It's been crazy busy in my life! School this semester is very intense, and much more like what I imagined graduate school would be. My classes are much more discussion-based, making it very obvious if you fall behind in the reading! And I only have one class that has an actual midterm and final test; the other two have weekly papers and a term paper, respectively. I expected to do a lot more talking and writing in grad school rather than being lectured at and tested. Last year, because I was mostly lectured at, I still felt very much like I was an undergraduate. This semester is much different!
Work has been incredibly busy. The biggest leadership event we do is the annual Student Leadership Conference. Last year I served on the committee for the conference and provided whatever support the coordinator needed. It was a good learning experience but, despite it being a leadership program and me being the leadership initiatives grad assistant, I really had very little to do with the conference. That changed this year!
We moved the conference to the fall semester for the first time this year and with the transition in the office and more pressing programs to plan and launch, the planning of the conference did not really begin until the semester started. That gave me six weeks, SIX WEEKS, to coordinate a conference for roughly two-hundred students! Of course, I am not doing it alone, but I am doing a lot!
I have, in the past five weeks: researched national keynote speakers, solicited proposals from those I felt may be able to provide what we were looking for, convinced the committee to go with my top choice, extended an offer, took care of all of the speaker's travel and facility needs, managed the needs of the afternoon speakers and their technical needs, convinced campus catering to waived a $400 fee, oversaw the solicitation of co-sponsorship in the amount of roughly $5000 - 7000 (we won't know about the last $2000 until after the conference), chose and ordered a conference gift, convinced several on-campus departs and Kaplan, Inc. to donate raffle prizes, and the performed the multitude of daily tasks such a large conference requires.
The conference is one week from today, after which my life gets much easier!
I have still been managing to make it to the gym and continue to impress myself and Lauren with my awesome strength. The gym visits fell off this past week because both Lauren and I felt pretty puny. The time at the gym most likely will be scarce next week, as well, as I put in long hours at work pulling the conference together. Still, I can see and feel a difference and my doctor was uber impressed at the lower numbers my cholesterol is showing (ok, so there was also some medicinal intervention in that one, but I'm doing a lot too!).
The roommate situation is still going well! So is the getting to know our neighbors. This place is starting to turn into its own little community, which is very nice! I like knowing the people who live around me and I like having the ability to have a conversation and even friendship with them. It's shaping up to be a good year here at 1257, 1R.
I am super excited that I am going to become an auntie! :)
Some of the best movies of all time, in no particular order:
12 Angry Men (1957 version)
My Fair Lady
Shop Around the Corner
Love to everyone!
~g
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