For My Dad

Dear friends and family members also in their 20s,

I am going to need for you to stop getting married and having kids.

Though that's all awesome and what not, it makes me feel old.

K-thanks,
Brittany

Wait for it...

I had my first real class tonight: International Advertising. It actually met for the full 2 hours and 45 minutes, which I was kind of expecting since it didn't meet last week due to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Oddly enough, it went by quickly. I have to admit, I was panicking a little when my teacher went over the syllabus, but once we got into class discussions, I was good to go! All my excitement about learning and why I initially wanted to do grad school came rushing back, and all the papers looming ahead became opportunities to research a subject I love, learn about it, then compose something that expresses my acquired knowledge with that passion. (I know, I'm such a nerd.)

On a lighter note, I went home this weekend, so not much to report on. I spent most of it watching DVR-ed episodes of Supernatural. I bought some new yoga pants and this shirt:

I think it will significantly increase the effectiveness (or at least the awesomeness) of my workouts, without a doubt.

I listened to some football. Yes, listened. I was on my way back to Hattiesburg during Packers and Bears. Got back just in time for church. Was invited to a friends for gumbo (delicious!) and caught the last few minutes of Steelers vs. Jets. Also, this happened:

 

We were very focused on shooting the gold boxes and avoiding the black boxes. I really love the Wii. Ashley and I have about decided we will go without groceries for a month to buy one... not that I imagine I'll have much free time in the coming weeks. Still job hunting! Putting in two applications tomorrow. I'm really praying one of them will work out.

SDG

"[The birds] neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them."

List of things accomplished today:

1. Finished 2 reading assignments (only 1 left to do before next Tuesday)
2. Applied for a job at Starbucks
3. Called and talked to a lady about tutoring her 9-year-old grandson (I'm more hopeful about this prospect, considering my experience)

While this isn't a super productive day, I'm beginning to feel a little less stressed concerning my employment status. I'm trying to trust that God will provide, and all I can do in the meantime is remain diligent with my applications, monitor and adjust my spending accordingly, and NOT WORRY. That last part is a lot easier said than done. God has provided in the past, and I trust He will do the same now. Please keep that in your prayers for me, though.

On a completely unrelated topic, I visited Southern's gym for the first time yesterday for a yoga class. I had taken a class at State that I enjoyed, but that particular class mostly utilized the poses only. The class I took yesterday was so much more focused on the practice of yoga. We began with deep breathing, eased into a sequence of poses, and ended with a relaxing savasana, during which the instructor walked around the room and massaged essential oil on our temples. It was blissful. Then we concluded the class with a namaste and a bow. That NEVER happened at State.

With that in mind, I think I'll do a Hattiesburg vs. Starkville post in the near future. I'm curious to see what the final tally would look like. Right now, I think it's leaning Hattiesburg's direction. Leave any comments if you would like to add something to the list.
SDG

MLK Day/Extended Weekend

It turns out the weekend had some adventures left. Sunday night Holly and I went to visit another church that has service at 6pm. We hadn't eaten dinner, so a group of us decided to hit up Taco Bell. Well, it was taking the others longer than expected to get out the door, and we were hungry and bored. This is what happened:

After our impromptu photo shoot with Kat, we finally made it to Taco Bell and spent the rest of the night hanging out with cool people, telling funny stories, and watching Transformers on television.

Yesterday was beautiful! I had plans to go watch True Grit, but since my friends and I are cheap, and we didn't want to waste the sunshine, we went to the park instead.

Kat soaking some rays in the January sunshine

Also, just got back from my first grad class. Lasted all of 30mins. I'm already a little excited to start my readings. Is that weird? It probably is, but who cares? On the syllabus for this class, it says we should watch TV, go to movies, and use social media (aka, be active and critical users of media). Awesome. :)

SDG

Bluegrass, Movies, and Football

Well, the weekend only went up from Friday afternoon. Holly arrived around 8:30...

This is Holly

... and we headed out to check out some bands playing downtown. When we got to the place, there was nearly no one there, and it was a bit sketchy, but we stuck around and ended up hearing this awesome bluegrass band. The second band, though, was country and horrible so we went home, made tortilla pizzas, and watched The Matrix Reloaded instead.

Saturday we slept in, went for a run, then hit up Target. I got some cozy, thigh-high socks, a sweater and a silver chain for a pendant that was on a necklace that broke. After that, we cooked a delicious supper of spinach spaghetti, seasoned ground turkey, and fresh mushrooms in our spaghetti sauce.

