Monday, August 27, 2012

Books My Children Will Read

  1. The Little House Books
  2. The Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston: if you haven't read this book, you need to! (Although the sequels are, in my opinion, not nearly as good).
  3. Danny Champion of the World by Roald Dahl. I must admit that I have fallen out of love with many of his books as I got older. They are so odd! But Danny is absolutely superb. 
  4. The Famous Five and Secret Seven By Enid Blyton: Okay, please don't face palm! I swear these books are great; they are kind of like the British version of Nancy Drew.
  5. Anne of Green Gables: Of Course. 
  6. What Katy Did by Susan M. Coolidge
  7. The Dear America Books. 

My Place

One more day of orientation. One more day. I can make it. Correction: my buddy caffeine and I can make it. In other news, my dorm room is finally decorated and much less depressing. 

My desk area. Isn't it cute?
Yes, I have a tree growing out of my computer.  It's actually one of those wall decal things you can buy at Target. Frankly, I'm pretty impressed with it; it's like a huge piece of tape that you stick on the wall, and if you peel it off none of the paint comes off (very important in a dorm). The pink doesn't really go with the green/blue theme my roommate and I have going on, but it really warms up an otherwise blank wall. I have a white board and millions of sticky notes to appease my desire to make random lists, and, of course, I have my favorite holy pictures to keep me company (St. Gerard in the frame and the Sacred Heart of Jesus just above the stickies). The speakers are also very very important. They allow me to blast my favorite music. When I'm not studying of course.

My very comfy bed
I don't get to spend as much time in this part of the room as I would like, but it's still pretty awesome. Even though I have to take a running start before getting in to bed every night. Do you see how far off the ground my bed is?

 I bought a new bedspread this year because the one I had last year was five years old and kind of dingy. Can you believe it was only $40 on O.co? The green fuzzy blob taking over the end of my bed is a cheapo throw that I bought during camp, but it was probably one of my best impulse buys ever. I can't really justify the pillows, except by saying that I really like squashy pillows. Oh, and the yellow M&M in the middle of the bed is a Little Miss Sunshine doll that talks when you squeeze her. All my friends think it's creepy, but I love her. So there.


These are the frames that Joy and I made during our craft day. Honestly you can make the cutest dorm decor from cheap crafts supplies from Walmart. The frames were 97 cents a piece, and the acrylic paint was 57 cents. I basically just glued stuff like lace and bottle caps on to them, and it looked like I spent a lot of money. The thing in the middle is a magnet my last roommate got me. It says, "Life is a journey not a destination." I feel very inspired by it, thank you very much.

I also have a very large Brave poster above my books shelf, but that side of the room needs some attention before I take pictures to post on the internet. Oh, and I have a roommate who has cute stuff on her side of the room, but I figured she didn't want creepy photos of her stuff all over the internet. 

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Exhaustion

Aren't the Freshies oriented yet? In order to get an internship credit for my orientation leader position, I have to work fifty hours this week. I've been working my tush off, and now I'm totally exhausted. I really don't mind spending a lot of time with the freshman; it's what I signed up for, but they've kept us out late several nights in a row, and it's really getting to me. Friday night there was a very loud "Welcome Party" outside my window until 12:30, and last night I had to be a Blackjack dealer until midnight. Yes, we welcome Freshman to the Catholic college experience by teaching them how to gamble at Casino Night. It was a lot of fun, but it really takes its toll on those of us who can't leave when we want to. I'm basically living on caffeine; this is just not the best way to start the school year. 

Friday, August 24, 2012

Orientation 2012

So right now I'm working the Info Booth at freshman orientation. It's been a pretty good first day, but I'm exhausted. I've worked dorm check-in (I check some girls into my old room. *Much sadness*), been a "greeter", and now I'm in the Info Booth. I am so excited to meet the new Freshman! I have such fond memories of my freshman year, and I hope the newbs will have as great a time as I did.

We (the orientation leaders) have been here since Tuesday for our training and moved into the infamous "New Hall". I'm not 100% sure if I like this dorm. It's about 5 times as big as my freshman dorm, and I hate being separated from my friends. It is also definitely lacking in personality. My last dorm had a very accurate stereotype, and we were a very very close-knit community. So now to be in such a big dorm that doesn't even have a name makes me really homesick for my beloved Theresa Hall.

