of the heart), but I know that a person has to take risks in order to find what makes them happy in life. I've done so in other areas of my life (school, career), so I guess (maybe) the time has come again to learn to trust again...or at least give it a try.

It's not that I'm lacking emotion/feelings...but it is so so hard to trust again and rely on others, especially when you've convinced yourself that you can take care of yourself. It's nice to be able to be able to care about/depend on other people, although getting there is the hard part.

Everything else...
I'm trying to go out and have something of a social life, but the hectic nature of the semester is making things difficult. I go out regularly on Thursday nights...the weekends, it depends. Tonight will probably be spent somewhere downtown...not sure just yet. wooo-hooo. But not until I finish a few more pages of this paper...

Last night was spent out for a few hours at Mowie's with Jess and Michelle, where we met Jeron and Chris (guy I dated briefly last Nov.), which was a little weird. Michelle ended up leaving a little early to meet her guy, which left the four of us...Jeron and Jess were talking, so I ended up playing pool w/ Chris, which felt a little weird at first, but luckily things were cool, I just treated him like a buddy and kept the conversation platonic, so things ended up ok.

Eventually though, Jess and I got tired and went home, where I proceeded to watch Sex and the City, talk on the phone ;o) and go to bed.

So that's my life as of late......more details as they arise!