Seattle

So I just got back from my week-long trip in Seattle. It was soooo much fun :)  It was nice to finally get away from home and actually enjoy my (last?) summer vacation. Unfortunately the trip cost me $600 so I've really gotta be better with my money now. I'm moving in tomorrow and have to pay my rent, phone bill, and car insurance, etc. and I don't even start work until the 9th.

My boyfriend's apartment is super nice; it kinda makes me wish I was gonna be moving into my own place instead of having a room in a house. I feel like it's still going to be like college, because all I really have to decorate/furnish is my bedroom. I'm going to have to share a bathroom and a kitchen and all of that. I just want to be able to buy a couch and a kitchen table and glasses and bowls and plates that match. I was so ghetto and just got a bunch of stuff from the dollar store. But I didn't want to buy too many because it doesn't make sense for one person to buy a set of 20 glasses.

Either way, I'm glad I got a taste of my ideal world and it's comforting to know that I can go back and visit whenever I want. Maybe I'm just being pessimistic for no reason; maybe I'll end up being super happy staying in Hanover. We'll see.

Get a Real Job

So today my mom called me into her office to show me an email she'd received. It was regarding a job as a "Fair Housing Specialist" -- some non-profit position in Connecticut to help disciminated people get housing. While I have nothing against that job, I was insulted for two reasons: 1) my mom was basically telling me that the job I have lined up isn't good enough and that I should spend my time continuing to look for something better, and 2) that my mom is still insisting that I stay close to home so that she can continue to keep tabs on me. While I, myself, would not be against having a different job, it would have to be something related to psychology. That's the only thing that's going to get me into a good grad school and she just doesn't seem to understand that.

SSDD

   So on June 13, 2010 I graduated college. Finally ready to get the heck out of Hanover, New Hampshire, right? Wrong. As we all know, this is a very rough time for people to be graduating college and trying to find a job. I'm no exception. I applied to literally hundreds of jobs dating back to last fall. Of course I didn't really take it too seriously in the fall; I was still a long way away from graduation and didn't think many jobs were looking to hire someone over 6 months before I'd even be able to start working.
   But when winter term rolled around I knew I had to get serious. I applied to anything and everything. FBI, research jobs, Spanish and French teaching jobs, Human Resources, Social Work, Hospitals, High School Counseling, Rehab Facilities, you name it, I applied. I really wanted to work for HealthCorps, and I got an interview, but then I was waitlisted and never heard back.
    Luckily, my advisor offered me a job as a research assistant in his lab. It's super exciting because I'm really interested in the material, already have a lot of experience, and I know it's the best thing for me to do to get into grad school (my grades were not great).  The only downside is that I am so tired of Hanover. I've already had countless classes in the building I'm going to be working in, I already know everybody, and I know where everything in town is (not like there's much). I already know I'll probably be using my Boloco card to get a summer burrito every day for lunch; I will be going to the same gym I've gone to for 4 years (at least it's free); I know I'll probably still get $2 Margarita's from Molly's when I want to go have drinks -- there's nothing new and exciting for me to explore. I want to walk by people who are above the age of 21 and not have to stop every 20 feet while I'm driving to let some stupid girl in a miniskirt and uggs jaywalk. I want to work in a skyscraper and have a big office in live in a nice apartment by myself. But unfortunately I guess that's not a realistic expectation to have.  Maybe things will be different once I've started working and Moore Hall will be my workplace and not an academic building. Maybe it will be different since most of the people I know have graduated. I don't know how I will end up feeling until it happens, but all I know is that anytime I visit Hanover I feel like I never left; I feel like I'm still a student about to go move into my dormroom.