On the other hand this dorm has very spacious rooms. Heck, we have our own bathrooms and walk-in closets. Being a sophomore has its advantages, no doubt. We are also trying very hard to build community the New Dorm. Last night a bunch of us played cards for several hours,  making a lot of noise and having a lot of fun.

Last night was also the first time I really hung out with my ex-boyfriend since we broke up last spring. I'm so glad that we can still be friendly and have a good time with our mutual friends. I have a bunch of friends who have to endure a lot of awkwardness because of bad freshman relationships. Note to Freshman: Do not date Freshman year! My good friend and I were saying how we wished we'd listened to that piece of advice back in the day.

Anyway, a bunch of us are going to try and go out for Korean food tonight, so I'm out!

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Alas, Alack!

I have finished Downton Abbey and am in post-season depression. I guess this means I really ought to finish packing, clean my room, and do all those little last minute things. Or I could find another show to watch... No, no, not acceptable! I must Get ready to leave on Tuesday.

In my defense, I'm mostly packed. The plan now involves two suitcases, instead of one, but this means I no longer have to carry a backpack full of shoes and books through the airport (not to mention my violin case). Right now I'm resisting the urge to unpack, get rid of half my clothes, and then repack. I have to keep reminding myself of how miserable I was last fall when I didn't have enough clothes. You will need that jacket! For heaven's sake, put the shirt back in that bag, young lady! That's me talking to myself, by the way.

I ordered all my books today, which didn't hurt as much as I had expected it too. Probably because I've decided to wait before ordering the $200 German textbook. Basically I'm just excited that I'll be getting packages when I get to school. I know I've already got a box, containing my new comforter, waiting for me when I arrive. I'm a sucker for packages.

Tuesday is going to be here really soon, and I still have laundry to do; my room is dirty, and Many of my things are still scattered throughout the house. I guess I had better go... So I can deal with them tomorrow. Betcha thought I would go get things done now. Yeah, not going to happen, but anyway, I'm out folks.

P.S. [WARNING this post script contains shameless advertising]
The store I worked at all summer has a website should you wish to check them out. They have some really great books and gifts, so please mosey over!

Friday, August 17, 2012

Last Week at Home

Yep, that's right, only four more days until I leave for Texas. On one hand I am very very veryveryvery excited to start a new semester, but I'm also sorry to leave my family and friends in NC. This summer has been fabulous, and I'm sad that it has to come to end.

I haven't written much about my work even though it's taken up a lot of my time. I've had three jobs this summer: I worked as a camp counselor, as a nanny, and as a girl in a flower rosary shop. The counselor job provided all the crazy shenanigans and eternal friendships that can only be found at camp. The nanny job was absolutely horrible. The kids were wild, and my stress levels were through the roof. Once I called my dad in the middle of the day, sobbing because the children had been so vindictive. I've been babysitting since I was twelve, so you can imagine what a bad position I was in. But my last job has been a lifesaver this summer.

Two women I once went on retreat with have opened a catholic bookstore! And I got to work there all summer! Honestly it was the greatest thing; I got to arrange merchandise, do the window display, and even suggest which books to order for the teen section. While I still had the nanny job, the store was my haven, a place where I knew my work was appreciated. It was so relaxing to just dust the crucifixes while listening to hymns in the background. Unfortunately, today was my last day, but my bosses, Kristen and Pam, made my day quite memorable. We had a lovely lunch, and they gave me a gift card, so I could get all the things that I've had my eye on all summer.

I'm also getting my TV fix for the summer. Right now I'm in the midst of the drama at Downton Abbey. I'm really enjoying it, but I'm afraid that when I watch episode after episode of a show, the drama starts to get to me. At the moment I'm really disappointed in Lord Grantham, but I'm desperately in love with Mr. Bates. I've also start getting really dramatic in real life. Poor Joy has been subjected to  the most melodramatic texts at the most bizarre times.

Joy and I are savoring our last days together. We made our last pilgrimage to the Goodwill (more on that later). We hiked 6 miles for no good reason, and we had a really nice evening downtown. Admittedly, the Littleton downtown is not very large but armed with milkshakes and a camera, we had a very memorable night out.

Well, it's 1 am, I'm thinking it is time for bed. Night all!