So... hallmark of being in the real world? Being on the phone for two and a half hours heckling with two different banks and a cable company. Why do companies make it so difficult to understand their billing practices? Hopefully I got it all squared away today so I don't have to revisit it!
Today was the last day of Orientation and it went well-- relatively worry free. I also went to the library for the first time to study-- went right to the second floor carrels next to the windows. I got lots done and was able to make it back to home base in time for a scrumptious dinner!
On the docket was... home-made pizza with zucchini, red pepper, onion, and pepperoni. I made a nice side salad with fresh tomatoes and carrots with a little side of balsamic vinaigrette. It was one of the best meals I've made since being in the state!
Tomorrow's a free day and it's going to be grand. Have lots of plans and am ready to mingle!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Long Days
Ever had one of those days where you just go and go and go, without taking a break, and then just get to a point where you have an intense headache? Yea, that hit me at about 11:45 yesterday night. It was a really long day of making impressions and I just needed a re-charge.
So, recap of yesterday: long day of sessions for Orientation, met lots of new people (there are so many people from all over the country!), went on a hike to the top of the mountains in my town with the Dean, had a BBQ on the quad lawn, did my first load of laundry at the new place, and did a good portion of reading for a course.
Onward to today... We took a field trip to the state capitol (about 45 minutes away) and I thought it was a great opportunity to see and hear from the state's legislative and judicial leaders. As is the case in any state, there was a little bit of underlying political tension but I thought that it was great to hear from people who make the state work!
When I got back from the trip, I slipped right into homework mode and really got things pumping for about an hour. I then had a chance to go on a run down the road, followed by my first official stop at the school gym that I just joined for the small price of $40. It was a great workout--- even went down into the basement to lift some free weights. Watch out, I'm gettin' buff. The rest of the evening was pretty normal-- discover dinner possibilities, select quickest option, eat, clean. Best part of the night though was my phone date with my friend from NOVa!!! It was so nice to hear about each other's new adventures in our respective new schools/ careers. I am so fortunate to have such great friends, even when I'm so far from home.
Last day of Orientation tomorrow! Getting close to the beginning of the term, yikes!
So, recap of yesterday: long day of sessions for Orientation, met lots of new people (there are so many people from all over the country!), went on a hike to the top of the mountains in my town with the Dean, had a BBQ on the quad lawn, did my first load of laundry at the new place, and did a good portion of reading for a course.
Onward to today... We took a field trip to the state capitol (about 45 minutes away) and I thought it was a great opportunity to see and hear from the state's legislative and judicial leaders. As is the case in any state, there was a little bit of underlying political tension but I thought that it was great to hear from people who make the state work!
When I got back from the trip, I slipped right into homework mode and really got things pumping for about an hour. I then had a chance to go on a run down the road, followed by my first official stop at the school gym that I just joined for the small price of $40. It was a great workout--- even went down into the basement to lift some free weights. Watch out, I'm gettin' buff. The rest of the evening was pretty normal-- discover dinner possibilities, select quickest option, eat, clean. Best part of the night though was my phone date with my friend from NOVa!!! It was so nice to hear about each other's new adventures in our respective new schools/ careers. I am so fortunate to have such great friends, even when I'm so far from home.
Last day of Orientation tomorrow! Getting close to the beginning of the term, yikes!
Monday, August 22, 2011
The world still revolves...
Even when you're in law school. It's a good thing to keep in mind the next few weeks! Today was great-- Orientation was off to a smashing start and it feels good to already have a lay of the land.
Amid the Orientation craziness, I had to deal with cell phone issues! I cannot for the life of me call my mom without getting answered by my own voicemail! Technology these days is so essential, I take these minor mishaps and construe them as terrible catastrophes!
Sharing stories about my day with loved ones is one of the easiest ways to feel "at home" when I'm not physically at home. I was fortunately able to call my parents on a land line and catch up with them about their day with the grandparents and aunt/ cousin dynamic in Nebraska. I also got an unexpected call from my brother while he was walking back to the fraternity house. It's a cardinal rule in my family that college kids only place calls while they are walking to or from somewhere on campus. hehe. Coming right out of Orientation, one of my best friends from DC even gave me a call to see how the big day of Orientation went! I got the low down of what she's been up to the past week and I got the chance to share about the little town, school, and people I've met so far! And as I type right this second, I am coordinating a scheduled phone date with another DC friend for later in the week! It's been a catch-up kind of day!
Tomorrow's a packed day, and I'm excited for all the free food and festivities!
Amid the Orientation craziness, I had to deal with cell phone issues! I cannot for the life of me call my mom without getting answered by my own voicemail! Technology these days is so essential, I take these minor mishaps and construe them as terrible catastrophes!
