almost to the end

in less than 48 short hours, i will be back in west michigan. the thought is simultaneously thrilling, terrifying, and tear-inducing.

i cannot believe how quickly this semester flew by. my last semester in college, finished, seemingly as quick as it began. the first few weeks of uncertainty, the emotional roller coaster, all that teen-angst--this semester covered a lot of ground, personally and professionally. i learned a lot about myself, a lot about other people, and a lot about what i think it means to lead a fulfilling existence.

tomorrow is my last day of work in downtown chicago. i will sorely miss my co-workers, and i'm even more terrified knowing that i do not have a job lined up. if anyone wants to hire me, let me know! seriously, though. momma needs a job.

there are many old faces i'm looking forward to seeing again, but i will miss a good many people from this program. it's surprising how quickly friendships can be forged in close quarters and under stressful periods in one's life. i hope to maintain connections with some of my new-found friends; only time will tell, i suppose.

we'll see if there's time to update the blog again, but considering the fact that i'm moving out on saturday and have a great deal of packing to finish, don't hold your breath. give me a call sometime and we can catch up for real...very, very soon.

the end is fast approaching

i can hardly believe it, but in less than three weeks, i will be back in grand rapids. the thought is simultaneously delightful and terrifying.

i've been job searching on the internet a lot, and i feel like the prospects are few. combined with the stresses of school and work here in chicago, it is needless to say that i am feeling a bit overwhelmed.

i'll be making a six-hour visit to grand rapids on wednesday for honors convocation. i hate to skip class in chicago (especially since we will be going on a tour of neighborhoods that formerly housed the projects), but i really want to be there for my last time around. i've never been to one of these ceremonies before, and i am excited to get my medal!

the weather in chicago was lovely yesterday, and it almost makes up for the rain and chill of today. i would totally love for spring to make itself permanent...we are two thirds of the way through april.

there's a lot to get done before i move back, but i think it will all come together. most of all, i'm looking forward to all the lovely faces i left behind in the g-raps...(you all should know who you are).

meh.

yikes! my blogging absence probably has gone unnoticed, but i've been meaning to sit down and swap tales. sorry about that.

of course, sitting back and combing my brain for stories isn't very fruitful at the moment. st. patrick's day celebrations were great, as was partying for my sister's birthday last weekend. i turn the big 22 tomorrow, and that's been throwing me off for a bit. i've never really had a birthday away from all of "my" people, and the anticlimactic nature of celebrating just feels like a big let-down. i was so pleased that my parents came down yesterday to take me to lunch and have birthday cake. but in the end, birthdays just aren't what they used to be.

i'm very excited for cassie and stacey to be coming for a visit this weekend. i should probably do laundry before they arrive, or think of something grand to do that doesn't involve sitting on our asses all weekend.

and to the meteorologists in chicago: no, i did not ask for accumulating snows for my birthday. please clear this up. thanks.

museums and celebs

let much just say that i am very much looking forward to this weekend. my dearest krystle is coming down for a whirlwind trip, my parents will be in town, and a good friend of mine is turning 21...and yes, this weekend marks the unofficial beginning of st. patrick's day celebrations, and i am very, very excited about it all.

so i went to two different museums yesterday for my two classes. we first went to see the edvard munch exhibit at the art institute, and then we went to the mexican fine arts museum for my other class. lots of art, lots of milling about, lots of fun. steph and i also hung out last night, which is always a pleasure.

our art event tonight is our town at the lookingglass theatre. and yes, this means that i will get to watch david schwimmer (that's ross gellar of friends fame, in case we've forgotten) perform tonight.

i don't have to work tomorrow, which is also great...i'll get to sleep in a whole 45 minutes! we have our neighborhood visits tomorrow, so i'll be spending the first part of the day in logan square. my boss was nice enough to let me have the afternoon off too, so i'm looking forward to krystle's visit and the potential for many great things.

oh, and let the job hunt begin...

everybody's working for the weekend

it's been a great week.

first of all, let me just say that not having work on monday was the greatest thing ever. ever. a group of us went out to pilsen and had an amazing time stuffing ourselves at a mexican restaurant and then stuffing ourselves into vintage threads. yes, i am the proud owner of some new men's plaid.

we also watched both red dragon and silence of the lambs this week. i know that nobody else really understands the joy these movies bring me, but what can i say--i desensitized myself to the right flicks.

great times were had hanging out with my sister last night. i've been on a bodyguard kick as of late, and we splurged on the soundtrack. i'm sure her neighbors hate us (or probably just me).

the CS group is going to see a bulls game tonight. i actually don't give two cents about the game, but i figure the atmosphere will make up for my lack of interest...right?

domestic day

people who know me will get a real kick out of this--i actually bought groceries, washed dishes AND did laundry today...and did i mention that i woke up at six o'clock to see the sun rise (the one that never actually materialized)?

yes. i did laundry for the first time today. i hate paying for laundry; it's bad enough having to tote all your crap down to the laundry room to fight for washers and dryers, but then you have to pay money on top of it? i'll wear everything a hundred times to put this off for as long as possible.

so yeah, i skipped out on the mary kay breakfast. as it happens, one of my friends had almost the same experience i had, only hers was at a barnes & noble. i feel slightly bad, but not really at the same time. i have no desire to drive a pink cadillac.

tomorrow is pulaski day, and it marks one of our few days off from work. we're making a trip out to pilsen to eat cheap mexican food and go shopping at a vintage store. i'll keep you posted on any good finds.

homework sings my name, and there are more dishes waiting. i need a wife, i think.

fat thursday?

i rolled into the office this morning to find mardi gras beads and a bag of microwave popcorn on my desk. who says you can't celebrate fat tuesday a few days late? the celebration is appropriate considering i was in bed and asleep by 11 on the real fat tuesday. better late than never.

funny story: i went to a starbucks yesterday, and as i was waiting in line, a woman (i'm guessing late 20s) told me that she liked my purse. we struck up a conversation about the glory of target, and then started talking about what i did, and what work she did. turns out she works for mary kay, a company i've been trying to contact about some work for my internship. she gave me her card and took my number before asking me if i was free this evening. since i wasn't, she wondered if i wanted to meet for breakfast on saturday--apparently there's some corporate mary kay something or other going on at the hyatt regency downtown, and she wondered if i wanted to go and network or something. ten bucks says that they'll try and turn me into some mary kay seller, but it's a free breakfast. is this how networking really works, or i am signing on for a scam? i'll keep you posted.

i'm so excited that we have our first day off on monday. we're heading over to pilsen for some cheap mexican food and some thrifting. oh, and at some point i have to read a book (that i don't have) and write a 5 page paper by wednesday.

oh, the life of a student in chicago...