Then, because it looks like I won't be having cable/satellite in my new place, we headed to a sports bar to watch Green Bay win! Needless to say, we were in the minority at the bar, but it was fun. After that, we came back to the apartment and watched 40-Year-Old Virgin.

This morning Holly went with me to check out First Presbyterian. Now we're stuffed with left-over spaghetti and watching Flight of the Conchords. It's been a very good weekend and a good way to prepare for the first night of class on Tuesday.

SDG

Pessimistic Post

Today's not been my day.

Got up at 8am to go to an orientation that was completely pointless.

DirecTV install was set for today. Got a call from the guy at 9:30 who said he could come early, but I had that stupid orientation to go to, so I had to keep my original time from 12-4pm. Dude calls again at 3 and says that someone else was assigned this job. That guy calls me around 4, sees my building and was like, "Uh... we can't install here." I basically wasted an entire afternoon for nothing. I'm so mad, I don't want TV ever again.

I had to do this assessment test yesterday for some jobs I applied for. It was one of those "If-this-happened-what-would-you-do" tests. Took the test yesterday, got my results today, and turns out I didn't pass.

I did my first load of laundry in the new apartment today, stuck the clothes in the dryer, and the thing won't cut on. It had been unplugged, and it looks like the ventilation has been disconnected as well. Maintenance never showed up. I'm now in the process of putting the sheets I took off to wash, back on my bed.

However, I'm not going to let my awful Friday afternoon ruin my entire weekend. My friend Holly is driving down from Starkville as we speak, armed with green spaghetti. We are going to party it up all weekend, despite the no TV thing. Thank you, Lord, for good friends, good food, and good wine.
SDG

I See You Grad School

Things I've done today:

Walked on campus for the first time as a student.
Got advised.
Discussed thesis options.
Got my student ID.
Browsed Barnes & Noble on campus.
Enrolled in classes.
Submitted my resume for an assistantship.

Classes start next Tuesday. I'll only be taking 9 hours. That's three classes that only meet once a week from 6-9pm. This. will. be. awesome. Wanna know another awesome thing? I literally live right across the street from the building where all my classes are held. Can you say convenient? No. Really. Like, do you say it in three syllables like this: con-veen-yent, or four: con-veen-ee-ent? You see, my communication analytical mind is already kicking.

Bring it on grad school. Bring it on.
SDG

New Apartment!

Here's a little video tour of my new place. I promised my family some pictures, but alas, my camera was dead, so I've resorted to the built-in camera in my laptop. I apologize for the poor audio and video quality. There are still some little things left to do, but for the most part I'm all moved in! I've already had a dinner party and some company after church. I've got a list of chores to tackle tomorrow (that is if the freezing rain doesn't close everything) and am trying to mentally prepare for doing this whole school thing again. Ahhh! Anyway, enjoy!
SDG

New Year's Resolutions? Blech.

I don't believe in New Year's resolutions. I hold this belief for two reasons:

1) You can resolve to do something anytime of the year! Why is the first of the year so special? If you decide in October you want to eat healthier, do it then. Waiting three months will give you no advantage, no special powers, nothing. In fact, you've wasted three months you could have used experimenting with recipes and new foods that would only increase your chances of continuing success in January.

2) New Year's resolutions have a tendency of fizzling out. You say to yourself, "This year, I'm going to work out three times a week!" Well, you miss one a month or so in, and all of a sudden you feel as if your goal's completely shot. Guess what, though! There's a whole 11 months left in the year! You can pick some of those days to work out and move on with your goal! Ta-da!

Though, I don't believe in New Year's resolutions, I'm not without a few changes in the new year. I've started a new Bible reading plan. I've chosen The Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan. I like that the daily readings include both Old and New Testament texts, and I'm not reading several chapters at a time. I think this will help keep me focused on the meaning of the texts and not just completing my required reading for the day. This website has a list of a few others, if you're interested in starting your own plan.

Another thing that's been rolling around my head is training for a marathon. It's something I would love to do. Having that goal would be great for keeping me disciplined with my running and food choices. However, I don't know yet where I would be able to safely run for 20+ miles in Hattiesburg. I'd have to rope some poor soul into being my training partner. So until I get settled in school and work and my new town, marathon training will have to stay in the "possibly" file.

New year, new town, new apartment, new school, new job (hopefully!). So long 2010. It was, uh... eventful. 2011, please be kind.
SDG