Sharing stories about my day with loved ones is one of the easiest ways to feel "at home" when I'm not physically at home. I was fortunately able to call my parents on a land line and catch up with them about their day with the grandparents and aunt/ cousin dynamic in Nebraska. I also got an unexpected call from my brother while he was walking back to the fraternity house. It's a cardinal rule in my family that college kids only place calls while they are walking to or from somewhere on campus. hehe. Coming right out of Orientation, one of my best friends from DC even gave me a call to see how the big day of Orientation went! I got the low down of what she's been up to the past week and I got the chance to share about the little town, school, and people I've met so far! And as I type right this second, I am coordinating a scheduled phone date with another DC friend for later in the week! It's been a catch-up kind of day!
Tomorrow's a packed day, and I'm excited for all the free food and festivities!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Small Differences
Today I thought that I'd scope out the closest Catholic Church. I chose the 10:30 A.M. Mass and did not expect what I walked into! It just didn't have that "home-y" feel to it. The lack of ANY singing may have had something to do with it or the fact that the priest was a visiting priest, not the parish priest. The Mass was, however, a quick one-- only 45 minutes. Whoosh. I'm willing to give it another whirl though-- perhaps next weekend.
I went for a little escapade in the heart of NH. Figured that I had already driven 25 minutes in the direction of civilization-- why not just continue on my way another 10 minutes? I dropped by Shaw's grocery store to pick up the Sunday paper. My number one reason for doing so? THE COUPONS. I hopped in my car, went down the road to Panera and sat there like an 80+ year old lady reading the paper. The most hilarious part was the fact that I packed a pair of scissors and actually cut out coupons amid the lunch hour hustle and bustle. CLUTCH.
I then stopped by my favorite store, TJ Maxx to pick up some essentials for the new kitchen. It's amazing how much you take advantage of Momma's kitchen and all of its contents while you're living at home!! I had a little more time so I stopped by WalMart. Sadly, this area does not have a Target store. Booo.
I galavanted back to the town and got some reading done. Gotta love those amendments! I went on a nice run through town and had a really good running day jammin' to some rap. Even got a little adventurous and went further outside the town than I'd been before. There are so many cute farmhouses! Once again, I had to decide what to make for dinner. I made a lovely Thai dish of "Kerry Pad Thai." It was scrumptious and there is even another dinner's worth of leftovers!
Tomorrow is the start of Orientation... Hopefully I'll surpass my quota of my mom's mandated "one new friend a day"!
I went for a little escapade in the heart of NH. Figured that I had already driven 25 minutes in the direction of civilization-- why not just continue on my way another 10 minutes? I dropped by Shaw's grocery store to pick up the Sunday paper. My number one reason for doing so? THE COUPONS. I hopped in my car, went down the road to Panera and sat there like an 80+ year old lady reading the paper. The most hilarious part was the fact that I packed a pair of scissors and actually cut out coupons amid the lunch hour hustle and bustle. CLUTCH.
I then stopped by my favorite store, TJ Maxx to pick up some essentials for the new kitchen. It's amazing how much you take advantage of Momma's kitchen and all of its contents while you're living at home!! I had a little more time so I stopped by WalMart. Sadly, this area does not have a Target store. Booo.
I galavanted back to the town and got some reading done. Gotta love those amendments! I went on a nice run through town and had a really good running day jammin' to some rap. Even got a little adventurous and went further outside the town than I'd been before. There are so many cute farmhouses! Once again, I had to decide what to make for dinner. I made a lovely Thai dish of "Kerry Pad Thai." It was scrumptious and there is even another dinner's worth of leftovers!
Tomorrow is the start of Orientation... Hopefully I'll surpass my quota of my mom's mandated "one new friend a day"!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Get Ready in Ten Minutes--- We're headed out!
Today got started with a bang when I woke up and had about 15 minutes to become 'presentable' for the arrival of my landlord. When is it appropriate to stay in your PJ's anyway? I didn't know, so I went ahead and changed into some Norts, threw my hair into a "I just woke up and have crazy bear hair" ponytail. Then I went downstairs and tuned into the news. I just love watching the news in the morning to see what's happened in the world and/or the great USA. Then, I made some scrumptious French toast. Aaaand, my landlord arrived right as I was pulling the bread off the stove. That dang Murphy's law. My closet shelf was able to be fixed, so the untimely arrival was worth it in my mind.
