Thursday, November 20

Almost 2009.

So much has been going on lately that I haven't had much time to write in here. I'll just give a quick rundown of what's been up:

  • Took the GRE, did well enough to be eligible for an Honors Fellowship at Ole Miss. $1,000 a semester for Master's students - awesome!
  • Have an interview with the Atlanta History Center in December for the internship. Crossing fingers I can work in the archival program.
  • Biked 12 miles on the Silver Comet Trail up near Rockmart with BT this past Sunday. Froze to death & couldn't walk for a couple of hours afterwards, but it felt great.
  • Read Twilight just to see what it was all about and by page 250, found myself thoroughly underwhelmed. I still want to see the movie simply because I find Robert Pattison beautiful.
  • Money is tight, as the economy is affecting my place of employment, resulting in hours being cut, on top of a somewhat disappointing annual raise. Applied at a couple bookstores for a part-time seasonal position, so we will see how that plays out.
  • I am full-blown, head over heels in love with one of the best men I have ever met. This is what an adult relationship should be. Giving and taking equally, all with respect and love and caring. Finally. Thank you.

Even though it is still eight months away, I'm getting really excited for grad school. According to the graduate catalog, a sampling of courses I could take in one semester would be Great American Writers: Cormac McCarthy, Readings in US History: Civil War to Present, and a basic Studies in Southern Literature course. To some, this is torture, but to me...paradise. On top of just getting back to school, I can't wait to move to Oxford. While I will miss Atlanta a whole helluva lot, I think a new environment will be exciting & a nice change of scenery. Plus, nice apartments rent for a fraction of the cost of living in the Atl.

After doing some research, I think I am going to qualify for more financial aid than I thought. According to the Ole Miss grad school website, "Graduate students who receive a minimum of $1800 per semester as either an assistantship or fellowship are eligible for a partial tuition scholarship (75 percent of tuition for the minimum, ¼ time stipend, increasing to a 100 percent tuition scholarship for a ½ time stipend)." I don't intend on working outside of being on campus my first year there, so if I can do a 1/2 time assistantship, I can get a 100% tuition scholarship AND a somewhat generous stipend, significantly reducing how much I would need to take out in loans. I would absolutely love it if I was lucky enough to not put myself into thousands of dollars.

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! I will be in Panama City with my family from Tuesday through Friday, relaxing and enjoying somewhat warmer weather (even if the tattoos will all have to be hidden).

Thursday, November 6

United we stand.

Tuesday: what a great day to be an American. Spent all day at work, refreshing CNN.com every five minutes with Cheri. Got home at 8 & watched as much of CNN's updates as possible before falling asleep early on the couch. BT woke me up right as "BARACK OBAMA - PRESIDENT-ELECT" was being splayed across the screen. If I hadn't been so groggy, I probably would have cried. Finally came to, called my parents who were miraculously still awake & celebrating (probably the only ones in Cobb County), then managed to keep my eyes open long enough to watch his speech in Chicago.

So glad change is coming to America, so glad everyone united as one to elect this man as president. I thought McCain's concession speech was very graceful; the first time in the past couple of months I really enjoyed hearing him speak. Overall, I went to bed so proud of my country and optimistic about the next four (hopefully eight) years. I can't wait to tell my children where I was when history was made (on the futon, in my pajamas, half-asleep).

The GRE is exactly a week from today. I've been studying a bit everyday. I took a practice test the other day and actually scored a little bit higher on my math than my verbal which, needless to say, left me pretty perplexed. The next seven days are really going to be crunch time. I know it isn't the only deciding factor when it comes to getting into grad school, but it will be much-needed peace of mind if I do well.

Brian & I hiked to the top of Stone Mountain this past Sunday; what a work out. The weather was awesome (sunny, mid-70s), and the view from the top is amazing. After hiking the mountain, we went and checked out the covered bridge then headed home. I want to go bike the 4 mile trail around the base of the mountain sometime soon. Hopefully, the weather stays nice. I want to do the Silver Comet Trail soon too.

Halloween was loads of fun. We carved pumpkins before heading out to Graveyard in EAV. Drank & danced the night away with my closet friends...don't think I could ask for much more. Great night. Plus, I think BT & I made a really cute pair of sailors.




Currently into:
-Grape soda
-Walgreen's Apothecary Lavendar Soak epsom salts (ahh, so good)
-Aveda Clove Shampoo & Shampure Conditioner
-Coffeemate's Pumpkin Spice coffee creamer
-Rock of Love: Charm School (guilty pleasure!)
-Atlanta on the Cheap
-HGTV - lots of it
-Bertolli's Oven Bake Meals