Mid-morning, I was invited to head out into the Green Mountain State on a road trip to go swimming in the river. Did I ask, "What river might we be going to?" No I did not. I threw on my bathing suit, brushed my teeth, and was out the door in fifteen minutes! I was ready to join in on an adventure in my new state! It was a great day. The countryside here reminds me of aspects of West Virginia and is dotted with lovely little towns. The trip that was supposed to take an hour ended up taking about an hour and a half to get to the swimming spot. The funny thing is that I never knew when we were lost! My only clues were the pullover into a parking lot and the driver's announcement: "I don't think we're going the right way." I really was just along for the ride!!
We stopped into a little cafe (actually famous for their Maple syrup milkshakes) for lunch and I indulged in a hamburger, chips, and a pop! We continued on our ride for another thirty minutes and then arrived at the destination place-- a cool swimming hole that had lots and LOTS of cliffs to jump. It had 5 ft, 8 ft, 12 ft, & 20 ft jumps. There was even a 30+ ft jump! I did not partake in any of the jumping (I have NO idea where the closest hospital and/or dentist might be located in this state!) but I did have a lot of fun watching the crazy jumps, flips, and dives of the other daring park visitors. We ended up staying along the river for about 2 hours and getting back to the apartment at 6 o'clock.
Popped in the shower, and my next thought was... what's for dinner? Leftover chicken of course! And what to add to that lovely leftover? I boiled up some pasta, microwaved some marinara sauce and frozen broccoli, and sliced a piece (OK-- two pieces!) of French bread. Great meal!
Hoping to have a relaxing rest of the night, perhaps eat a fresh peach and watch a movie!
Planning on heading out to the "big city" tomorrow--- there'll be fresh adventures for sure!
Mid-morning, I was invited to head out into the Green Mountain State on a road trip to go swimming in the river. Did I ask, "What river might we be going to?" No I did not. I threw on my bathing suit, brushed my teeth, and was out the door in fifteen minutes! I was ready to join in on an adventure in my new state! It was a great day. The countryside here reminds me of aspects of West Virginia and is dotted with lovely little towns. The trip that was supposed to take an hour ended up taking about an hour and a half to get to the swimming spot. The funny thing is that I never knew when we were lost! My only clues were the pullover into a parking lot and the driver's announcement: "I don't think we're going the right way." I really was just along for the ride!!
We stopped into a little cafe (actually famous for their Maple syrup milkshakes) for lunch and I indulged in a hamburger, chips, and a pop! We continued on our ride for another thirty minutes and then arrived at the destination place-- a cool swimming hole that had lots and LOTS of cliffs to jump. It had 5 ft, 8 ft, 12 ft, & 20 ft jumps. There was even a 30+ ft jump! I did not partake in any of the jumping (I have NO idea where the closest hospital and/or dentist might be located in this state!) but I did have a lot of fun watching the crazy jumps, flips, and dives of the other daring park visitors. We ended up staying along the river for about 2 hours and getting back to the apartment at 6 o'clock.
Popped in the shower, and my next thought was... what's for dinner? Leftover chicken of course! And what to add to that lovely leftover? I boiled up some pasta, microwaved some marinara sauce and frozen broccoli, and sliced a piece (OK-- two pieces!) of French bread. Great meal!
Hoping to have a relaxing rest of the night, perhaps eat a fresh peach and watch a movie!
Planning on heading out to the "big city" tomorrow--- there'll be fresh adventures for sure!
Friday, August 19, 2011
It's the small things
Sometimes it's just the small things that make your day great.
Today I got the chance to Skype with my brother for the first time ever! We caught up about our past week's activities and showed each other our respective new rooms. Having missed his move-in to University, I was glad to have the chance to see how his room turned out. It was quite clean for a fraternity house! I even twisted my computer around and showed him my new digs in the Green Mountain State. Felt like we were in the same place for once!
I'm perfectly capable of cooking but sometimes it's getting the cooking process started that's the hard part for me. Today I went from making a dinner of baked chicken with fresh broccoli and side salad to making just a huge salad topped with chicken, veggies, and balsamic vinegar. It hit the spot!
Tomorrow brings new adventures... and new 'small things' to appreciate.
Today I got the chance to Skype with my brother for the first time ever! We caught up about our past week's activities and showed each other our respective new rooms. Having missed his move-in to University, I was glad to have the chance to see how his room turned out. It was quite clean for a fraternity house! I even twisted my computer around and showed him my new digs in the Green Mountain State. Felt like we were in the same place for once!
I'm perfectly capable of cooking but sometimes it's getting the cooking process started that's the hard part for me. Today I went from making a dinner of baked chicken with fresh broccoli and side salad to making just a huge salad topped with chicken, veggies, and balsamic vinegar. It hit the spot!
Tomorrow brings new adventures... and new 'small things' to appreciate.
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